Originally published in Rinkside in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd Aspiring country stars come to Nashville, Tennessee to hone their musical skills and get their shot at the big time. Similarly, Kimmo Timonen has paid his dues in Music City, and now the mobile Finnish defenseman is hoping for a big pay-off in the post-season. Since […]

Originally published in Referee Magazine in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd When the USA confronted the Soviet Union in the 1980 men’s Olympic hockey tournament in Lake Placid, the February 22 matchup was viewed as a case of David versus Goliath. The veteran Soviets were the reigning Olympic and world champions and had convincingly defeated a […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd “I’ve always said Patrick Roy was the best goalie I’ve ever seen, but this kid is going to be better.” That’s what former NHL star and Atlanta Thrashers scout Peter Mahovlich said about Kari Lehtonen a few years ago. So far in 2006-07, the 23-year-old […]

By Lucas Aykroyd Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” But far more progressive attitudes were in evidence at the 2000 Play Right Coaches Conference at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver from July 6 to 9. The conference brought together some 500 hockey coaches from every level: minor, junior, […]

Originally published in Rinkside in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd It may seem hard to believe now, but at one time, Finland produced fewer quality goalies than any other major hockey nation. Want proof? Check out the scoresheets from the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup. In their first best-on-best competition, the Finns lost 11-2 to Canada, 8-0 […]

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 […]

Originally published in the 2004 NHL Yearbook By Lucas Aykroyd In biology, it’s known as a symbiotic relationship. Two organisms feeding off each other for mutual benefit, like the bee and the flower. In today’s National Hockey League, the equivalent is a dynamic duo whose offensive production stings opponents but sweetens their team’s success. Look […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd Last season, Miikka Kiprusoff became the first Finnish goalie to win the Vezina Trophy, but he didn’t bother to attend the NHL Awards in Vancouver. This season, after getting off to a slow start with three wins in his first 11 starts, the 30-year-old Turku […]

Originally published on EuroReport in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd Vancouver Canucks GM Brian Burke recently told EuroReport about his expectations for several of the team’s European prospects in 2000-01. Jarkko Ruutu (LW, Finland): “He’s a very aggravating presence, like Esa Tikkanen was in his prime, only bigger and stronger. He likes to bang and he […]

Originally published on IHWC.net 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd Some Finnish fans might feel like the following article will be cathartic, enabling them to put the disappointments of yesteryear in perspective and move on. Other Finnish fans may immediately skip to another article as soon as they see the title. It’s impossible not to have a […]