Originally published in Eishockey News in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd After the Pittsburgh Penguins won three straight games in Western Canada, there was little doubt about two things. First, the club has rediscovered the winning chemistry that earned it 105 points last year. Second, Sidney Crosby is a god in this part of the world. […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd If Jarome Iginla maintains his current pace, he’ll crack the 100-point barrier for the first time in his career this season. Better still, the Calgary captain is in contention for his second Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer, battling the likes of Tampa […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd When Scott Niedermayer returned to the lineup of the Anaheim Ducks on December 16, it marked the end of a bizarre episode in NHL history. It’s not unheard-of for a legendary defenseman to retire after winning a Stanley Cup. Viacheslav Fetisov did it in 1998, […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd Rexall Place offers superb skating conditions, but has also seen some great hockey history, courtesy of CHL products. Historically, NHL players have hailed the ice in Edmonton as the league’s best. Since the 2007 debut of the expansion Edmonton Oil Kings, WHLers have also gotten […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd Are the Vancouver Canucks a Stanley Cup contender? You might think so, simply due to the presence of superstar goalie Roberto Luongo. In addition, recent rumors claim Vancouver GM Dave Nonis could be looking to acquire Toronto captain Mats Sundin to ramp up his club’s […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd For years, Marian Gaborik has been the most exciting player on arguably the NHL’s most boring, defensively minded team. It’s shocking that this speedy Minnesota Wild right wing has never earned more than 67 points in one season (2001-02). But with 25 goals and 25 […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd Mike Modano is no longer the leading scorer for the Dallas Stars, and he was replaced as captain by Brenden Morrow prior to the 2006-07 season. However, the 37-year-old centre isn’t content to live off his reputation as the NHL’s all-time leading American points-getter, which […]

Originally published in the 2008 IIHF World Championship official program By Lucas Aykroyd Hockey history is full of memorable hat tricks of various types. How about Bill Mosienko’s never-equaled three goals in 21 seconds for Chicago versus the New York Rangers in 1952? Or you could point to Paul Henderson’s three consecutive game-winning tallies for […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd How often does a team’s leading goal-scorer have four times as many goals as assists? It’s a bizarre statistic, but Marek Svatos of the Colorado Avalanche is pulling it off. The 25-year-old Slovak winger entered a February 9 game versus the Vancouver Canucks with 22 […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd Chicago has hovered close to the bottom of the Western Conference standings for much of this season, but at least Patrick Sharp has blossomed into a leader. He’s posted a club-best six game-winning goals so far. Even after a 3-2 shootout loss to the Vancouver […]