Originally published in Rinkside in 2003 By Lucas Aykroyd All year long, they’re going to hear the ABBA jokes. Questions about whether coach Marc Crawford is fluent in Swedish yet. Suggestions that General Motors Place should be renamed the Volvodrome. So the Swedish members of the 2003-04 Vancouver Canucks may as well get used to […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd In the NHL, the jersey number 39 is most closely associated with superstar Buffalo goalie Dominik Hasek. Per Svartvadet of the Atlanta Thrashers also wears that number, and although he may not be quite as adept as Hasek at preventing goals, he is an excellent defensive […]

Originally published on EuroReport in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd The silent Swede sat in a sled, staring at a snowbank outside Stockholm. That’s definitely not Mats Sundin. In conversation, his affable personality is eons removed from the somber tone of an Ingmar Bergman film. But the Toronto Maple Leafs captain must hope he makes more […]

Originally published in Rinkside in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd If NHL hockey players were trees, the Kariya brothers would be bonsai. The parallels between Anaheim Mighty Ducks superstar Paul Kariya, his emerging sibling Steve Kariya of the Vancouver Canucks and the meticulously cultivated Japanese miniature trees are more than whimsical. All of them resemble their […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd Imagine you’re the top defenseman in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, but you’re also the last one cut from Canada’s 1997 World Junior Championship roster. Imagine you start your NHL career with the legendary Montreal Canadiens in your home province, but end up being […]

Originally published in the 2004 NHL Playoff Magazine By Lucas Aykroyd We’ve all heard stories about crazy places where the Stanley Cup has ended up during victory celebrations: nightclubs, swimming pools, horse stables, and so on. But in many cases, the winners of this powerful symbol of NHL supremacy have done things with it that […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd Contrary to the irresponsible reporting of some journalists, Arturs Irbe is not the only Latvian goalie in the National Hockey League. The Carolina Hurricanes star has company in Peter Skudra, a 28-year-old veteran entering his fifth NHL season. But since signing as a free agent with […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd One of the luxuries of being a young defenseman on a top NHL club is that you don’t have to be the “go-to guy.” Martin Skoula of the Colorado Avalanche is getting the opportunity to learn from some of the best, including Ray Bourque and Adam […]

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 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd “Sammy? Is that Hagar or Davis Jr.?” If you’re a Boston Bruins fan, you might think of a different popular figure. He’s only 21 and stands a mere 5-8 and 184 pounds, but he looms large in Boston’s youth movement. Known as “Sammy” to his teammates, […]