Originally published in Rinkside in 2003
By Lucas Aykroyd
All year long, they’re going to hear the ABBA jokes. Questions about whether coach Marc Crawford is fluent in Swedish yet. Suggestions that General Motors Place should be renamed the Volvodrome.
So the Swedish members of the 2003-04 Vancouver Canucks may as well get used to it. Playing inspired […]

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2006
By Lucas Aykroyd
Canada clearly ruled the hockey world from 2002 to 2005, holding every major title early in the latter year (Olympics, World Cup, World Championship, and World Juniors). However, it’s equally clear that 2006 belonged to Sweden. Even though Brent Sutter’s Canadian World Junior team earned gold in […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000
By Lucas Aykroyd
In the NHL, the jersey number 39 is most closely associated with superstar Buffalo goalie Dominik Hasek. Per Svartvadet of the Atlanta Thrashers also wears that number, and although he may not be quite as adept as Hasek at preventing goals, he is an excellent defensive forward. In […]

Originally published on EuroReport in 1999
By Lucas Aykroyd
The silent Swede sat in a sled, staring at a snowbank outside Stockholm.
That’s definitely not Mats Sundin. In conversation, his affable personality is eons removed from the somber tone of an Ingmar Bergman film. But the Toronto Maple Leafs captain must hope he makes more noise on the […]

Originally published in Rinkside in 2006
By Lucas Aykroyd
Last year, two young forwards from Ornskoldsvik, Sweden proved it’s possible to be Number Two and Number One at the same time.
Brothers Henrik and Daniel Sedin chipped in 75 and 71 points respectively for the Vancouver Canucks, forming two-thirds of arguably the NHL’s best second line last year […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000

By Lucas Aykroyd
On a St. Louis Blues squad that boasts such perennial Norris Trophy candidates as Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger, the name of Ricard Persson is easy to overlook. But the shaven-headed 30-year-old defenseman from Ostersund, Sweden knows his value to the team isn’t measured in bone-crushing hits or […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000
By Lucas Aykroyd
Timing is everything, especially when you’re a skilled NHL defenseman like Mattias Ohlund. Since taking a puck in the right eye in a preseason game in Ottawa on 21 September 1999, the fourth-year Swedish stalwart has undergone a series of operations to maintain his sight. Returning to the […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001
By Lucas Aykroyd
In recent years, every Stanley Cup champion has featured at least two defensemen with elite physical and scoring skills. Rob Blake and Ray Bourque in Colorado. Scott Stevens and Brian Rafalski in New Jersey. Derian Hatcher and Sergei Zubov in Dallas.
So if the Vancouver Canucks aspire to sip […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001
By Lucas Aykroyd
Today, Michael Nylander plays a key role with the Chicago Blackhawks. But the playmaking Swedish center was once regarded as a fragile commodity, physically and mentally.
When he broke into the NHL with the Hartford Whalers in 1992-93, he lacked upper body strength. He missed 15 games with a […]

Originally published on IIHF.com in 2006
By Lucas Aykroyd
Sometimes it’s all about quality instead of quantity. The number of European NHLers has declined from 300 (29.5%) in 2003-04 to 262 (27.2%) in 2005-06, but elite talent from the Old World still made a big splash at the 2006 NHL Awards in Vancouver, Canada.
At the June 22 […]