The Fifth Liners

Rick DiPietro (1st overall, New York Islanders 2000) Where better to start on this list than the first ever player selected in the new millennium. Boston College's Rick DiPietro became the second ever goalie to be drafted first overall. His career record of 130-136-31 with 36 shutouts; 2.87 GAA and .907 save percentage from 318 starts might not look too shabby, however, it was far from the type of stardom this young man was supposed to bring the New York Islanders. What is more baffling is the fact that the Isles had so much confidence in this deal, they traded away Roberto Luongo to the Panthers. DiPietro would go on to spend more time in the treatment room than on the ice. Surprisingly this was still enough for Islanders to sign him to a mammoth 15-year deal back in 2006! Soon his injuries took a serious toll on his performance and the Islanders bought him out of his contract in 2013. These days he has taken the Tim Tebow approach into broadcast analysis. Nail Yakupov (1st ...

Well I guess it's official now: "My family and I have decided that it's time to return home" - @Datsyuk13 — Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 18, 2016 Detroit Red Wings superstar forward Pavel Datsyuk will not be returning to the team at the end of the season. I'm sure there isn't a single Red Wings fan on the planet who isn't grateful to Datsyuk for his effort and commitment given to the team in his 14 seasons. Let's not dwell on Datsyuk's decision though, let's take a look at the options that the Red Wings organisation has for handling the $7.5 million cap hit the team will suffer next season. There's been talk of trading Datsyuk's contract to one of the teams that can comfortably absorb it, although at what cost? Ken Holland said he's not optimistic about trading Datsyuk contact but has spoken to teams. The price is high. — Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) June 18, 2016 Then we had this: Hearing contract w...

The Stanley Cup playoffs will soon be over, that means it'll soon be time to announce the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy , awarded to the playoffs' Most Valuable Player. Minty fresh breath. Is the Pittsburgh Penguins' forward Phil Kessel the skater who deserves to win the 2016 Conn Smythe? Kessel has taken a lot of stick over the last few seasons, mainly because he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team capable of making good players look bad.  As many a playoff bracket will attest, the Pens' march to the final took many by surprise. That success owes a lot to Phil Kessel. The former Bruin and Maple Leaf has (so far) played 23 playoff games, scored 10 goals and assisted on 12 more. Statistically he's the man driving the Pens' success, Kessel is leading the team on points with 22. Line-mate Nick Bonino, another contender for the Conn Smythe, has 18 points.  Speaking of which; the Hagelin - Bonino -Kessel line has contributed 20 goals i...

It was announced on Twitter that 2013’s third overall draft pick Jonathan Drouin wants out of Tampa Bay, the situation being described as ‘untenable’ by his agent. It’s probably no coincidence that the statement was released as the 20 year old forward was assigned to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, although the trade request was made back in November. It’s nice to hear Lightning news that doesn’t involve wild speculation about Steven Stamkos’ future in Toronto , but this isn’t really news. Drouin is in contract until 2017, even then he’ll become a restricted free agent so the Lightning hold the upper hand whatever happens. We can only speculate as to why this trade has been requested, although Drouin’s limited ice-time is probably a factor, and reportedly there’s no love lost between Drouin and Lightning head coach Jon Cooper either. Lack of ice-time is the reason that GM Steve Yzerman sent Drouin down to the AHL, he’s not playing at his best, so the Crunch will give him more g...

The Pittsburgh Penguins have parted ways with coach Mike Johnston and assistant coach Gary Agnew. It was announced today that Johnston and Agnew would be given a whole load more time to spend with their families over the holiday period, after GM Jim Rutherford relieved them of their coaching duties in Pittsburgh, while dressed as Ebenezer Scrooge, I assume. The Penguins have lost six of their last 10 games, three of those in overtime and the team definitely isn't playing up to its potential. Evgeni Malkin is playing well, as is off-season addition Phil Kessel . But that's not enough, the team are ranked 26th on the power play and 27th on team shooting and goals per game. Times aren't good when the Columbus Blue Jackets are scoring more. Superstar Sidney Crosby's  season has been forgettable by his own, usually phenomenal standards, only six goals so far. Johnston took over for the 2014/15 season, after former coach Dan Bylsma was shown the door, and the team fin...

In the wake of his investigation for alleged sexual assault, the Chicago Blackhawks could well be shifting one of its best. Patrick Kane  has been at the centre of trade talk in the last few days and the Hawks are apparently willing to listen. Despite his off-ice trouble, Kane has been one of the key figures of a tremendously successful team. Should Chicago offload him after three cup wins?  On the one hand I can understand Chicago wanting to be rid of Kane. This sort of rumor can destroy a man's reputation and should things be pressed further it could lead to a lot of lost ice time for him. Kane hasn't coated himself in glory, that is plainly obvious but does he really deserve to be ostracized already? The Blackhawks have been busy off loading their veteran players recently so how would losing a top line player really help at this point?  Another point to consider is that would any team in the NHL really touch a player who could be in...

Today Indycar racing mourns the tragic loss of one of its most beloved figures. Justin Wilson has died today at the age of 37 after sustaining a fatal head injury in sunday's ABC Supply 500 in Pocono. The native of Sheffield, UK had over 117 Indycar starts and had won seven races. A talent in junior levels, Wilson after winning the Formula Palmer Audi title moved up to Formula 3000 in 1999. In a dominant season he would capture the title in 2002 with three wins which secured him a Formula 1 seat the next season. Despite concerns over his 6"4 height, Wilson performed admirably whilst driving for the struggling Minardi team. A mid season switch to better funded Jaguar team would season him score his one and only F1 point at the US Grand Prix. However, although his talent was established Jaguar would opt against signing Wilson for 2004 which led to his move stateside. Wilson entered the Champ Car series with Conquest racing, but a switch to Rusport in 2005 would gave him a ...