Steve Smith
Bio
Staff writer for Unbalanced and Lighthouse Hockey.
Stories (19/0)
Surprise Teams as the Calendar Flips
Ah, November 1. The NHL season has been under way for a few weeks, and it's been a delight as usual. Though, as there often is around this time, there are a few surprises in the standings. It's a wacky time, and certainly nothing to glean any valuable insight from. Simply a time to enjoy the wonder and mystery that makes the commencement of the NHL season so amazing.
By Steve Smith6 years ago in Unbalanced
Pittsburgh Penguins, and NHL, Reveal Unsurprising Tone-Deafness, but Players of Color Are Thankfully Speaking Out
On August 14, 2016, Colin Kaepernick didn't get up for the national anthem before the San Francisco 49ers' first preseason game. Less than a week later, he again did not rise. He piqued the public's interest when it occurred a third time, before the 49ers' third preseason game, on August 26. He announced he was doing so to bring attention to and combat the oppression of people of color, as well as police brutality.
By Steve Smith6 years ago in Unbalanced
2017-18 NHL Storylines to Watch
Ah, my friends, I've just finished watching the end of the Islanders-Flyers preseason game that was streamed on the Islanders' website today. I only caught the third period and overtime, but my how I have missed hockey. I didn't even realize it, but watching it again gave me all the fuzzy feelings. Now I have to be sad that real hockey doesn't start for another three weeks, but chances are, if you're reading this, you feel my pain. My mouth waters for more.
By Steve Smith7 years ago in Unbalanced
Which Pekka Rinne Are We Going to See Tonight?
My colleague Kyle Vandenberg posed an interesting query to finish his profile of Nashville’s starting goaltender before Game 5: which Pekka Rinne were we going to see that night? (Okay, he specifically said Thursday night, but you get the picture.)
By Steve Smith7 years ago in Unbalanced
City of Pittsburgh is Soft as Hell for Their Handling of Catfish Thrower
In Nashville, they throw catfish. In Detroit, the originator of this bizarre and frankly gross tradition, they throw octopuses (yes, octopuses, not octopi, look it up ya peons). In Pittsburgh, they apparently throw nothing.
By Steve Smith7 years ago in Unbalanced
Niskanen’s Hit on Crosby and Why We Need to Stop Discussing “Intent”
Early in the first period of Game 3 between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, Sidney Crosby was knocked out of the game after contact was made with his head in the form of a slash from Alex Ovechkin and then, as he was falling, a cross-check from Matt Niskanen. Making matters worse, as Crosby and Niskanen crashed into each other, Crosby’s left knee gave out and twisted awkwardly.
By Steve Smith7 years ago in Unbalanced
Predicting the First Round of the NHL Playoffs
Ah, it’s that wonderful time once again. Yes, the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin tonight when the puck drops for the Bruins-Senators series in Ottawa, and the Rangers-Canadiens series in Montreal, at 7:00 p.m, the first two of five games on the docket for the opening night of the postseason. What a splendid time to be alive.
By Steve Smith7 years ago in Unbalanced
Mocking Up Some of Vegas’s Expansion Selections
Wednesday will be the unveiling of Vegas’s initial team roster, as comprised of the 30 selections they make, one from each team. Though the trade freeze went into effect on Saturday, it only applied to the existing 30 teams making deals with each other. The Golden Knights were allowed to make and field offers with each of the 30 teams to specifically take or not take specific players, as well as lining up future deals for another team to acquire a player they selected in expansion.
By Steve Smith7 years ago in Unbalanced
Coach Swap: Examining the Effects of Coaching Changes
We’ve all heard the old cliché: you can’t fire the players, so first you fire the coach. Sometimes, teams need a shake-up and swapping out the guy behind the bench is a reasonable place to start. Often, the team will then go on a nice run, due in large part to the smell coming from the fire burning under their collective asses. They recognize that they’re next if things don’t change. It’s human nature.
By Steve Smith7 years ago in Unbalanced
Summing Up the First Round, Picking the Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs
Well folks, the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs concluded Sunday with the elimination of the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs. The Second Round of the playoffs has been set and commences on Wednesday out west. It was a bit of a weird First Round: there was not a single Game 7, but it was still very close, as 18 of the games went to overtime. Overtime, in general, is a coin flip, so the games truly could have gone either way.
By Steve Smith7 years ago in Unbalanced
Why Brad Marchand Was Suspended for His Spear and Sidney Crosby Was Not
Some folks are pretty upset at the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. And I mean, how could you not be as a general rule? It is the departmental equivalent of a backed-up toilet and almost always has been, save for maybe Brendan Shanahan’s brief stint at the helm. They have hardly enforced the rules surrounding illegal hits/contact, and when they do, they lack any sort of consistency — their authority with the players is minimal, and you just have to look at how some of its players continually endanger each other. Many usually don’t have anything to fear in terms of discipline.
By Steve Smith7 years ago in Unbalanced
‘Stats-ing’ With Steve, Part I: Corsi, the Beginning of It All
Advanced metrics in hockey have more or less exploded onto the scene. Teams (the smart ones, anyway) are hiring folks who are responsible for assessing the game in a statistical and analytic fashion, and they’ve become so popular that even journalists and beat writers have had no choice but to learn and cite them to assess team and individual performance.
By Steve Smith7 years ago in Unbalanced