neil (Neil Paine, senior sportswriter): When last we chatted, the Stanley Cup playoffs hadn’t yet begun. Now the first round is very nearly over, with six teams having already clinched and the remaining two series on the verge of being over as well. So today, I thought we’d talk about what really stood out to […]
The NHL’s trade deadline is in exactly one month, and with it will come each team’s last big chance to meaningfully upgrade its roster on the path to the playoffs. But some of the most important moves of the 2021 season have already happened, with effects already evident on the ice and in the standings […]
neil (Neil Paine, senior sportswriter): We’re about 40 percent of the way through the 2021 NHL season now, and it’s already had a lot of twists and turns — both on and off the ice. To talk about those shifts, we’re bringing together a bunch of people who love to watch and study hockey for […]
Being a head coach in any professional sport is a good way to experience meager job security. But even relative to coaches in other sports, hockey’s bench bosses have it especially tough. According to research Peter Tanner conducted for FiveThirtyEight a few years ago, the average NHL coach stayed in his post for 2.4 seasons, […]
The NHL playoffs begin today, but the Minnesota Wild and their fan base probably wish it were still February. Back then, the Wild had the second-most points in the NHL, they’d scored the fourth-most goals in the NHL, goalie Devan Dubnyk was the clear favorite for the Vezina trophy (given to the league’s top goaltender), […]