Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd Bobby Holik relishes the role of one-man wrecking crew. Of that there can be no doubt. The big center from Jihlava of the Czech Republic made a name for himself early in his career with the New Jersey Devils by leading the “Crash Line” with Randy […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd It hurts to be dumped. But maybe if you’re being dumped by Philadelphia GM Bobby Clarke, it doesn’t feel so bad. At least if you ask Eric Lindros. Jan Hlavac, who was shipped to Philadelphia in the deal for the Big E last summer, is the […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd When Milan Hejduk fired home two goals in the opening period of a 30 November clash with the Vancouver Canucks, it must have felt like he’d gotten the Rocky Mountains off his shoulders. The fourth-year Colorado Avalanche sniper had gone 15 games without scoring, a shocking […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd Who needs Joe Sakic? Well, actually, there would be plenty of takers around the National Hockey League if the Colorado Avalanche put their longtime captain on the market. But the point is, right winger Milan Hejduk is doing his best to make up for the scoring […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd Martin Havlat grew up far away from the plains of Africa, but the young Czech left wing’s speed and vision inevitably prompt comparisons to a gazelle. TV analyst John Davidson is awed by the way the Ottawa Senators rookie “explodes through the neutral zone.” Drafted 26th […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd When you look at a photo of our Milky Way Galaxy, the stars are so densely clustered that you can’t distinguish individual luminaries. You might think a similar effect would occur with Dominik Hasek on the star-laden Detroit Red Wings. But the 36-year-old superstar goaltender looks […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd In hockey talk, the term “workhorse” is often abused. Listening to TV color commentators, you might think any NHL defenseman who occasionally plays more than 20 minutes per game deserves that title. But Roman Hamrlik of the Edmonton Oilers really is a workhorse, and he proved […]

Originally published in Rinkside in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd “Dynasty” is a word that doesn’t get bandied around much in either NHL or international hockey these days. That’s not surprising. The globalization of our game has made it much harder to build a team that wins year after year, as players now move around with […]

By Lucas Aykroyd How many of today’s international hockey stars tied their own skates, taught themselves how to shoot and pass, and drove themselves to games when they were kids? The answer is obvious, and that’s why players typically thank their parents for supporting them en route to the big time. In many cases, a […]

Originally published in the 2001 NHL Playoff Program By Lucas Aykroyd Who will become the first European player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy? Given the prevalence of Europeans in today’s NHL, it might come as a surprise to you that none of them has won playoff MVP honors yet. However, in the past, many […]