Michael Peca has two Selke Trophies to his name (1997, 2002) and one trip to the Stanley Cup final (1999). Yet only the most ardent Columbus Blue Jackets fan would believe this 33-year-old center has a chance of getting his name engraved on Lord Stanley’s mug come June. Sure, the Jackets are now just five […]

When Michal Rozsival broke into the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1999-00, he wasn’t anyone’s idea of a bona fide number one blueliner. But at age 29, the 6-2, 210-pound Czech has come into his own. Logging a team-high average of more than 24 minutes nightly with the New York Rangers, Roszival is performing […]

If you’re looking for someone who knows as much about, say, Frolunda defenseman Ronnie Sundin as Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Mats Sundin, Peter Westermark would be a great bet. The 32-year-old native of Skelleftea, Sweden blogs for HockeySverige.se, and is a longtime contributor to outlets such as McKeen’s Hockey, Hockey’s Future, and IHWC.NET, the official […]

Sergei Fedorov is alive and well and living in Columbus. In his 17th NHL season, the 37-year-old center is averaging just over 17 minutes a night, taking key faceoffs, serving as an assistant captain, and sitting one point away from 100 in a Blue Jackets uniform. Although he lacks the explosive acceleration of his glory […]

Here are seven hockey stories from both mainstream sites and blogs that made an impression on me this month.
1. The Globe and Mail: “Speed kills”: Has the NHL gotten too fast for its own good? Eric Duhatschek investigates. Interesting to see Al MacInnis admit that sometimes he’s preferred watching international women’s hockey due to the […]

When Brett Hull played in the NHL, he was a great right winger and an even better quote. But ever since the former 741-goal scorer was named the interim co-general manager of the Dallas Stars (along with Les Jackson) on November 11, replacing Doug Armstrong, he’s been a crashing bore.
The former Stars “Ambassador of Fun” […]

Is Alexandre Burrows a smarter hockey player than Jaromir Jagr in any way? The idea sounds outrageous. How could a third-year Vancouver Canuck who agitates and brings energy in a third- or fourth-line role compare to a five-time Art Ross Trophy winner? But the reality is that if Burrows doesn’t use his head and play […]

Gretzky to Lemieux: The Story of the 1987 Canada Cup
By Ed Willes
Published by McLelland & Stewart
Hardcover, 256 pages
Release Date: October 6, 2007
Considering how many books have commemorated the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union, it’s almost unbelievable that until this year, no one had given the same full-length treatment to the 1987 […]

The Top 60 Since 1967: The Best Players of the Post-Expansion Era
By Adam Proteau and Ken Campbell
Published by Transcontinental Books
Hardcover, 240 pages
Release Date: September 10, 2007
Coming up with a list of “the best players of the post-expansion era” in the NHL is no easy task. It’s like being asked to shadow Wayne Gretzky in his […]

This year, Daniel Briere and Simon Gagne of the Philadelphia Flyers just might give Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis a run for their money as the NHL’s most dangerous Quebec-born scoring duo. Unlike the two Tampa Bay Lightning forwards, neither Briere nor Gagne has ever topped the 100-point plateau in the NHL. But if […]