Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd The list of players who have worn number 30 for the Calgary Flames includes 11 goalies: Dan Bouchard, Mike Vernon, Dwayne Roloson, Tyler Moss, Yves Belanger, Rejean Lemelin, Pat Riggin, Rick Wamsley, Jason Muzzatti, Rick Tabaracci and Ken Wregget. That list does not include Peter Stastny, […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd Pavol Demitra is a big Metallica fan, but in recent weeks, the shifty forward has been banging his head in frustration when the Minnesota Wild hit the road. Minnesota has sold out every home game in team history and put together the league’s best home record […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd He admits to a weakness for glazed doughnuts and claims he’d be shelving boxes in his mother’s stores in Latvia if he wasn’t in the NHL. He is Sandis Ozolinsh, the top offensive defenseman for the Colorado Avalanche, and his blithe off-ice demeanor fits in with […]

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd Personal achievements are nice, but when you’re the captain of an NHL team, they don’t mean much. Olli Jokinen has learned that lesson, year after year. In 2005-06, Jokinen’s 89 points signaled his arrival as one of the NHL’s elite power forwards. But his Florida […]

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 on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd Timing is everything, especially when you’re a skilled NHL defenseman like Mattias Ohlund. Since taking a puck in the right eye in a preseason game in Ottawa on 21 September 1999, the fourth-year Swedish stalwart has undergone a series of operations to maintain his sight. Returning […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd In recent years, every Stanley Cup champion has featured at least two defensemen with elite physical and scoring skills. Rob Blake and Ray Bourque in Colorado. Scott Stevens and Brian Rafalski in New Jersey. Derian Hatcher and Sergei Zubov in Dallas. So if the Vancouver Canucks […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd Today, Michael Nylander plays a key role with the Chicago Blackhawks. But the playmaking Swedish center was once regarded as a fragile commodity, physically and mentally. When he broke into the NHL with the Hartford Whalers in 1992-93, he lacked upper body strength. He missed 15 […]

Originally published in Rinkside in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd In the NHL’s Original Six era, guessing the nationalities of the players was easier than scoring into an empty net on a clear-cut breakaway. During the 1940’s, 50’s, and 60’s, all NHLers were Canadians, except for a handful of talented Americans like goalie Frank Brimsek and […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd For Janne Niinimaa, it would be better if a picture didn’t tell a thousand words. Which do you remember better? The Finnish defenseman’s top-notch statistics from 1996-97, when he set a Philadelphia Flyers record for most assists by a rookie by going 4-40-44? Or the image […]