By Lucas Aykroyd On December 31, 1975, Vladislav Tretiak put on his own fireworks display. But instead of lighting up the night sky that New Year’s Eve, the legendary Russian goalie dazzled hockey fans at the Montreal Forum. He made 35 saves as his Red Army earned a 3-3 exhibition tie with the Montreal Canadiens. […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd The Colorado Avalanche franchise has never missed the playoffs since relocating from Quebec City to Denver in 1995, but it looks like that streak will end in 2007. Colorado allowed a whopping 35 goals in its first eight games in February, and found itself battling […]

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2003 By Lucas Aykroyd Kids. It’s so hard to predict how they’ll turn out. Flamboyant rock star David Lee Roth was the son of an eye doctor. The father of French painter Paul Cezanne originally wanted his son to become a lawyer. Talk about surprises! However, as a parent […]

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd What’s even more fun than cheering for your favourite CHL team? Often the answer is: “Booing our hated divisional rivals!” Rivalries inevitably blossom when you’re facing another club six times a year in many cases. In those grudge matches, teams often discover what kind of […]

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2002 By Lucas Aykroyd For a hockey coach, a well-executed power play can be a thing of beauty if you’re using offensive talents like Scottie Upshall of the Kamloops Blazers or Steve Eminger of the Kitchener Rangers. If not, you might need a more down-and-dirty strategy. Regardless of their […]

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 […]

Originally published in Rinkside in 2004 By Lucas Aykroyd Heading into 2003-04, optimism among Vancouver Canucks fans was at an all-time high. Despite bowing to the Minnesota Wild in the second round of last year’s playoffs, the team had made great strides. Vancouver’s exciting, offensive-minded game paid off with a franchise-record 104 points in 2002-03, […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd Before Christmas, the idea that the Vancouver Canucks could not only make the playoffs but even contend for the Stanley Cup was about as likely as Donald Trump becoming a Communist. But since Christmas, the team has been almost as difficult to defeat as the […]

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd Going for a third consecutive championship in hockey is never easy. Just ask the 1986 Edmonton Oilers or the 1993 Pittsburgh Penguins, who failed in their quests for triple Stanley Cup glory. However, the challenge can be even greater at the IIHF World Junior Championships, […]

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd By now, Canadian hockey fans are accustomed to watching touring Russian junior teams. In addition to the Canada/Russia Challenge we’re enjoying for the third straight year, the Russians have participated in numerous Canadian-hosted World Junior tournaments: 1978, 1986, 1991, 1995, 1999, and 2003. And that’s […]