Covering the Olympics for IIHF.com is going to keep me very busy for the rest of February. In fact, it already is, and we haven’t dropped the first puck yet. Check out some of my latest pieces on the joy of jerseys, the historical home ice advantage for Canada’s women, and all the things to […]

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Gordie Howe never finished high school, and they might be the three greatest hockey players ever. So can major junior prospects afford to slack off with their education? No way. Only a few players go on to NHL careers that […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd Yes, the NHL has a “war room.” And no, it’s not to be confused with the one in Stanley Kubrick’s classic 1964 movie Dr. Strangelove, where crazy generals nearly start a nuclear war. The “war room” is actually the popular name for the Roger Neilson […]

If there’s one lesson we can take out of the just-completed NHL All-Star Weekend, it’s this: Alexander Ovechkin is Russian hockey’s answer to David Lee Roth, the ultra-outgoing lead singer of Van Halen. And we even have video evidence to support the following claims about the reigning Hart Trophy winner from the Washington Capitals and […]

Never mind whether Detroit can repeat as Stanley Cup champions or whether Sidney Crosby can rebound to wrest the scoring title away from Alexander Ovechkin. Here’s the big question: who’s going to win Canada’s Hockey Anthem Challenge? Back in June, CBC Sports launched the contest to find a replacement for the old Hockey Night in […]

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd Caring host families make a huge difference for young WHLers When New York Rangers forward Scott Gomez was interviewed between periods on a recent Hockey Night in Canada telecast, the former Tri-City American made a point of saying hi to his billet family from his […]

Playoffs are coming. We don’t want to be distracted by side issues. We’re 100 percent committed to the task at hand. But we still like the Quotes of the Week. “People are going to say what they’re going to say, but when someone steps on you with a skate, I don’t think anyone deserves that.” […]

Interesting article by the Vancouver Sun’s Iain MacIntyre today, focusing on Canucks defenseman Willie Mitchell and his concern for the environment. Apparently 16 members of the Canucks purchase carbon offsets against the extensive air travel the team undertakes. Here, you can find one Kukla’s Corner commenter’s estimate of the distances travelled by each NHL club […]

My fellow IIHF.com columnist Risto Pakarinen has been busy on the podcasting circuit lately, promoting his new book, Off the Post. Listen to his chats with Andrew Findlater and Paul Kukla. Meanwhile, Joe Pelletier of GreatestHockeyLegends.com ventures a little further off the beaten path with articles on Muhammad Ali’s 1983 fight with Dave Semenko and […]

January 8, 2008. GM Place. Final score: Vancouver Canucks 3, New York Islanders 2 by shootout. Vancouver outshoots the Islanders 45-28. This might have been the sloppiest game I’ve seen all year at GM Place. The Islanders’ game notes trumpeted: “CHRISTIE BRINKLEY SUPPORTS HER HOME TEAM.” That’s great for the 53-year-old supermodel, but can you […]