Originally published on IIHF.com in 2002 By Lucas Aykroyd There will be no “Miracle on Ice” at the Salt Lake City Olympics. That’s not because the USA doesn’t have a good shot at winning the gold medal, but because there is no opponent with the sheer overwhelming presence of the old Soviet national team. From […]

Originally published on IIHF.com in 2002 By Lucas Aykroyd In the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” at Lake Placid, it was not hard to pick out two men on opposing benches, one there willingly, the other filled with frustration. The happy man was Team USA coach Herb Brooks, who saw his squad of college players defeat […]

Originally written in 2003 By Lucas Aykroyd It’s a symbol of team pride. A marketing tool. And yes, a fashion statement. In pro sports, the brightly colored, boldly named team jersey fills all these roles. Let’s take a closer look at the threads that make up this story by examining today’s National Hockey League. The […]

Originally written for the IIHF News Release in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd Some facts about the four previous IIHF World Championships held in Moscow are common knowledge among hockey fans. Tre Kronor supporters cherish the memory of their team’s 4-4 tie with the Soviet Union at Lenin Stadium on March 5, 1957, because the result […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd If you’re a Swedish hockey fan, you surely remember where you were when Nicklas Lidstrom scored the Olympic-winning goal versus Finland last year. If you’re a Slovak hockey fan, you must recall what you were doing when Peter Bondra’s late goal lifted Slovakia over Russia in […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd One of the great things about being a hockey fan in the new millennium is that you don’t have to rely on memory and oral recountings nearly as much to revisit the great games of the past. Apart from having a few beers with your grandfather, […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd There’s no way around it. Finishing seventh at the Turin Olympics after losing three 2-0 games was the worst failure in Canadian hockey history. Just go down the list. In 1954, the Soviet Union shocked the world by thumping Canada 7-2 to clinch its first-ever IIHF […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd With gold medals at the women’s and U18 IIHF World Championships this month, USA Hockey is riding high once again. But for Americans, probably no triumph will ever top the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” victory, where the USA knocked off the Soviets 4-3 and went on […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2003 By Lucas Aykroyd Finally, here’s a book that both Don Cherry and Klaus Zaugg could love. Most books about international hockey contain a bias toward either the North American or European game. Typically, authors just don’t know as much about the way hockey is played on the opposite side […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd 2001 won’t mark the first time the IIHF World Championships have come to Germany. The tournament has a long and illustrious history in this part of the world. But there is a chance for a different kind of breakthrough. While both Canada and Russia are considered […]