Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2007

By Lucas Aykroyd
How often do you see an NHLer achieve single-season highs in goals, assists, and points, and also get placed on waivers that year? That’s the strange fate that befell St. Louis forward Petr Cajanek on February 26, as the club was apparently displeased with his lack of consistency.
But […]

Originally written for the IIHF News Release in 2007

By Lucas Aykroyd
Some facts about the four previous IIHF World Championships held in Moscow are common knowledge among hockey fans. Tre Kronor supporters cherish the memory of their team’s 4-4 tie with the Soviet Union at Lenin Stadium on March 5, 1957, because the result gave Sweden […]

Originally published in the IIHF News Release in 2006
By Lucas Aykroyd
It is a supreme and tragic irony that Sergei Zholtok will not take the opening faceoff for Latvia when the host team plays its first game of the 2006 IIHF World Championship versus the Czechs on May 5.
The Riga-born center was arguably the greatest forward […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2006
By Lucas Aykroyd
There’s no way around it. Finishing seventh at the Turin Olympics after losing three 2-0 games was the worst failure in Canadian hockey history. Just go down the list.
In 1954, the Soviet Union shocked the world by thumping Canada 7-2 to clinch its first-ever IIHF World Championship. But […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2004
By Lucas Aykroyd
Most hockey people will tell you that Peter Forsberg is the best forward, or even the best player overall in the world, when he’s healthy. The list of the Super Swede’s accomplishments is about as long as the journey from his native Ornskoldsvik to Denver, Colorado.
As a […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2004
By Lucas Aykroyd
April 30, 1990. Theoren Fleury is breathless, angry, and frustrated as he chases Sergei Makarov around the sprawling ice surface of the Eisstadion Allmend in Bern, Switzerland. Two weeks earlier, these Calgary Flames teammates were bounced out of the NHL playoffs in a six-game first-round loss to […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2004
By Lucas Aykroyd
Here at the 2004 IIHF World Championships, it’s hard to believe that Jiri Slegr is the senior member of the Czech defense corps at age 32. It doesn’t seem like so long ago that he was being drafted in the second round, 23rd overall by the Vancouver […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2004
By Lucas Aykroyd
One thing you can say about Tomas Vokoun is that he isn’t afraid to speak his mind. During the first round of the NHL playoffs, the 27-year-old netminder of the Nashville Predators described the Detroit Red Wings as “arrogant” and “whiners.” Some in the media and the Detroit […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2004
By Lucas Aykroyd
He’s not exactly a grizzled veteran, but at 25, Marco Sturm has established himself as a front-line player for both the San Jose Sharks and Team Germany. Selected 21st overall by San Jose in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, the amiable Dingolfing native originally entered the league as […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2004
By Lucas Aykroyd
Almost any young hockey player would love to be described as a cross between Alexander Mogilny and Pavel Bure, and that’s how former Minnesota Wild forward Cliff Ronning spoke of Marian Gaborik during the 2002-03 NHL season. 2003-04, however, proved to be an entirely different story for the […]