I’ve been fortunate enough to work with the International Ice Hockey Federation at every World Championship and Olympics since 2000, writing and editing for the official web site. IIHF.com has just undergone a complete facelift as part of the organization’s 100th-year anniversary celebrations, and I’m happy to announce that I’ll be a contributing columnist for […]

Future Greats and Heartbreaks: A Year Undercover in the Secret World of NHL Scouts By Gare Joyce Published by Doubleday Canada Hardcover, 336 pages Release Date: November 20, 2007 Gare Joyce is gradually becoming Canada’s answer to George Plimpton. No, the prolific Toronto-based hockey scribe hasn’t strapped on equipment and competed against pro athletes to […]

On top of the Hockey Hall of Fame inductions, this past weekend in Toronto also featured the official launch of World of Hockey: Celebrating a Century of the IIHF. The International Ice Hockey Federation is gearing up for the 2008 IIHF World Championship in Halifax and Quebec City (May 1-18), which will mark the organization’s […]

Gretzky to Lemieux: The Story of the 1987 Canada Cup By Ed Willes Published by McLelland & Stewart Hardcover, 256 pages Release Date: October 6, 2007 Considering how many books have commemorated the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union, it’s almost unbelievable that until this year, no one had given the same […]

The Top 60 Since 1967: The Best Players of the Post-Expansion Era By Adam Proteau and Ken Campbell Published by Transcontinental Books Hardcover, 240 pages Release Date: September 10, 2007 Coming up with a list of “the best players of the post-expansion era” in the NHL is no easy task. It’s like being asked to […]

King of Russia: A Year in the Russian Super League By Dave King with Eric Duhatschek Published by McClelland & Stewart Hardcover, 256 pages Release Date: October 2, 2007 Has Dave King ever met J.K. Rowling? I doubt it. In fact, I also doubt that his co-author Eric Duhatschek is on a first-name basis with […]

Originally published on IIHF.com in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd Women’s hockey is full of great personalities, many of whom aren’t afraid to speak their minds more candidly than their male counterparts. However, for the general public, it’s often tough to catch more than a glimpse of those personalities beyond the quadrennial Olympics and the semi-annual […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd If you’re a Swedish hockey fan, you surely remember where you were when Nicklas Lidstrom scored the Olympic-winning goal versus Finland last year. If you’re a Slovak hockey fan, you must recall what you were doing when Peter Bondra’s late goal lifted Slovakia over Russia in […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd When it comes to literary household names from leading countries at the IIHF World Championships, Russia has Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy. The Czechs can counter with Franz Kafka and the Swedes boast Astrid Lindgren. Hemingway and Faulkner represent the USA proudly. But while contemporary literature from Canada […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd Let’s be honest. What you hear from coaches during a typical media interview is not always enlightening or stimulating. Usually, generic talk about “good habits,” “consistency,” “sustained pressure,” and “staying positive” dominates. The focus is on getting two points in the next game. Big-picture issues and […]