Where Goon meets Glitz, from the Ice to the Armchair, balanced and objective hockey analysis and reporting.
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Toronto Maple Leafs: Savor the Pretty Colors Before They Fall Off the Tree
[Editor-in-chief’s note: The bulk of this article was written on the day that it was announced that Toronto Maple Leafs’ prospect and 2020 15th overall selection Rodion Amirov passed away by his agent, Dan Milstein. While of course it may prompt questions of what might have been, I am electing not to include this event… Read more
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Vegas Golden Knights: The Cost of Hockey Immortality
The Vegas Golden Knights completed the most challenging gauntlet in sports in 22-23 by capturing the Stanley Cup. George McPhee and his team deserved to enjoy their championship summer before facing the cost of their conquest. Vegas will now pay the price, in terms of roster talent going into 23-24. On the positive side, the… Read more
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Tampa Bay Lightning: A Small Glimmer of Hope Among a Storm of Inevitable Goodbyes
Tampa Bay has had it good in recent memory, to say the least. From 2014-15 onward, they have made four Finals appearances, won two Stanley Cups, and a Presidents’ Trophy in a statistically Earth-shattering regular season (we’ll just… gloss over what happened that postseason, it’s irrelevant for the purpose of this conversation and you probably… Read more
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Viktors Hatuļevs: A Largely Forgotten, But Important and Mysterious Piece of Eastern Bloc Hockey History
To some, it is a point of curiosity that, twice in the past decade, the Philadelphia Flyers drafted a Russian player at seventh overall, with Ivan Provorov having been taken at this spot in 2015 and Matvei Michkov in 2023. There is something of a checkered history there with it seemingly been rare for players… Read more
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Vancouver Canucks: Did Somebody Say Defense?
The Vancouver Canucks had an underwhelming 22-23 season after their roller coaster ride of a season in 21-22. They entered the season with optimism after Bruce Boudreau’s rescue, and subsequent turnaround in the standings, where they fell just short of the postseason; however, the season got off to as poor a start as 21-22, and… Read more
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Damien’s Deliberations: Chicago Defies the Law of Equivalent Exchange
One of the biggest value acquisitions this off-season is the Chicago Blackhawks trading for Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno. Both are significant additions who offer veteran leadership and experience to a Blackhawks team that is fresh out of the “tear it down” stage of the rebuild, and the rebuild may be sped up from the… Read more