Posts by Jonathan Willis

  • The Keys to the Cup

    Our Grantland hometown heroes, the Los Angeles Kings, ended a 45-year title drought and hoisted the Stanley Cup on Monday after a 6-1 win over the New Jersey Devils. That means there are probably a lot of new Kings fans today (Hey guys. There’s always room on the bandwagon!), so we asked hockey stat guru […]

  • What’s Behind Drew Doughty’s Playoff Success?

    It’s been a tough couple of years for 22-year-old Drew Doughty. The Los Angeles Kings defenseman recorded 59 points as an NHL sophomore in 2009-10, establishing himself as a premiere offensive defenseman. But with just 40 points in his 2010-11 campaign and 36 this year, he hasn’t been able to match his initial scoring pace. […]

  • Why Is Marek Zidlicky a Success With the Devils?

    The New Jersey Devils are one of the unforeseen success stories in the East this postseason, and no player is more surprising than Marek Zidlicky.

  • The Brilliance (and the Madness) of Dale Hunter’s Washington Capitals

    Dale Hunter has radically altered the Washington Capitals. He’s slashed the ice time of the club’s franchise forward, Alexander Ovechkin. He’s taken a team that used to be the exemplar of run-and-gun hockey in the modern NHL and converted it into a buttoned-down, defense-first bunch. Is it brilliance, or is it madness?

  • Long Live the Kings?

    The Los Angeles Kings are an 8-seed in this year’s NHL playoffs. And they are better than you think. The Kings, who dispatched the defending Western Conference Champions in the first round of the playoffs, are one of those teams whose true level of ability transcends their modest regular-season showing. In fact, at this point, […]