The stuff European hockey memories are made of

Originally published in The Hockey News in 2005

By Lucas Aykroyd

I haven’t seen the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs since 1999. I missed such dramatic events as Keith Primeau’s quintuple overtime winner over Pittsburgh in 2000 and Minnesota’s 2003 rally from a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate Vancouver.

But that’s OK, because I’ve had some very enjoyable work to do. Each year since 2000, I’ve gone to Europe to edit IHWC.net, the official Internet site of the World Championships. Covering the IIHF’s annual showcase has left me with colorful memories from on-ice and off-ice situations, beyond the obvious gold medal triumphs.

I remember the first press conference I attended in St. Petersburg, the day before the 2000 tournament started. The Russian police discussed their security procedures. Journalists were escorted into the Yubileiny Arena to watch a bomb-sniffing dog in action. The dog cheerfully trotted up and down an aisle, right past the mock explosive it was supposed to find, until it got a little guidance. But security turned out to be fine. The only “bomb” that year was the star-studded host team, which finished 11th.

In the same tournament, I saw a spectacular goal that would have made Denis Savard proud. And it wasn’t scored by a big NHL name. Veteran Latvian sniper Aleksandrs Belavskis caught the Belarus defense backing in as he raced over the blueline, suddenly pulled a spinnerama, and launched a backhand past the startled netminder. I found out this was his signature move with Swedish club Bjorkloven. Latvia won the game 6-3 to the delight of their fans, arguably the world’s noisiest.

Singer Alan Frew of Glass Tiger hasn’t made much noise on the charts since 1986’s “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone),” but he had a David Hasselhoff moment during the 2001 Worlds in Germany. Frew wrote and performed the tournament theme song, “H-O-C-K-E-Y,” which proved as incessantly catchy as “Who Let The Dogs Out.” Months later, I would catch myself mumbling: “H-O-C-K-E-Y, H-O-C-K-E-Y, come on everybody, let’s join the party tonight.”

I had another epiphany the season after the 2002 tournament in Sweden. There, the international press lambasted Canada for not icing its best talent. Sixty players had turned down invites from GM Lanny McDonald. The Canadian goalies weren’t exactly big names, either. Who were they again? Oh yeah, Marty Turco and J-S Giguere. Then in 2003, Turco became a Vezina finalist and Giguere won the Conn Smythe. Not so shabby after all.

Exposure to top-level competition is one major benefit of Worlds participation for emerging hockey nations. But Slovenia’s 2002 exposure wasn’t quite what the IIHF envisioned. The Slovenians sold (tasteful) nude team calendars at Gothenburg’s Scandinavium Arena to raise funds. Maybe it paid off. They were relegated in 2003, but they’re back in the elite division this year.

From 1998 to 2004, a place was reserved at the World Championships for the Far East Qualifier, invariably Japan. The Japanese almost pulled off their own “Miracle on Ice” in 2002 thanks to The Kikuchinator. That would be backup goalie Naoya Kikuchi, who made his Worlds debut with 41 saves in a 5-3 loss to the Czechs. The score was 3-3 as late as the third period, and Kikuchi stoned Jaromir Jagr on three shorthanded breakaways.

The Finns hosted the tournament in 2003, but their party ended abruptly. They grabbed a 5-1 lead against archrival Sweden in the quarter-finals, but lost 6-5. The next day, I heard Finns everywhere using a word that required no translation: “Katastroofi!”

The Czechs likewise fell victim to the host team’s curse in 2004. But the game presentation folks at Prague’s Sazka Arena did their best to divert the crowd with perhaps the most aggressive deployment ever of the Jumbotron “Kiss Cam.” For instance, two young Austrian ladies locked lips virtually every time their team played. Was it a sign of things to come this year in Vienna?

Well, the official Internet site is gearing up for its biggest year ever. No matter who wins, the World Championships always provide a colorful spectacle.