Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd They say you can’t go home again, but Jyrki Lumme of the Phoenix Coyotes is always welcomed back with open arms in Vancouver. The 33-year-old native of Tampere, Finland spent eight of his 12 NHL seasons with the Canucks. He proved as gracious and friendly off […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd If it’s true Mats Sundin and Peter Forsberg are robots manufactured by IKEA, as a recent Canadian TV commercial joked, perhaps Marcus Ragnarsson of the San Jose Sharks came from the same factory. He is a prototypical Swedish defenseman. “I’m getting used to living in California […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd Could Markus Naslund be a fan of the Doors? So far this season, “Break On Through to the Other Side” has been his theme song. Heading into Tuesday’s battle at Nashville between the Predators and Naslund’s Vancouver Canucks, the 25-year-old Swedish right winger ranked in the […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd Alvar Aalto gained worldwide fame as the greatest Finnish architect of the twentieth century. Antti Aalto is still a work-in-progress. No relation to his famous namesake, the 23-year-old center from Lappeenranta, Finland has finally secured his place in the lineup of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd Janne Laukkanen on ollut yksi Ottawa Senatorsin parhaista puolustajista tänä vuonna, vaikka hanellä on vain yksi syöttöpiste. 183-senttinen, 88-kiloinen kolminkertainen olympiaedujusta on pelannut vankkaa puolustuspeliä Ottawassa vuodesta 1996, jolloin joukkue hankki hänet Coloradosta. Lucas Aykroyd EuroReportista puhui Laukkasen kanssa Senatorsien lyötyä Vancouverin 2-1 GM Placessä 16 […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd Finnish country music is nothing to write home about. So it’s just as well Kimmo Timonen came to Nashville to play hockey instead of wailing ditties about the cheatin’ hearts and lil’ dogies of Helsinki. The 24-year-old native of Kuopio appears to be coming into his […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd Sitting high above the ice and taking in an NHL game is many people’s idea of a good time. But when you’re an 18-year-old phenom from Moscow, Russia who’s being paid over $1 million U.S. per year to score goals for the Calgary Flames, the view […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd Igor Larionov is used to playing on teams with red-and-white uniforms that win all the time. This season, those wins haven’t come so easily for his Detroit Red Wings. But don’t blame Larionov. The former star of Moscow’s Central Red Army and the Soviet national team […]

Originally published on IIHF.com in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd Just how good is Chris Drury as a clutch goal-scorer? Wayne Gretzky’s record for career NHL playoff game-winners is 24, while the 29-year-old Buffalo Sabres captain has 11. Gretzky accomplished his feat in 208 games (0.11 GWG per playoff game), while Drury has achieved his mark […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd How often do you see an NHLer achieve single-season highs in goals, assists, and points, and also get placed on waivers that year? That’s the strange fate that befell St. Louis forward Petr Cajanek on February 26, as the club was apparently displeased with his lack […]