Originally published on HockeyCanada.ca in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd Without David Aebischer, Switzerland would have nothing to brag about in World Junior hockey history. That’s a strong statement, but considering the Fribourg-born goalie led the Swiss to their only medal ever in 1998 (the bronze) with a stunning 1.58 GAA, it holds true. The intensely […]

Originally published on IIHF.com in 2002 By Lucas Aykroyd Sean Burke, Tommy Salo and Mike Richter are great examples of goalies that have parlayed an Olympic experience into a successful NHL career. But not all are so fortunate. Some goalies are better suited for the concentrated brilliance that the Olympics require than for the long […]

Originally published on IIHF.com in 2002 By Lucas Aykroyd The crucial February 12 game between Germany and Latvia is being billed as a duel of goaltenders. Although Marc Seliger’s .966 save percentage and GAA of 1.00 are outstanding, the 27-year-old German goalie has a long way to go before he can compare his international hockey […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2004 By Lucas Aykroyd One thing you can say about Tomas Vokoun is that he isn’t afraid to speak his mind. During the first round of the NHL playoffs, the 27-year-old netminder of the Nashville Predators described the Detroit Red Wings as “arrogant” and “whiners.” Some in the media and […]

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 Prospects Hockey in 2004 By Lucas Aykroyd Today, North American fans are accustomed to watching Russian players strut their skills on this side of the Atlantic. But recently, some Canadian CHL graduates have reversed the trend by heading over to Russia. Few are better qualified to describe that experience than former goalie […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd Contrary to the irresponsible reporting of some journalists, Arturs Irbe is not the only Latvian goalie in the National Hockey League. The Carolina Hurricanes star has company in Peter Skudra, a 28-year-old veteran entering his fifth NHL season. But since signing as a free agent with […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd You might associate the “Changing of the Guard” with Buckingham Palace or Red Square, but a recent changing of the “Keepers of the Goal” with the San Jose Sharks has given a 25-year-old netminder from Kazakhstan his big shot in a different arena. Evgeni (John) Nabokov […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd “It’s better to have more than less, because if you have less, you run into problems, and that’s not good for the team,” Manny Fernandez philosophically told Eishockey News after a 3-2 overtime win over the Vancouver Canucks on March 13. The 32-year-old Minnesota Wild […]