Steve Smith
Bio
Staff writer for Unbalanced and Lighthouse Hockey.
Stories (19/0)
Just How Hot Is Garth Snow's Seat?
July 18, 2006. That was the day Garth Snow retired from NHL play and moved into NHL management, taking over Neil Smith’s position after an illustrious 41-day tenure as Islanders General Manager. Almost eleven years later Snow continues to hold this position, overseeing one last hurrah for the squad he inherited, followed by a long and arduous rebuild.
By Steve Smith7 years ago in Unbalanced
‘Stats-ing’ With Steve, Part II: Expected Goals, a Deeper Understanding of Shots
Folks, hello. Thefirst installment of this series involved Corsi, a proxy for puck possession measured by counting all shot attempts. The only problem with Corsi is that it treats every shot attempt as equal. It’s still an extremely useful tool and simple to understand, so it’s used often (it’s usually the first statistic I check when looking to find out about a team or player, for example). It just doesn’t always tell the whole story.
By Steve Smith7 years ago in Unbalanced
Finding a Way to Get Duchene to Brooklyn
As the Colorado Avalanche tumble into the trade deadline and toward the end of the season, rumors swirl surrounding two of their young players in left wing and captain Gabriel Landeskog and center/winger Matt Duchene. It’s evident that Colorado needs (or wants to) rip it down to the studs and start over. GM Joe Sakic is in no hurry to move his two young stars — they don’t have expiring contracts or anything like that. His idea, it seems, is to go as young as possible, which might mean there isn’t enough room for 26-year old Duchene and 24-year old Landeskog.
By Steve Smith7 years ago in Unbalanced
Wild Acquire Martin Hanzal from ‘Yotes
Apparently NHL teams thought the trade deadline was tonight! Not long after the Ben Bishop trade was announced, it was reported that center Martin Hanzal and center Ryan White were being moved from Arizona to Minnesota for a 2017 1st-round pick, a 2018 2nd-round pick, a conditional pick in 2019, and Grayson Downing. And my initial thoughts: good lord.
By Steve Smith7 years ago in Unbalanced
Ben Bishop Traded to LA, for Some Reason
Well, it finally happened. Though I must say, I’m surprised about the destination. Ben Bishop has been on the trading block since at least last season. His contract is set to expire this summer. He’s a good goalie, and the Lightning knew this, but they have Andrei Vasilevskiy waiting in the wings and many other expensive contracts to worry about.
By Steve Smith7 years ago in Unbalanced
P.K. Subban Should Be the Face of the NHL
The NHL’s culture of disliking anyone going against the grain is one major reason why it struggles to keep up with the other three leagues in the “Big 4” leagues, and there is no better evidence of this toxic mindset than the treatment of P.K. Subban by those associated with the game.
By Steve Smith7 years ago in Unbalanced
- Top Story - September 2017