Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” But does that apply if you play for the Montreal […]

The leaves are turning brown and the nights are getting colder. But NHL hockey in October always seems livelier than any other time of the year. It’s nice to think the peak excitement occurs with the Stanley Cup finals, but in June, when you’re down to two not necessarily beloved teams and it’s hot enough […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd Igor Ulanov will never equal the offensive numbers of retired all-star Russian defenseman Viacheslav Fetisov. But up close, his craggy physique bears a striking resemblance to Fetisov’s battle-tested mug. If Ulanov is ever going to resemble Fetisov on the ice, however, there’s no time like the […]

Originally published on IIHF.com in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd Alexei Kovalev earned his pilot’s licence in 1998, but the Togliatti native has also experienced the pain of having his Olympic gold medal hopes shot down twice since that year. A knee injury forced the 6-2, 210-pound right winger to opt out of Nagano 1998, and […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2002 By Lucas Aykroyd Americans say “Zee,” but since 13 March 2001, the Montreal Canadiens have been saying “Zed.” The acquisition of fleet right wing Richard Zednik from the Washington Capitals along with Jan Bulis on that date looks like a minor coup for the Habs at this writing, since […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd Ten years ago, you couldn’t have imagined a Latvian forward keying the offense of the Montreal Canadiens. But times have changed, and Sergei Zholtok is taking full advantage. The Riga-born center enjoyed a breakthrough season with Montreal last year, racking up 26 goals and 12 assists […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd Martin Rucinsky knows what an unforgiving city Montreal can be. Canadiens fans and media clamor for the Stanley Cup every year even when a championship is clearly out of reach. It’s a tough scenario for a slick but non-physical forward like Rucinsky whose scoring has declined […]

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd Before Sidney, there was Mario. And before Mario, there was Pierre. The Pittsburgh Penguins have drafted some of the greatest QMJHL forwards of all time, and in the 1970’s, perhaps only Guy Lafleur and Marcel Dionne outshone Pierre Larouche. Growing up in the northwestern Quebec […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd The Montreal Canadiens used to be known as the Flying Frenchmen. Nowadays, it’s more like the Flying Foreigners, and Oleg Petrov is part of that new tradition. The 5-9, 171-pound right wing returned to Montreal last season after three years with HC Ambri-Piotta of the Swiss […]

Originally published in Rinkside in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd “Great” is a term that’s bandied about far too easily these days. You can rightfully complain when it’s applied to some lame pop band or over-hyped first novel. But when it comes to the Great Gretzky, the Great Houdini, or the Great Wall of China, you […]