With the news that Aaron Miller will undergo abdominal surgery on the eve of the Vancouver Canucks training camp, Canucks fans will have to hope this doesn’t point to a recurring pattern. Ditto for GM Dave Nonis, who signed Miller to a one-year, $1.5 million deal on July 9, and, naturally, Miller himself. The veteran […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd They are 22 and 33, but on 26 September 2000, they both turned 20. With Vancouver Canucks fans hoping they will make those jersey numbers famous, Daniel and Henrik Sedin celebrated their birthday by turning in a solid performance against the Minnesota Wild in a 4-4 […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd Most Canadian hockey fans would have pegged Artem Chubarov for a pure sniper after his performance in the gold medal game at the 1999 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in Winnipeg. There, the Novgorod native potted two goals for Team Russia, including the winner at 5:13 […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd “No surprises to me. His game is the same every day. He’s such a competitor, such a pest.” That’s how Kansas City Blades Head Coach Stan Smyl recently described Jarkko Ruutu, a gritty 25-year-old Finnish right winger from Helsinki. And that consistency may win the IFK […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd Alexander Khavanov may not get the recognition he deserves. At 28, he’s too old to be nominated for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. The ex-Dynamo Moscow defenseman isn’t even profiled in the St. Louis Blues media guide. But early in the season, his […]

Originally published in the 2003 NHL All-Star Game Program By Lucas Aykroyd Traditional Southern cooking abounds with homegrown delicacies. But for sports fans in hot, dry places, hockey is often seen as an exotic new addition to the menu. Fortunately, it hasn’t taken long for the southern United States to acquire a taste for the […]

Originally published on IIHF.com in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd With just 2 million citizens and just over 1000 hockey players, Latvia is thrilled every time one of its native sons cracks the big time. And defenseman Karlis Skrastins of the Colorado Avalanche is one of the best contemporary examples. Of course, there are others. Helmut […]

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 […]

Originally published on IIHF.com in 2002 By Lucas Aykroyd Talk to the Eastern Canadian hockey media and they’ll tell you that Mats Sundin of the Toronto Maple Leafs is a leading candidate for the Hart Trophy. However, Vancouver captain Markus Naslund has been the biggest Swedish scoring threat in the NHL this season, and that […]

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 […]