The Fifth Liners

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...

The NHLPA seems to be taking Mike Richards ' dismissal from the LA Kings very seriously. Today they filed a grievance on his behalf contesting the termination. While it is unclear where Richards will be granted a hearing or not, the NHLPA is attempting to speed up the process. Richards had five years and $22 million remaining on his contract before it was terminated in June for what the Kings called "a material breach of contract." The movie itself proved controversial as this occurred only days after he was placed on waivers. The reasons for what caused this termination still remain to be revealed but there were initial whispers about a "border crossing incident!" During his NHL career, Richards has 179 goals and 303 points from 710 regular season games. He won two Stanley cups both with the Kings in 2012 and 2014. Also he was a member of the 2010 Olympic Gold Medal winning Team Canada. As of today Richards remains un-signed, hopefully he will find a new ho...

Slava Voynov will be prepping his legal team for one hell of a battle, as today his court date has been set for March 2, 2015. Monday at Los Angeles County Superior Court, Voynov plead not guilty to assaulting his wife on October 19th. Currently suspended from playing in the NHL, Voynov could be sentenced to up to nine years imprisonment if he is found guilty. Previously his wife had sent a letter stating that her injuries were accidental, but the judge dismissed the evidence at the preliminary hearing. The two time Stanley Cup winner with LA Kings , Voynov so far this season contributed only two assists from six regular season games played.

"The LA Kings offence ranked 26th overall at the end of the regular season. How did the team turn it around to become the highest scoring in the playoffs so far?" Very interesting question here, because LA this season has been one of the real surprise packages in playoff time. So far they hold a 1-0 series win in the final over the Rangers and you would have to back them to go all the way after the impressive form they have displayed. During regular season there was nothing really special about this team. After being 3-0 down in the series against San Jose, many assumed they were done for- but their fight back was a joy to behold and this team has pulled together and the best time and their spirit has soared as a result!  If you cast your mind back to their first Stanley Cup win back in 2012, it was a similar story to this one. That season the Kings just sneaked into 8th place by having fewer losses than Calgary, here no one game them a fighting chance. But multiple up...

So far in this Western Conference Final, LA Kings players such as Anze Kopitar, Marion Gaborik and Jeff Carter have been gaining deserved plaudits for their excellent work. But there is one man who seems to be missing off that list and that is defenseman Jake Muzzin because so far this play-offs, the 25 year old from Woodstock, Ontario has come alive. Only drafted 141st overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2007, but signing a three year entry level contract with LA, Muzzin spent much of his time playing for their minor league affiliate the Manchester Monarchs in the AHL, but last season he was called to full duty for the Kings and impressed many as a result with some excellent displays. This season however has been no exception with Muzzin putting up 24 points in regular season alone and has become one of their key men in the play-offs and so far has chalked up 11 points, and this accurately reflects his superb work rate and he has caused numerous headaches for the defending cha...

This season's Stanley Cup playoffs have been one of the best and most unpredictable of years gone by, the Boston Bruins; almost everyone's favourite for the cup have been dumped out by the Habs. The Rangers, riding high under the stewardship of Alain Vigneault have put out the Pittsburgh Penguins. Last night also saw another sting in the tail, as the LA Kings put an end to an impressive Anaheim Ducks with a 6-2 win at the Honda Center! We've now arrived at the conference finals. During the regular season you never would have predicted these line ups. But who will triumph here? Western Conference Chicago Blackhawks v LA Kings The Blackhawks have done well to salvage some pride after an indifferent regular season and players such as Jonathan Toews, Marion Hossa and Brent Seabrook have impressed during this time. I have no doubts they will fight to the bitter end to bring the cup by to Illinois for a second year running. They are not as dominant as last season, but th...

Vancouver Canucks Perhaps me being slightly biased being a Canucks fan, but this horn is one that brings back great memories of our Stanley Cup run in 2011. Even today when it sounds at the Rogers Arena, it still succeeds in raising the hairs on your neck! New York Rangers It is fitting that the Rangers still use the same goal horn from their 1994 cup winning season at Madison Square Garden, and it is a good thing to because it is one of the most distinctive and best sound horns in the league!  LA Kings This is one goal horn that is guaranteed to make you sit up and pay attention! Sounding like an oncoming goods train, every time it sounds at the Staples Center, it's a reminder the LA Express is coming. Detroit Red Wings One of the most legendary sounds of the league, the horn at the Joe Louis Arena has become the soundtrack to the Wings success over the years and even today it still stands out. Boston Bruins When the Bruins score at TD Garden, this...

Over this weekend we saw an interesting experiment which seemed to go down very well with fans of the great sport of Hockey as we saw the Coors Light Stadium Series get under way with the Anaheim Ducks humiliating the LA Kings on their home turf as they won 3-0 win Dodger Stadium! Seems despite have Cee Lo Green among others as the warm up act, the Kings became yet another victim to the currently unstoppable Ducks side! The New York Rangers tie against the New Jersey Devils at Yankee Stadium proved to a far more entertaining affair as the Broadway Blues came out on top 7-3, which included come back from 3-1 down mid way through the first period, but thanks to a first star performance from Mats Zuccarello they clawed their way back into contention. Up next is the next New York instalment as the Ranger welcome fellow local rivals the New York Islanders on January 29th. But after that we have the potentially thrilling showdown between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Pittsburgh...

Today it was announced that Los Angeles Kings backup goalie Ben Scrivens has been traded to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a 2014 third round draft pick, meanwhile regular goalie Devan Dubnyk has also been traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for forward Matt Hendricks! Trading Scrivens is either a stroke of genius by Edmonton or pure silliness by LA because this player has been one of the finds of the season since he deputised so superbly for regular Kings goalie Jonathan Quick back in November, and so far he holds a record of 7-5-4 with a 1.97 GAA! This also included 10 shutouts and two first star performances (one of which I witnessed against the Rangers at the Garden). Being Quick's backup is a bit like being Petr Cech's number two at Chelsea, which is unless something drastic happens, you don't even consider leaving the bench!  So in that light, this move will give the guy game time, which he is not assured of at LA. But also it weakens the Kings b...

It's a good time to be Ben Scrivens . The Canadian goaltender is currently defending the net for the LA Kings while regular first choice Jonathan Quick is out with a strained groin. He's been the back-up man at the back for the Kings since he was picked up in June this year, in a deal which saw Jonathan Bernier head to the leafs. This season so far he's played eight games, conceding seven goals. This gives him a .955% which is the best in the league after Petr Mrazek (who has 1.000% after one game). He also leads the way in shutouts. Three so far and on Monday was named the NHL's first star of the week. Ben Scrivens was an unrestricted free agent when the Toronto Maple Leafs signed him up in 2010, where he played his hockey at the ECHL's Reading Royals and the Toronto Marlies. He played his first NHL game in November 2011. Scrivens started his NHL career with a 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets and made 38 saves. The LA Kings host the Tampa Bay Li...

Last night while in the wonderful city that is New York I had the pleasure of watching the Rangers entertain the LA Kings at MSG. Sadly the result wasn't to favour the home side as Ben Scrivens turned in a 1st Star performance for the Kings as he made 37 saves to record a second straight shut out win! Tyler Toffoli scored the games only goal after 1.23 of the second when his shot crept under Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers were slightly flat throughout and despite having six powerplays,the LA powerkill shut them down! But were cruelty robbed in the closing minutes when a controversial call went against NY. Everyone thought Dominic Moore had scored the tying goal with 2.41 remaining. As I went wild with celebration with my good friend Ossie and high fived fellow Rangers fans in the midst of goal buzzer sounding, we were then informed the goal was under review and shortly after it was announced that the officials judged Moore kicked the puck past Scrivens and the goal was waived of...

After leaving the Kings Vs Sabres game early with an injury, the LA Kings ' main goaltender Jonathan Quick has been sent back to the team's doctors in LA and will likely miss the rest of the New York road trip. The injury, through to be a hamstring or groin strain will keep Quick out for a few games. Ben Scrivens , who took to the ice to replace Quick in the Sabres game will stand between the sticks for the NY Islanders game tonight. Martin Jones has been called up from the AHL's Manchester Monarchs and will back up Scrivens. It's not known when Quick will return to the ice. While this isn't a huge worry for the Kings, who have a great back up in Scrivens, it is possibly a worry for the USA Olympic team, of which Quick is pretty much guaranteed to be the starting goalie. Or maybe he'll run it off and be playing next week. Either way, get well soon.

As Mike's previous two post pointed out, the NHL will be a very different place come the 2013-14 season with the Eastern and Western conference have undergone a dramatic re-alignment and now it has become far more simplied with the East sporting two separate divisions with the Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions and the West also having two divisions with the Pacific and Central Division. With new leagues come new rivalrys are long gone are the days of the dull Southwestern Division and sadly Vancouver will not fight for a sixth straight Northwest Division. But what will the big match ups be? Let's take a look in more detail. Atlantic Division  This division promises plenty of thrills with the Detroit Red Wings , Boston Bruins , Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens doing battle for a playoff place- there is no love lost between Leafs and Habs fans and this fixture never fails to entertain. But the clash that will have everyone talking will be when the Ottawa Senators...

With the new schedules come the new divisions, instead of being three divisions in each conference, there's now only two. With the changes will come new rivalries, which Alex will talk about later.  Let's start with the Western Conference. The Western has 14 teams while the Eastern currently has 16. This accommodates for the expansion in the west that the NHL has been looking for. Detroit and Columbus have moved over to the Eastern while Winnipeg makes the sensible move west.  Pacific Division Anaheim Ducks Calgary Flames Edmonton Oilers Los Angeles Kings Phoenix Coyotes San Jose Sharks Vancouver Canucks Dallas leaves the old Pacific Division, but three of the Canadian teams; Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary have joined it from the disbanded Northwest Division.  Central Division Chicago Blackhawks Colorado Avalanche Dallas Stars Minnesota Wild Nashville Predators St. Louis Blues Winnipeg Jets With Colom...

Los Angeles Kings Captain Dustin Brown will seemingly spend the remainder of his career with the franchise after penning an 8 year deal today which will see him through to the end of the 2021-22 season, financial details of the signing havent been released. Brown has become a vital figure for LA since being drafted 13th overall in 2003 and so far in his career has gained an impressive points total of 181 goals and 388 points in 641 games as well as 31 points in 50 playoff games. He was made team captain in 2008 and led the Kings to their first ever Stanley Cup win in 2012 after a 4-2 win over the New Jersey Devils and in doing so became only the second born American captain to hoist the cup. Kings fans will be delighted to hear this news and we can expect Browns #23 jersey to be raised to the rafters some point in the future- as you were Dustin!

Whilst in the midst of a busy workday this saturday just gone, Mike pointed out a fact which is not only fascinating but deeply puzzling, he said "You know a Canadian team hasn't lifted the cup for 20 years?" This is a damn good point and one that ultimately leaves us baffled- but what is the reason for this current drought? Let's have a look in more detail, Cast your mind back to the night of June 9th 1993 where the Montreal Canadiens swept aside a Wayne Gretzky inspired Los Angeles Kings by four games to ones to claim their 24th Stanley Cup win and as Habs Captain Guy Carbonneau hoisted the cup at the Montreal Forum, little did we know that this would the be the last time to date that a Canadian team would be engraved on the trophy!  Since then the cup has been an all American affair and in between these twenty years we have seen four deserved wins by Detroit Red Wings , three Scott Stevens inspired cup wins by the New Jersey Devils and two cup wins each b...

A brilliant hat-trick from Patrick Kane sealed the Chicago Blackhawks place in the Stanley Cup final against the Boston Bruins with a pulsating 4-3 overtime win over the LA Kings at the United Center last night! After a season which has seem them win many admirers, the Hawks’ superb forward line will get to compete for the ultimate prize!  The Hawks took control in the first period with defenseman Duncan Keith ’s slap shot putting them in front and the lead was quickly doubled when Kane pushed them further ahead, all around the home fans were already getting into party mood!  But the second period would dampen the festive spirit as Dwight King ’s shorthanded goal for LA cut the lead to 2-1 and suddenly it looked like the Kings weren’t keen to have their crown stolen away just yet! After three minutes of the third period, Anze Kopitar scored his first of the series to tie the game and end his barren spell of six scoreless games!  Faith was restored in t...

The Chicago Blackhawks fought back from 2-1 down against the LA Kings at the Staples Center last night to secure a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference final and to leave the Blackhawks one win away from guaranteeing their place in the Stanley Cup final! All around there was an anticipation in the air that the Kings could produce a fight back like their Quarter Final win against St Louis previous and the sell out crowd expected big. When Slava Voynov drove in the opener from distance, it appeared it would be party time all the way for LA! But Chicago had no desire to fade away quietly and were level after 13 mins when Bryan Bickell scored! But less than two minutes into the second period, Dustin Penner beat Corey Crawford to score his first goal in over 11 games and to put the Kings 2-1 ahead!  Justin Williams had the chance to put them further ahead but his breakaway effort was superbly stopped by Crawford But again Chicago responded strongly and again tied the scores whe...

The Conference Finals start tomorrow so in this blog's grand tradition, it's time to make some predictions. I'm happy to say that I'm doing pretty well with my predictions have got all but two correct in this season's playoffs. More after the jump:

It's been a busy week, what with the Champion's League final, the Go Karts in Monaco and Daft Punk releasing their new album. Anyway back to hockey. Things are sewn up in the east now, the Penguins will beat  play Boston in the Eastern Conference Final. In the west however, it's a different story with Detroit and LA still fighting it out, touch wood Detroit will make the most of the home ice advantage and win the series. San Jose on the other hand are the little train that never gave up. Despite the Kings dominating game five and shutting out the Sharks, Coach Todd McLellan must have slipped some kangaroo juice into his players' Gatorade cos last night they bounced right back*. I've heard of rushing the goal, but the Kings' initial strategy seemed to be 'rush the penalty box'. Kyle Clifford, Mike Richards and Anze Kopitar all made visits to the box in the first five minutes of play. Presumably Darryl Sutter will rethink this strategy as it al...