The Hockey Writers

For hockey fans of a certain vintage, the phrase “Battle of Alberta” jogs up glorious memories from the past. Unfortunately, it has been so long since both teams have been good at the same time, most fans have no idea at just how intense the rivalry between the organizations and their fan bases used to […]

This is the second in a two-part series of articles in which I’ve attempted to devise an appropriate anagram—a word, phrase, or name formed by rearranging the letters in another, such as DIRTY ROOM from DORMITORY—for each team in the OHL. Yesterday’s article looked at the Eastern Conference teams; today I’ll tackle the historically dominant […]

A welcome site occurred for fans of the Buffalo Sabres as Kyle Okposo took to the ice for the first time nearly in four months. While Da Beauty League might not be the NHL, it provided the right winger with an opportunity to return to the ice in a semi-competitive atmosphere. This is a major […]

Training camps don’t start until mid-September. At least 30 serviceable free agents are still available — enough for one per team. However, by and large, the off-season work in terms of roster building is already complete. That means, on paper, pundits can start predicting the future and the direction each of the NHL’s 31 franchises […]

The sports world can be cruel and unfair. It’s a place where success over a large sample size is not celebrated to the degree it should be unless it is matched by a less impressive feat of fleeting success over a small sample size. The former is clearly more commendable, but all anyone really cares about […]

It was a big decision. It was a controversial decision. It was a risky decision.  But for better or for worse, Chicago Blackhawks’ general manager Stan Bowman decided it was worth it to give up Artemi Panarin in favor of Brandon Saad. On June 23, Saad was brought back to the Blackhawks, and Panarin became […]

On July 4, the New York Rangers inked veteran centerman David Desharnais to a one-year, $1 million contract. The move is an incredibly low-risk signing—if he works out, it is very cheap and provides good value on the dollar, and if he does not, it is a contract that is easy to bury in the […]

Addition by subtraction. If New Jersey Devils general manager Ray Shero has achieved nothing else in what has been an eventful offseason for his club, he’s been diligent in cutting dead weight. In a rebuild, there’s a fine line between carrying useful veterans to help rub off on a young squad and random roster fillers […]

With a trade freeze in place, the OHL Priority Selection and the CHL Import Draft complete, and the Memorial Cup a distant memory, there’s been little to talk about in OHL circles over the past few weeks. To stave off those July no-hockey doldrums, I decided to try my hand at making OHL anagrams. An […]

Welcome back to Blue Jackets’ Pressure Points. This is part three of our summer series answering hard questions about the Columbus Blue Jackets. In part one, we recapped the offseason to date. In part two, we discussed why Alexander Wennberg must shine for the Blue Jackets to have success. For part three, I thought we’d […]

We’re closing in on the end of July and the Minnesota Wild still have some moves to make. The Wild are without a veteran fourth-line center. They have some talented young players who are looking to crack the lineup, but veteran depth never hurts. Matt Cullen has been on the Wild’s radar for most of […]

Just over a year ago, the Boston Bruins made a splash in the free agent market, signing former St. Louis Blues captain David Backes to a five-year, $30 million deal. From a hockey standpoint, it was easy to see why the Bruins pulled the trigger – Backes’ leadership and experience would be vital to a […]

Even after the flurry of early offseason activity, the Montreal Canadiens still have plenty of question marks heading into the 2017-18 National Hockey League season. General manager Marc Bergevin still has a few major problem areas on the roster. Among those, he must determine who’s going to play center and who’s going to round out […]

There are a handful of players on the Edmonton Oilers who will be returning for their second season with the team. For these players, their first year was one that ended in disappointing fashion but at the same time was a year that has to be viewed as extremely promising. They joined a successful team […]

The Buffalo Sabres have made some bold moves this offseason. Jason Botterill’s first order of business was to boost the defence, with three new starters. One of the biggest acquisitions was Marco Scandella from the Minnesota Wild. Going the other way were left wingers Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno. This has left a hole on the roster […]