Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd 2001 marks the fortieth anniversary of Canada’s last victory at the IIHF World Championships with an exclusively amateur roster. It was a small town from British Columbia in Western Canada that achieved this feat, and player-coach Bobby Kromm led the way for the Trail Smoke Eaters. […]

Originally published in Attractions Magazine in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd There’s no better time of the year than April and May if you’re an avid hockey fan. Not only are the NHL playoffs in full swing, but there’s also a ton of international hockey excitement taking place at the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) World […]

Originally published in Rinkside in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd The late Stanley Kubrick won’t be filming the 2001 IIHF World Hockey Championships in Germany, but you can expect the action to be of epic proportions on and off the ice. With a fun-loving extraterrestrial named “Spacy” as the tournament mascot, at least 250,000 spectators are […]

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd In 1958, a Canadian forward named Connie Broden won an IIHF World Championship in Oslo, Norway, and then a Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens the following month. Since today’s senior World Championship rosters generally consist of players eliminated from NHL playoff contention, odds are […]

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd Winning one Memorial Cup is hard enough. So how about back-to-back titles? Since most major junior careers last only three or four seasons, the odds of “doing the double” are slim indeed for any player or team. “You have to consider the graduating factor,” says […]

Originally published in Rinkside in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd The invention of the airplane. The fall of the Berlin Wall. The emergence of the Internet. Some events irrevocably change the way we experience the world. Over the last 40 years of hockey history, we’ve seen a comparably huge change in the NHL’s attitude toward European-trained […]

Originally published in Rinkside in 2004 By Lucas Aykroyd It’s often called “the most exciting play in hockey,” but a penalty shot is also one of the most nerve-wracking for shooters and goalies. In the normal course of a game, there are dozens of possibilities developing on the ice, and there’s a give-and-take to the […]

Originally published in the IIHF News Release in 2002 By Lucas Aykroyd In many ways, Steve Tambellini represents the best of Canadian hockey. So it was hardly surprising when Canadian Hockey introduced him on September 26 as the general manager of the Maple Leaf squad for the 2003 IIHF World Championships in Finland. The 44-year-old […]

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd Most hockey observers believe Corey Perry of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks has a bright future. But will the 6-3, 197-pound center give Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin a run for their money in the quest for NHL Rookie of the Year status? Or will he […]

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd Canada clearly ruled the hockey world from 2002 to 2005, holding every major title early in the latter year (Olympics, World Cup, World Championship, and World Juniors). However, it’s equally clear that 2006 belonged to Sweden. Even though Brent Sutter’s Canadian World Junior team earned […]