Two of the NHL’s brightest young stars got married this summer: Eric Staal (perhaps you heard about the bachelor party?) and Ilya Kovalchuk (Alexander Ovechkin attended the reception in shorts). Although fans of the Carolina Hurricanes and Atlanta Thrashers may rejoice in the personal happiness of their heroes, they may be unaware that holy matrimony […]

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 IIHF.com in 2002 By Lucas Aykroyd The crucial February 12 game between Germany and Latvia is being billed as a duel of goaltenders. Although Marc Seliger’s .966 save percentage and GAA of 1.00 are outstanding, the 27-year-old German goalie has a long way to go before he can compare his international hockey […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2002 By Lucas Aykroyd When the tragic news of Saku Koivu’s abdominal cancer first broke in September, the first reaction of hockey fans everywhere was to wish the star Finnish center a full recovery from his illness. Next, thoughts turned to how Koivu’s absence might affect not only the Montreal […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd No NHL team has won back-to-back Stanley Cups since the Detroit Red Wings of 1997 and 1998. Therefore, the Carolina Hurricanes face a difficult challenge this season as they try to defend their championship. So far, the Canes aren’t on pace to equal the 112 […]