Originally published in Eishockey News in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd Chicago has hovered close to the bottom of the Western Conference standings for much of this season, but at least Patrick Sharp has blossomed into a leader. He’s posted a club-best six game-winning goals so far. Even after a 3-2 shootout loss to the Vancouver […]

Some players might gripe after ending a six-game road trip with a 2-0 loss in Vancouver on November 25 and being held off the scoresheet for the fourth straight time. But not Patrick Kane. “I think we had a good trip, and you’ve got to be happy with the way we played,” the 19-year-old Chicago […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd They call him “Archie.” Maybe that’s an appropriate nickname for Alexei Zhamnov. The red-haired Russian sometimes achieves hockey feats of the larger-than-life dimensions of a cartoon character. But other times, his play is a mere caricature of what it could be. Russian Head Coach Alexander Yakushev […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd Today, Michael Nylander plays a key role with the Chicago Blackhawks. But the playmaking Swedish center was once regarded as a fragile commodity, physically and mentally. When he broke into the NHL with the Hartford Whalers in 1992-93, he lacked upper body strength. He missed 15 […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd You know that song by the Who, “Boris The Spider?” Well, Boris Mironov may not have eight legs, but some nights the mobile 28-year-old Muscovite plays as much as four seventh defensemen put together. And early in his second full season with the Chicago Blackhawks, Mironov […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd Which is more likely, that Chicago will make the NHL playoffs or that the Berlin Wall will be rebuilt this year? According to some, the chances are about equal. Last season, the Blackhawks pinned their hopes of making the playoffs for the first time since […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd If Jaroslav Spacek can elevate his NHL game to the level he’s shown in international competition, the Chicago Blackhawks are in for a real treat this year. Spacek has won gold medals in IIHF tournaments three out of the last four years, and in 1997-98, he […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd Adrian Aucoin is well aware that money can’t buy happiness. The veteran defenseman signed a deal worth $16 million over four years with Chicago in August 2005. But the Blackhawks missed the playoffs in 2005-06, which they’ve done in seven out of the last eight […]