Originally published in Eishockey News in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd Leaving Vancouver wasn’t easy for Brendan Morrison. Not only did the smart 33-year-old centerman spend eight productive seasons with the Canucks, but he’s also a native Vancouver son. So when he returned to GM Place for the first time as a member of the Anaheim […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd It’s fortunate for the Anaheim Ducks that they won’t be competing in the Stanley Cup finals at the start of December. If that was the case, their chances of repeating as champions would be much slimmer. This hasn’t been a disastrous season so far. The […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd When Scott Niedermayer returned to the lineup of the Anaheim Ducks on December 16, it marked the end of a bizarre episode in NHL history. It’s not unheard-of for a legendary defenseman to retire after winning a Stanley Cup. Viacheslav Fetisov did it in 1998, […]

Sergei Fedorov is alive and well and living in Columbus. In his 17th NHL season, the 37-year-old center is averaging just over 17 minutes a night, taking key faceoffs, serving as an assistant captain, and sitting one point away from 100 in a Blue Jackets uniform. Although he lacks the explosive acceleration of his glory […]

The leaves are turning brown and the nights are getting colder. But NHL hockey in October always seems livelier than any other time of the year. It’s nice to think the peak excitement occurs with the Stanley Cup finals, but in June, when you’re down to two not necessarily beloved teams and it’s hot enough […]

I covered the exhibition opener for the Canucks in Vancouver. It’s good to be back at GM Place for NHL hockey (even of the pre-season variety). My last such experience was Game Seven versus Dallas, prior to heading off to the IIHF World Championship in Moscow. Sure, the atmosphere was just a tad more jacked […]

Interesting speculation in Friday’s Montreal Gazette from Pat Hickey. Could Scott Niedermayer’s indecision about whether to continue his playing career relate to his concern about past concussions? If so, that would explain the 34-year-old superstar defenseman’s seemingly extraordinary ambivalence about trying to captain the Anaheim Ducks to a second straight Stanley Cup. Perhaps he “got […]

Originally published in the 2003 NHL All-Star Game Program By Lucas Aykroyd Traditional Southern cooking abounds with homegrown delicacies. But for sports fans in hot, dry places, hockey is often seen as an exotic new addition to the menu. Fortunately, it hasn’t taken long for the southern United States to acquire a taste for the […]

Originally published on HockeyCanada.ca in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd The surname “Ryan” has frequently been associated with American excellence, whether it’s the legendary baseball pitcher Nolan Ryan or Tom Clancy’s fictional hero Jack Ryan. The USA’s Bobby Ryan is hoping to join those illustrious ranks with a strong performance at the 2006 IIHF World Championship. […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd Alvar Aalto gained worldwide fame as the greatest Finnish architect of the twentieth century. Antti Aalto is still a work-in-progress. No relation to his famous namesake, the 23-year-old center from Lappeenranta, Finland has finally secured his place in the lineup of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in […]