Seven super November hockey stories

Here are seven hockey stories from both mainstream sites and blogs that made an impression on me this month.

1. The Globe and Mail: “Speed kills”: Has the NHL gotten too fast for its own good? Eric Duhatschek investigates. Interesting to see Al MacInnis admit that sometimes he’s preferred watching international women’s hockey due to the slower pace.

2. On Frozen Blog: “Reminiscence and Appreciation: Peter the Great”: An excellent tribute to retired Slovak star Peter Bondra from a Washington-specific perspective.

3. IIHF.com: “The Slovak U20 experiment”: Speaking of Slovakia, on the newly re-launched IIHF web site, Bill Meltzer investigates that country’s unusual decision to have its junior national team compete in its top pro league.

4. NHL.com: “Jokela tragedy hits home in hockey world”: Another Meltzer feature on the sensitive subject of the recent school shooting in Finland and how it’s affected the Finnish hockey community at home and in the NHL.

5. Canucks and Beyond: “An interview with Gare Joyce”: Earlier in November, I quizzed the ESPN.com writer about Future Greats and Heartbreaks, his new book on junior scouting. Alanah McGinley came up with a set of totally different and refreshing questions for Joyce on the same topic.

6. GreatestHockeyLegends.com: “Ten Questions with Ulf Nilsson”: Hockey historian Joe Pelletier recently caught up with the Swedish WHA pioneer who starred alongside Bobby Hull and Anders Hedberg in Winnipeg.

7. ESPN.com: “Taking a blogging trip down memory lane”: John Buccigross re-watches and blogs about a January 2, 1971 NHL game in which Toronto demolished Detroit 13-0. Love the parts about egg-throwing and goalie close-ups.