The Fifth Liners

This article was originally published on the4thlinepodcast.com The 1974 NHL expansion was a mistake. The WHA, the NHL's strongest competitor was reaching its stride and draining the pool of available talent. A common theme we've seen with the previous expansions is that new teams struggle in their debut seasons, none more so than the two teams that joined the NHL in 1974. 1974 Kansas City Scouts Kansas City has a tradition of minor league hockey stretching as far back as the mid 1920s. That's something the city should hold on to as its tradition of NHL hockey is as brief as it is forgettable. The team now known as the New Jersey Devils started its NHL campaign in Kansas City in 1974, before upping and leaving after just two miserable seasons. And those two seasons were truly miserable. Not the worst ever, that award goes to our next team, but pretty bad. In the Scouts' first season, the team went 15-54-11, finishing fifth (last) in the Smythe Division. T...

This article was first posted on  the4thlinepodcast.com In the first article in this series, we looked at the NHL’s 1967 expansion, when the league doubled in size. 1970 brought the addition of two new NHL teams, and the divisions were shuffled. The Chicago Black Hawks (the name change came in 1986) moved over to the West, making space in the East division for the new boys. 1970 Vancouver Canucks The history of the Vancouver Canucks effectively starts in 1945, but ice hockey in BC’s largest city goes back much further than that. The Millionaires (later renamed The Maroons) represented Vancouver in the PCHA and WCHL for 15 years, and in that time brought home the Stanley Cup. A feat that to date, has not been repeated in Vancouver. In 1915 the winners of the PCHA and NHA competed for the cup, the Millionaires defeated the NHA’s Ottawa Senators (the original Senators) to lift the cup for the first and only time. In 1926 the team folded. Fast forward 19 years and hockey ret...

By Alex Watson This article was originally published on the4thlinepodcast.com Being number two is always a hard job, but someone’s gotta do it. These backup goalies might not get the same acclaim as Carey Price or Henrik Lundqvist, but they are still essential. Some members on this list have a case to be starting for their respective teams. Here are the NHL’s top 5 backup goalies. 1. Matt Murray: Pittsburgh Penguins Windsor, Ontario native Matt Murray was instrumental in helping Pittsburgh win last years’ Stanley Cup.  After an injury to Marc-Andre Fleury, Murray stepped in and finished with an impressive 21-15-6 record and a 2.08 GAA. Some might argue Murray should have been awarded the Conn Smyth for his efforts. Due to the return of Fleury, this guy has been made backup again. He only has 3 appearances under his belt in 2016-17, but the Penguins boast possibly the strongest goaltending in hockey. At only 22, Murray is the heir apparent in Pittsburgh. Let’s hope ...

This article was originally posted on the the4thlinepodcast.com . For a quarter of a century, the NHL was a six team league. As the 1960s rumbled on, the NHL and the ‘original six’ teams decided (or relented, depending on how you look at it) that it was time to expand. Next year the NHL expands again as the Las Vegas Desert , Black , Silver , Something Knights will join, the first expansion team in 16 years. So, ahead of that, we’ll be taking a look at the teams that have joined the league over the years. With the addition of the six new teams, the league was split into the East and West divisions. The East consisted of the ‘original six’, the West of the expansion teams. California Seals The NHL’s expansion into California gave access to two of America’s more populous cities. The California Seals made the move from the Western Hockey League as part of the expansion. This in itself was a bad decision, one of many that would beset the Seals... Click HERE to continue r...