Gretzky to Lemieux: The Story of the 1987 Canada Cup By Ed Willes Published by McLelland & Stewart Hardcover, 256 pages Release Date: October 6, 2007 Considering how many books have commemorated the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union, it’s almost unbelievable that until this year, no one had given the same […]

The Top 60 Since 1967: The Best Players of the Post-Expansion Era By Adam Proteau and Ken Campbell Published by Transcontinental Books Hardcover, 240 pages Release Date: September 10, 2007 Coming up with a list of “the best players of the post-expansion era” in the NHL is no easy task. It’s like being asked to […]

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 […]

Normally, the Edmonton Oilers hate to be following their top NHL rival, the Calgary Flames. But clearly, the success story of the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen, who belong to the Flames, influenced Edmonton ownership to go out and acquire its own major junior expansion franchise. Reintroducing the name of the Edmonton Oil Kings harkens […]

Declining numbers don’t always mean declining fortunes for an NHL captain known as a sniper. In 1997, 1998, and 2002, Steve Yzerman led Detroit to the Stanley Cup, but only scored 85, 69 and 48 points respectively in the regular season. Those numbers were a far cry from his best year (155 points in 1988-89), […]

At the 2004 World Championship, a senior IIHF official confessed to me that he barely knew anything about Matt Cooke prior to the tournament in Prague and Ostrava, but by the end, he was wowed by the relentless, effective physical play of this Vancouver winger en route to Canadian gold. Earlier that same spring, Cooke […]

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 […]