Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd 2001 won’t mark the first time the IIHF World Championships have come to Germany. The tournament has a long and illustrious history in this part of the world. But there is a chance for a different kind of breakthrough. While both Canada and Russia are considered […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd 2001 marks the fortieth anniversary of Canada’s last victory at the IIHF World Championships with an exclusively amateur roster. It was a small town from British Columbia in Western Canada that achieved this feat, and player-coach Bobby Kromm led the way for the Trail Smoke Eaters. […]

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 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 in Attractions Magazine in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd In the NHL, longevity and Stanley Cup glory don’t always go hand in hand. Even though Vancouver Canucks forward Trevor Linden has played over 1,300 regular season games, plus 112 more in the playoffs, the beloved veteran, who celebrates his 37th birthday on April 11, […]

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2004 By Lucas Aykroyd Today, North American fans are accustomed to watching Russian players strut their skills on this side of the Atlantic. But recently, some Canadian CHL graduates have reversed the trend by heading over to Russia. Few are better qualified to describe that experience than former goalie […]

Originally published in the IIHF News Release in 2002 By Lucas Aykroyd In many ways, Steve Tambellini represents the best of Canadian hockey. So it was hardly surprising when Canadian Hockey introduced him on September 26 as the general manager of the Maple Leaf squad for the 2003 IIHF World Championships in Finland. The 44-year-old […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd Imagine you’re the top defenseman in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, but you’re also the last one cut from Canada’s 1997 World Junior Championship roster. Imagine you start your NHL career with the legendary Montreal Canadiens in your home province, but end up being […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd When you think of the all-time classic Edmonton Oilers, you think of names like Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, and Glenn Anderson. But even though Ryan Smyth lacks the Stanley Cup rings of the aforementioned legends, his tenacity and longevity are moving […]

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd Thirty years ago, nobody was a bigger deal in Ottawa than Peter Lee, except maybe Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Lee was named the 1975-76 Canadian Major Junior Player of the Year after tallying a then-OMJHL record 81 goals for the Ottawa 67s. Today, he remains […]