Originally published in Rinkside in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd The North Shore Mountains provide an imposing backdrop for Mattias Ohlund’s adopted home of Vancouver, Canada. They could also serve as a symbol for the strength and consistency that the veteran Swedish defenseman has brought to the Canucks since his NHL rookie campaign of 1997-98. Whether […]

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 in Eishockey News in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd Once again, there’s a diminutive yet talented Norwegian forward with an unruly mop of blond hair making headlines in the NHL. But for a change, it isn’t Espen Knutsen. Knutsen retired due to injury after the 2004-05 season and is currently coaching Valerenga IF, his […]

Originally published in Rinkside in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd Although NHL fans have embraced the excitement of using shootouts to decide regular season games after overtime, it’s highly unlikely that penalty shots will ever replace the traditional unlimited sudden-death format of the playoffs. There are just too many once-in-a-lifetime plays, pulse-pounding marathons, and memories of […]

Originally published in Rinkside in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd July 22, 2005 was a historic day for the future of international hockey. The new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL and NHLPA was ratified then, and it included a clause stipulating that the League would make its players available to participate in both the 2006 […]

Originally published in the Prague Post in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd If Marian Havel is selected in the first round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, as expected, it’ll be thanks to his finesse skills. The 17-year-old hockey forward skates and stickhandles at high speed with ease. He also boasts a laser slapshot. That’s why […]

Originally published in the Prague Post in 2003 By Lucas Aykroyd Physically speaking, Marek Malik is tough to ignore when he walks into a room. But after years of toiling with low-profile teams like the Hartford Whalers and Carolina Hurricanes, the 6-5, 220-pound defenseman from Ostrava has often been overlooked by National Hockey League observers. […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd Although Roberto Luongo resided in Miami, Florida for five years, it hasn’t taken him long to get comfortable with living in Vancouver, Canada this season. “It’s beautiful here,” the 27-year-old Montreal-born goalie told Eishockey News. “You’ve got a bit of everything with the mountains and […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd They’re called the Los Angeles Kings, but for most of 2006-07, a better name would have been the Los Angeles Peasants. This club, which hasn’t made the NHL playoffs since 2002, has been mediocre at home and terrible on the road, and has recently battled […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd When Igor Larionov was traded back to Detroit from Florida on 28 December 2000, you might say it was the end of a failed experiment in emigration. The previous times when the canny Russian center packed his bags and left for a new home, it paid […]