Originally published in Attractions Magazine in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd There’s no better time of the year than April and May if you’re an avid hockey fan. Not only are the NHL playoffs in full swing, but there’s also a ton of international hockey excitement taking place at the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) World […]

Originally published in Rinkside in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd The late Stanley Kubrick won’t be filming the 2001 IIHF World Hockey Championships in Germany, but you can expect the action to be of epic proportions on and off the ice. With a fun-loving extraterrestrial named “Spacy” as the tournament mascot, at least 250,000 spectators are […]

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2004 By Lucas Aykroyd When a playoff game goes into overtime, you often hear dramatic rock songs like Europe’s “The Final Countdown” or Survivor’s “Eye Of The Tiger” blasting through the hockey arena. But that’s to set the mood for fans. Coaches can’t let themselves get swept up in […]

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd In 1958, a Canadian forward named Connie Broden won an IIHF World Championship in Oslo, Norway, and then a Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens the following month. Since today’s senior World Championship rosters generally consist of players eliminated from NHL playoff contention, odds are […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd Vladimir Malakhov disappeared and was unavailable to speak with the media after his debut with the New Jersey Devils in a 5-2 road loss to Vancouver on 4 March. That was appropriate, since the veteran Russian defenseman was scarcely visible during his 17:17 of ice time, […]

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2004 By Lucas Aykroyd For today’s hockey coach, neglecting to use video analysis effectively would be about as dumb as trying to go 12 rounds with Muhammad Ali in his prime–while blindfolded. You just can’t overlook a tool like this when every other coach is taking advantage. Right into […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd When Herbert Vasiljevs was growing up in Riga, Latvia, he idolized the flashy Soviet winger Sergei Makarov. So it was appropriate that he scored his first goal in a Vancouver uniform on a tic-tac-toe passing play worthy of the KLM Line. Playing against Colorado on 9 […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd Once an offensive threat with the New Jersey Devils of the early 1990’s, Valeri Zelepukin of the Philadelphia Flyers has seen his scoring fall off in recent years. This season, the 31-year-old Russian winger from Voskresensk has just 16 points in 36 games. Zelepukin, who idolized […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd You’d expect Valeri Bure to be in the best of moods after returning from an NHL All-Star Game weekend in Toronto that saw him pair with brother Pavel to nab MVP honors for the Russian Rocket. But instead, Bure the Younger admitted he had a bit […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd Pro hockey players know they may be told to pack their bags and take their stick and skates to a team on the other side of the continent at any time. Still, actually getting the news can come as a shock. And when you’re asked to […]