Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2002 By Lucas Aykroyd Jaroslav Spacek has excelled on the international stage before, but life in the NHL hasn’t always been as kind to him. Chicago and Columbus are both cities in the American Midwest, but as Spacek is finding out, they’re worlds apart in the hockey universe. The skillful […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd Nashville is where you find hot country stars like Shania Twain, Tanya Tucker and Faith Hill. In keeping with that, Tomas Vokoun has been playing some beautiful hockey for the Predators this year. The Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic native started 15 consecutive games in goal from […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd Roman Turek’s nickname with the St. Louis Blues is “Large.” Since he’s 188 cm and 98 kg, it’s not hard to see why. But the 30-year-old Czech goaltender is also playing a large role with his NHL club for the second straight season. Head coach Joel […]

Originally published in Rinkside in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd The invention of the airplane. The fall of the Berlin Wall. The emergence of the Internet. Some events irrevocably change the way we experience the world. Over the last 40 years of hockey history, we’ve seen a comparably huge change in the NHL’s attitude toward European-trained […]

Originally published in The Prague Post in 2002 By Lucas Aykroyd “I’m going to Disneyland” is what pro athletes in North America often crow after they capture a championship. Yet for National Hockey League players, Anaheim has historically resembled a graveyard more than a Magic Kingdom. Winger Petr Sykora is hoping to reverse that trend […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd One of the luxuries of being a young defenseman on a top NHL club is that you don’t have to be the “go-to guy.” Martin Skoula of the Colorado Avalanche is getting the opportunity to learn from some of the best, including Ray Bourque and Adam […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd Martin Rucinsky knows what an unforgiving city Montreal can be. Canadiens fans and media clamor for the Stanley Cup every year even when a championship is clearly out of reach. It’s a tough scenario for a slick but non-physical forward like Rucinsky whose scoring has declined […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2002 By Lucas Aykroyd Pittsburgh seems to be the spiritual home for Czech NHLers, and that hasn’t changed much even since the early season firing of Head Coach Ivan Hlinka. Robert Lang is a case in point. Early in his NHL career, it looked like he didn’t have a prayer […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd By now, most hockey fans know Robert Reichel is back in the NHL. But is the NHL back in Robert Reichel? The cunning center from Litvinov doesn’t enjoy the same sterling reputation in North America as he does in Europe. Since his 1990 debut with the […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd Even though Petr Sykora leads the Edmonton Oilers in scoring in his first season with the Northern Alberta club, that’s not his main concern. The 30-year-old Czech winger, who won a Stanley Cup with New Jersey in 2000, has also experienced the pain of losing […]