Originally published in the official 2009 World Junior Program From the 19th century to the 21st, Ottawa’s hockey heritage is legendary By Lucas Aykroyd Even if it was just about checking birth certificates, Ottawa’s contribution to hockey history would be huge. Dozens of NHLers were born in the host city for the 2009 IIHF World […]

Originally published in the official 2009 World Junior Program Canada’s 1988 World Junior team reunites to celebrate its amazing run to gold By Lucas Aykroyd Many things have changed since 1988. Back then, Brian Mulroney was Canada’s Prime Minister, and pop artists like George Michael and Def Leppard ruled the charts. However, memories of Canada’s […]

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2008 After winning gold in 1979, 1989, and 1999, Russia hopes to end this decade with another World Junior title By Lucas Aykroyd There are no sure things in international hockey anymore. Even Canada, currently riding a streak of four straight World Junior gold medals, can’t succumb to overconfidence. […]

Originally published in the 2008 IIHF World Championship official program By Lucas Aykroyd Some people visit Halifax for attractions like the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Pier 21, or the Halifax Citadel. But for hardcore sports fans, this port city of 370,000 is renowned for staging outstanding international hockey events. Halifax’s Metro Centre will host […]

The Good: Canada Golden Again at World Juniors Congratulations to Team Canada for winning its fourth consecutive gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic. A couple of days ago, I questioned whether Canada’s mental focus was where it needed to be heading into a potential final with the Russians. Of […]

Brad Marchand should have listened to Zach Boychuk. When Canada lost 4-3 to Sweden in round-robin action at the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship, it ended a 20-game winning streak at the tournament. Boychuk, whose 91 points for Lethbridge last year earned him third place in the WHL scoring derby, told reporters: “In the last […]

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 […]

Hockey Canada announces its selection camp roster for the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic today, and Jordan Staal of the Pittsburgh Penguins does not appear on that list. The Penguins told Hockey Canada officials a couple of days ago that the 19-year-old forward wouldn’t be made available. Presumably, Staal himself would […]

Some players might gripe after ending a six-game road trip with a 2-0 loss in Vancouver on November 25 and being held off the scoresheet for the fourth straight time. But not Patrick Kane. “I think we had a good trip, and you’ve got to be happy with the way we played,” the 19-year-old Chicago […]

Future Greats and Heartbreaks: A Year Undercover in the Secret World of NHL Scouts By Gare Joyce Published by Doubleday Canada Hardcover, 336 pages Release Date: November 20, 2007 Gare Joyce is gradually becoming Canada’s answer to George Plimpton. No, the prolific Toronto-based hockey scribe hasn’t strapped on equipment and competed against pro athletes to […]