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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2004 By Lucas Aykroyd Not every Czech NHL star will be suiting up for the national team at the 2004 IIHF World Championships, but you can be sure that all of them will be keeping tabs on their nation’s prospects of winning it all on home ice for the first […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2004 By Lucas Aykroyd In the science-fiction novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a computer announces that “the answer to the great question of life, the universe and everything” is 42. In Ryan Smyth’s hockey life, that statement has some truth to it. The 6-1, 190-pound Edmonton Oilers winger […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2003 By Lucas Aykroyd Some guys experience an early mid-life crisis when they hit 30. Zigmund Palffy doesn’t appear to be one of them. The 30-year-old Los Angeles Kings winger racked up the points at his usual rate this season, going 37-48-85 in 76 games to win the team scoring […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2003 By Lucas Aykroyd Finally, here’s a book that both Don Cherry and Klaus Zaugg could love. Most books about international hockey contain a bias toward either the North American or European game. Typically, authors just don’t know as much about the way hockey is played on the opposite side […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2003 By Lucas Aykroyd The Finnish Lions are coming home to roar. In the weeks leading up to the 2003 World Championships, IHWC.NET’s Lucas Aykroyd spoke with Finnish players and asked them what it means for the tournament to return to their homeland. Hannes Hyvonen (Forward, Farjestads BK): Of course […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2003 By Lucas Aykroyd Each major hockey nation celebrates the sport according to its own culture. Never renowned for its classical composers, Canada would be unlikely to stage an opera based on its 2002 Olympic gold medal performance, as the Czech Republic will do next year in commemoration of its […]