The Fifth Liners

This week it was out with the old and in with the new this week in the state of Springsteen as New Jersey Devils sacked head coach Peter DeBoer and swiftly replaced with him former Capitals coach Adam Oates and former captain Scott Stevens . A storm of controversy soon followed as the Caps protested that NJ should have asked permission first, but the matter was quickly settled with the minimum of fuss. After leading the Devils to an unlikely Stanley Cup final appearence in 2012, DeBoer has struggled to bring consistency to his aging side and has left his side seventh overall in the Eastern Conference and over nine points adrift from the wild card slot! In his four years as coach, De Boer only registered a solitary playoff appearance. But his sacking doesn't appear to be been solely based on results. Since the departure of stars Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk , New Jersey has failed to replacement them with a consistent goal scorer. This season in particular has been a pretty...

In the opening days of Ice Hockey in Sochi 2014 , we have seen a vast array of goals being scored (50 the count so far in case you were wondering) and we have seen some impressive team performances. It may be early doors so far, but we are beginning to get an idea of who might be in contention for medals soon! Here is a review of the action so far: Group A   The USA started strongly with a 7-1 win over an uninspired Slovakia team who lacked any real threat. Phil Kessel was the star man with a goal and two assists, Ryan Kesler and James Van Riemsdyk also impressed. Goalie wise, the Slovaks had a torrid time with St Louis' Jaroslav Halak being yanked on from net with the score at 5-1, only for backup Peter Budaj to be beaten on his very first shot faced! But with Jonathan Quick looking impressive in net and an offense that could do some damage, it appears my initial thoughts about the US could be proven wrong! Hosts Russia began strongly with a 5-2 win over Slovenia in a game...

Its official, Ilya Kovalchuk has signed for SKA St Petersberg in the Kontinental Hockey League on a four year deal! He had previously played for them during the NHL lockout last season during which he had captained the team. The native Russian created shockwaves last week when he announced his retirement from the NHL at just 30 after a successful 12 year stint playing for the Atlanta Thrashers and New Jersey Devils (whom he signed a 15 year for $100 million). But their loss is Russian Hockey's gain and we could well see a high influx of players returning home in the coming years. All the best Ilya! Hopefully one day you will have us round for tea if we're visiting our lovely Russian fans!

No your eyes are not playing tricks on you, because yesterday in a shock move, New Jersey Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk has announced his retirement from the NHL at the age of just 30! The Russian was only 3 years into a $77 Million 15 year agreement at the Prudential Center but according to Devils GM Lou Lamiorello , Kovalchuk has signed his voluntary retirement papers officially voiding the deal! This opens the door to more speculation as to whether he will return to his native Russia to play in the KHL, Kovalchuk played for SKA St Petersburg during last season’s lockout and has been alleged to have been considering returning home for some time. A 1 st overall pick by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2001, Kovalchuk has amassed an impressive points records in the NHL with over 417 goals and 816 points overall. He was also a winner of the Rocket Richard Scoring Trophy back in 2004 after a 41 goal season. He joined New Jersey in 2010 and has enjoyed the best spell of his career...