The Fifth Liners

Winners Buffalo Sabres  In two short days, Dan Bylsma 's new reign in Buffalo already seems a lot brighter. Not only did they selected hot prospect Jack Eichel second overall, but they also pulled off an excellent trade with Colorado swapping Ryan O'Reilly and Jamie McGinn for Nikita Zadarov, Mikhail Grigorenko and J.T Compher. The day before they also acquired Robin Lehner and David Legwand in a trade with Ottawa for the 21st pick! Already their depth quality looks far more impressive than last season. With a top line included, Kane, Bogosian and Eichel, this might be a time to scale back on the Sabres related jokes on this blog. Edmonton Oilers Having the first overall pick, selecting Connor McDavid was a guaranteed high point. But new GM Peter Chiarelli also smartly acquired the services of goalie Cam Talbot for New York. While old team the Bruins (we'll get to them later) took a hit, Edmonton is now in the beginning stages of building a team that is actua...

Being pride weekend in Toronto, I felt it necessary to blog about this fine event. On Thursday Sonoma Stompers pitcher Sean Conroy threw a shutout 7-0 victory against the Vallejo Admirals. Not only was this his first ever pro start, but Conroy is also the first ever openly gay professional baseball player. With the announcement yesterday of the US Supreme finally legalizing gay marriage- this event is fitting. Conroy struckout 11 batters on 140 pitches and never allow a runner to get further than second base. The 23 year old has received great support from both teammates and fans alike. The game itself was a tremendous experience for him, Conroy was quoted as saying "All of the fan support was overwhelming -- the rainbow socks, wristbands, arm sleeves. It was just incredible." It is magnificent to see a new era beginning in baseball. Will be watching Conroy closely in years to come.

Unless there is some kind of minor miracle at 2015 NHL Draft this Sunday, the Edmonton Oilers are set to select Connor McDavid at the first overall pick. His selection was highly sought after for all NHL sides last season. Maple Leafs fans in particular were fervent supporters of 'Tank Nation' which celebrated each loss which brought them closer to the chance to select the Ontario native. When Edmonton won the first pick from the NHL Draft lottery, many fans expressed disappointment of the Oilers once again getting this selection. Particularly as it seemed it has become a little too familiar with the same underwhelming results being produced. The hype around McDavid has been at fever pitch for some time, many experts have already compared him to legends Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux ! His OHL jersey has already been selling for a pretty penny at auctions and many are convinced he is already a superstar. But in the midst of this hullabaloo, many seem to be forgetting one v...

Since retiring at only 32 in 2012 (mainly because no team would take him) former trouble maker Sean Avery has shed light on his decision to retire. In short, he claims that he needed people to hate him in order to stay motivated. Although he achieved his goal is spectacular fashion, Avery often resorted to hateful tactics to provoke people. We all remember his notorious 'Sloppy Seconds' quoted aimed at Dion Phaneuf or the time he decided to get creative while screening Martin Brodeur ! Apparently ever since his off-broadway debut fell apart in bizarre and typical Avery fashion (he got into an argument with a stage hand over refusing a slice of pizza), he now has taken to remodelling East End homes in NYC. Let's hope he does cause too much mayhem during the renovation part of the job! To see more about his reflections in the Players Tribune, click on the link here .

1938 - While playing for the Boston Red Sox , Jimmy Foxx set a major league record when in one game, he was walked six times.   1975- Kareem- Abdul Jabber was traded from the Milwaukee Bucks to the LA Lakers 1981- The Chicago Tribune purchased the Chicago Cubs from the Wrigley Chewing Gum Company for $20.5 million (the pocket change for Roman Abramovich in today's world) 1993- Michael Jordan breaks the record for most points in an NBA Finals game when he scored 55 points against Phoenix Suns. 2006- The Disney owned Mighty Ducks of Anaheim have sale to Henry and Susan Samueli approved by NHL Board of Governors.

Goalie: Ben Bishop He may have missed out on a Stanley Cup ring, but Bishop was the glue that held Tampa Bay Lightning together during their play-off run. Notching up 13 wins including 3 shutouts, a save percentage of .921 and a GAA of 2.18, Bishop was remarkable in net.  Defense: Duncan Keith The rightful Conn Smyth Trophy winner, Keith was remarkable on the blue line. Scoring the first goal in game 6 was a tribute to his dominance. Scoring 21 points which included a staggering 18 assists, Keith had the highest plus minus rating of +16. The Chicago Blackhawks have been well served by this man and his importance was truly demonstrated in this final. Defense: Victor Hedman   Behind Keith, Hedman was the second highest plus/minus rating of +11. His great defensive quality helped back up Bishop in net. During this series, Hedman broke the record for the most points scored by a Lightning player in a single playoff year with 13. Heavily favored to win the Jam...

Once more we turn to an old and predictable tale- the future of the Arizona Coyotes . A fatal blow was struck yesterday when the Glendale, Arizona council elected to terminate the Coyotes arena lease! After being purchased by Ice Arizona LLC in July 2013, things look to have finally been sorted. A 15 year agreement had been finalize, but now after only two seasons, it has been terminated. Now once more, the teams future will hang in the balance. Last season, despite high hopes of an improvement, the fans once more stayed away. The average attendance at the Gila River Arena was a mere 13,345 and was the 28th lowest in the league. Only the Carolina and Florida were more sparsely attended. For years now, desert hockey has been on the downswing and as many people have been predicting, the franchise may now be departing for newer pastures. The reaction in Arizona has been one of immense frustration and anger and co-owner Anthony LeBlanc sees this treatment as unfair. He was quoted as sa...

1964- Sandy Koufax throws this third career no hitter 1980- 'Mr Hockey' Gordie Howe officially announces his retirement from Hockey 1986- Boston Celtics win NBA Final's in five games over Phoenix  2000- Fred McGriff gets his 2000th career hit while playing for Tampa Bay

This year was one to forget for San Jose Sharks as they crawled home only 11th overall in the Western Conference. For the first time in over a decade, the Sharks failed to make the play-offs. This lapse in form also led to sacking of Todd McLellan as Head Coach. What exactly went wrong? Well not having a clear leader seemed to affect the direction on the team. Long time leader, Joe Thornton had the 'C' removed from his jersey in the off-season. Copying Montreal, the Sharks went with four alternates instead. While the Habs made it work, production seemed to slow at the SAP Arena. Joe Pavelski was top scorer with over 70 points and the other big four Logan Couture , Brent Burns , Thornton and Patrick Marleau all contribute around the 60 point mark. But outside of these guys, the higher points score was 36 points. The Sharks need to find a way to round the side more, because right now it is just a party of five. Former Devil's boss, Peter De Boer has been installed ...

Once more life in Raleigh, NC is a dull and barren affair! Again the Carolina Hurricanes failed to add more proof that their cup win in 2006 was little more than a fluke. About the only interesting activity that fluttered around PNC Arena was the persistent trade rumors surrounding aging star, Eric Staal. Sadly Staal decided to keep underwhelming himself in Carolina and the wheel kept on spinning backwards. Misfiring at both ends, the Hurricanes limped home 14th overall in the Eastern Conference. Sporting the 3rd worst goal difference with only 188 goals against. There sparks of life such as the form of young gun Justin Faulk and Elias Lindholm . Eric Staal as per usual was top scorer- but who exactly is his competition these days. Cam Ward in net continued to be one of the few good elements of a bad team. But his GAA of 2.40 is a little alarming. In front of him his defense saw a whopping 226 goals goals against for a goal difference of -38! The Hurricanes are a team who these...

It's time to grade the NHL teams' overall performance for 2014-15. The grades range from A* to E-. Meanwhile in Toronto, this happened, three times in one game. THREE TIMES. You can throw a hat on the ice, that's cool. In Detroit it's tradition to throw an octopus, but throw a jersey in the Air Canada Centre and not only will you be ejected from the game, but the Maple Leafs will press charges.  Seriously, when fans are that unhappy with your performance that they'll throw away their $169.95 jersey in disgust, pressing charges is just plain wrong. Tip of the cap to the fans who demanded better, and got worse.   Disappointed sad face to the whole damn franchise. In 2014/15 the Maples Leafs were an insult to hockey and its fans. That's all I have to say about the Leafs. For 2014-15, the Toronto Maple Leafs score an E- . 

It's time to grade the NHL teams' overall performance for 2014-15. The grades range from A* to E-. Another tail of woe, this time from north of the border. There are two fundamental  rules in hockey: the first is 'don't try and fight Zdeno Chara', the second is 'score more goals than your opponents'. The Oilers average goals per game was a paltry 2.35, 24th worst in the league (or 24th best if you're an optimist). Meanwhile at the other end of the ice, the team conceded an average of 3.37 goals per game, officially the leakiest defense in the NHL. The goalie situation at Rexall Place is dire, in 2014-15 Ben Scrivens, Victor Fasth, Richard Bachman, Laurent Brossoit and Tyler Bunz all clocked up ice time for the Oilers in front of net. With the lack of consistency at the back, coupled with a defensive corps who couldn't manage a single positive +/-, it's a wonder the Oilers were able to finish higher than Arizona and Buffalo. There were a...