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With one month until the playoffs, The 4th Line is back to bring you the latest around the NHL. The NHL is having to start to take measures based on the outbreak of coronavirus. What will this mean for hockey fans? Tampa Bay and Boston gave us a preview of what a playoff matchup of them will look like. How will the Atlantic division shake down? The Ottawa Senators and Jim Little parted ways. But nailing down exactly why is the hard part. Roberto Luongo had his jersey retired by the Florida Panthers. Is the Hockey Hall of Fame the next step for him? TheRead More →

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Goal Greats With Alex Ovechkin hitting the 700 goal mark, passing another legend on seemingly a nightly basis, the only question left seems to be if/when he’ll catch the Great One? Whether or not he breaks Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 goals, many consider Ovi the greatest goal scorer ever, and there’s a solid argument to be made. Goaltending and defensive systems have come a long way since Bobby Hull, Gordie Howe and ‘Rocket’ Richard were blasting pucks past netminders. Ovi moved ahead of names like Lemieux, Yzerman and Messier of late, but let’s take a look at some of the other less talked aboutRead More →

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As David Ayres has continued his Tour de Force, we discuss the logistics of the emergency backup goalie. With the emergency backup goalie the flavor of the month, is that the best way to handle the goalie injury problem? It’s been a week since the trade deadline. The San Jose Sharks didn’t trade Joe Thornton. Should they have moved him to finally let him get a Stanley Cup? The Carolina Hurricanes are struggling with their top 2 goalies hurt. Can they fix the losing streak in time for a playoff birth? The Toronto Maple Leafs are winning, in spite of their defense being almost entirelyRead More →

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On this all trade deadline episode can you imagine that we almost had to resort to an emergency backup podcaster (EBUP)? And would that EBUP be better than Nick? This week, we try to touch on as many trades as possible, including (but not limited to): Tyler Toffoli Brenden Dillon Marco Scandella Alec Martinez Ondrej Kase Ilya Kovalchuk Mike Green Vladislav Namestnikov Jean-Gabriel Pageau Vincent Trocheck Patrick Marleau Andreas Athanasiou Barclay Goodrow Sami Vatanen Robin Lehner Brady Skjei We even find time to look at new contracts for Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Chris Kreider and Jake Muzzin. All this and more on episode 271 of the 4thRead More →

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With 75% of the regular season completed, it’s common for watercooler talk to turn to ‘who’s gonna win some awards?’. Here at 4th Line Towers, we’re no different, but rather than look at the awards that already exist, why not focus on awards that should exist. Today we’re looking at the Why Haven’t You Been Fired Yet award. The contenders are Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill, Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin and head coach Claude Julien and LA Kings head coach Todd McLellan. Claude Julien Embed from Getty Images Should he be fired? Julien returned to coach Montreal in February 2017 to replaceRead More →

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The Mighty Ducks are back! What can we expect with Coach Bombay’s return behind the bench? Speaking of coaches, Bruce Boudreau was fired by the Minnesota Wild this week. But why? Zack Kassian learned that kicking someone in the chest is not allowed. Was his punishment appropriate? Evander Kane thinks that his suspension, as well as others, are not in line with the league’s precedent and had some words for George Parros about it. Was he justified? The New Jersey Devils got their trade deadline started moving Blake Coleman and Andy Greene. Will this set the price for the next week? The Montreal Canadiens haveRead More →

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Being a 5’10”, Russian forward is almost a surefire reason to not make the NHL, but the very talented Devils prospect, Arseni Gritsyuk, may just break that stigma. Omskie Yastreby vs. Tolpar Ufa (3-2) January 6, 2020 Player Profile Name: Arseni Gritsyuk (#81) Height/Weight: 5’10″/157 lbs. Position: LW/RW Team: Omskie Yastreby (MHL) NHL Affiliate: New Jersey Devils (2019 NHL Draft, #129 Overall) Shift 1   Immediate offensive impact from Arseni Gritsyuk here, as he gets the puck in the neutral zone. A clean zone entry gives him a clear shooting lane, but he falls down on the shot, and the netminder, Dmitri Braginsky, makes theRead More →

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On February 12, 2020, the Vancouver Canucks honor two of their true greats. Henrik and Daniel Sedin were the ultimate unit in the NHL. Identical twin brothers who had an almost telepathic understanding of the other ones play. Describe recently as ‘a cheat code’ they excited Canucks fans for 18 wonderful seasons. As a self-confessed Canucks fan, I cannot express in words what the Sedins mean to this franchise. Embed from Getty Images Having their numbers raised to the rafters is the most fitting tribute imaginable. However, getting them to Vancouver in the first place was a job in itself and for this, we takeRead More →

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Cheating is rampant in sports these days and hockey is now exception anymore! The Arizona Coyotes are being investigated for illegal fitness testing of junior players. Was it worth the potential $5 million in fines? On the heals of a Frederik Andersen injury, the Toronto Maple Leafs made a trade for Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford from the Los Angeles Kings. Will it work out for them? What other trades could happen before the deadline? Could Kyle Connor be on the move? Which goalie will have a new home? Darnell Nurse has signed an extension with the Edmonton Oilers. Will it work for the team?Read More →

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This week saw TWO editions of the hottest rivalry in the NHL: The Battle of Alberta.   In Version #1 David Rittich flipped his stick and Leon Draisaitl flipped his lid. In Version #2, Mike Smith got in a fight and Cam Talbot got in trouble. When was the last time we had a rivalry this good? Justin aka Dustin Byfuglien is nearing the end of his time as a Winnipeg Jet. What does the future hold for the defenseman? Gritty has been vindicated. Which led to what might be the initial pieces of The Mascot Union. The Buffalo Sabres enter the Elimination Station. IsRead More →