Originally published on HockeyCanada.ca in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd Ten years before stars like Sidney Crosby, Dion Phaneuf, and Corey Perry made the 2005 version of Team Canada the strongest-ever World Junior entry, there was another gold medal-winning team that thrilled the host nation when the tournament was held in Red Deer, Alberta. Three members […]

Originally published on HockeyCanada.ca in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd While interest in the annual IIHF World Junior Championship is enormous in Canada, some hockey fans elsewhere in the world don’t get as pumped up about it. Their attitude is, “Hey, these are just kids.” But frankly, anyone who loves Olympic hockey should keep close tabs […]

Originally published on HockeyCanada.ca in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd When you survey hockey history, few players can rival Wayne Gretzky as the best of all time. But Bobby Orr is one of them, and while Gretzky has been preoccupied recently with coaching the Phoenix Coyotes and picking the Olympic team, as well as family matters, […]

Originally published on HockeyCanada.ca in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd Even though this is the first time Vancouver has hosted the World Juniors, the West Coast metropolis of 2 million has plenty of historical connections to this elite tournament. The legendary Ernie “Punch” McLean was best-known as the coach of the WHL’s New Westminster Bruins, which […]

Originally published on HockeyCanada.ca in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd Most Canadian hockey fans have a soft spot for the Finns. After all, they employ a hard-working, physical style that’s reminiscent of Canada’s, and numerous Finnish players have starred in Canadian NHL cities, especially out West. The Edmonton Oilers might not have five Stanley Cups to […]

Originally published on IIHF.com in 2002 By Lucas Aykroyd In one of the most stunning upsets in Olympic hockey history, Belarus defeated Sweden 4-3 Wednesday in quarter-finals action. Vladimir Kopat scored the winner on a freaky shot with 2:24 remaining in the third period. Coming down the right wing, the Belarus forward slapped a high […]

Originally published on IIHF.com in 2002 By Lucas Aykroyd Everyone has a comfort zone. In Team Belarus’s case, this appears to involve playing hockey against other former Eastern Bloc countries. The Belorussians may have tumbled down to Division I of the World Championships, but they can still take a bite out of their neighbors. Just […]

Originally published on IIHF.com in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd For Finland, winning the 2006 Olympic gold medal in hockey would be the equivalent of Canada’s 1972 triumph over the Soviet Union in the Summit Series or the USA’s 1980 “Miracle on Ice” win over the Russians. It would be a unique, defining moment in the […]

Originally published on IIHF.com in 2002 By Lucas Aykroyd Here are some interesting facts about Belorussian hockey: Sergei Fedorov, the all-star forward of the Detroit Red Wings and Team Russia’s leading scorer, trained at the famous “Yunost” hockey school in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. In the early 20th century, Wayne Gretzky’s grandfather emigrated from […]

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 […]