Compared to the entertainment world in general, NHL players, coaches, and officials are hardly quote machines. (Ditto for their junior counterparts.) You’re more likely to catch the Dalai Lama challenging Mike Tyson than, say, to get a colorful answer when you ask an NHLer: “So which team would you like to face in the first […]

OK, rivalling Sidney Crosby is probably a longshot. But playing versus men at age 15 in a national league is an achievement, even if it’s in New Zealand. Not to mention being a native-trained top prospect for national teams in multiple age groups. So nice work, Jordan Challis (who’s also a former member of the […]

I’ve just completed a three-day media tour of Los Angeles, organized by the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, and one very interesting NHL-related detail leaped out at me during a presentation about the L.A. LIVE project. AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group) is overseeing this $2.5-billion, 27-acre development in downtown Los Angeles, and it aspires to […]

For starry-eyed Leksand fans, signing goalie Ed Belfour may have given them a billion reasons to believe their Swedish second-division club could secure promotion to the Elitserien next season. But with the news that the former Vezina Trophy winner’s current physical condition is less than impressive, they’ll just have to pray 19-year-old Leksand prospect Eddie […]

Yesterday, James Mirtle posted an excellent, detailed breakdown of the ages of the 29 NHL coaches. (It excluded Don Waddell, who only plans to remain behind Atlanta’s bench until he’s identified the right man or woman to replace Bob Hartley.) When checking out Mirtle’s list, what caught my eye was how surprisingly few championships the […]

The biggest German moment in NHL history was Uwe Krupp’s triple overtime, Stanley Cup-winning goal for Colorado in Game Four of the 1996 Stanley Cup finals versus Florida. But Krupp, currently coaching his country’s national team, could see his “title” challenged if the San Jose Sharks win their first Cup in 2008, as many pundits […]

This year, Daniel Briere and Simon Gagne of the Philadelphia Flyers just might give Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis a run for their money as the NHL’s most dangerous Quebec-born scoring duo. Unlike the two Tampa Bay Lightning forwards, neither Briere nor Gagne has ever topped the 100-point plateau in the NHL. But if […]

Dr. Ken Kirkwood, a doping expert at the University of Western Ontario, is eager to debunk the myth that steroid use automatically makes you resemble Ben Johnson, the muscle-laden sprinter whose disqualification from the 1988 Olympics still influences the way Canadians view doping today. In the new NHL, where speed and skill are integral parts […]

Being the best of the best as an elite athlete is something that kids dream of. Fame, fortune, and respect normally go hand in hand with being, say, the holder of baseball’s single-season home run record, the 2004 Olympic 100-meter sprint champion, or the 2006 Tour de France winner. Unfortunately, Barry Bonds, Justin Gatlin, and […]

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 […]