Originally published on HockeyCanada.ca in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd When Cassie Campbell announced her retirement from competitive hockey in August 2006, she had clearly established herself as one of the most recognizable faces in Canadian women’s hockey. During a career highlighted by two Olympic and six World Championship gold medals, she captained Canada in 50 […]

Originally published on HockeyCanada.ca in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd In August 2005, one of the most shocking events in women’s hockey history took place. Ben Smith, then-head coach of the USA national team, decided to cut longtime captain Cammi Granato from the roster for the upcoming Turin Olympics. The Americans paid the price for Smith’s […]

Originally published on HockeyCanada.ca in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd Geraldine Heaney is often called “the Bobby Orr of women’s hockey,” and just like the great Boston Bruins defenceman, one spectacular goal this Canadian legend scored always stands out in the minds of fans. Who can forget the image of Orr sailing through the air after […]

Originally published on HockeyCanada.ca in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd At this stage of Alexander Edler’s career, some observers might project the 19-year-old to be a poor man’s version of Nicklas Lidstrom. That wouldn’t be a bad thing. But don’t forget something else: both those Swedish defencemen were drafted in the third round of the NHL […]

Originally published on HockeyCanada.ca in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd The surname “Ryan” has frequently been associated with American excellence, whether it’s the legendary baseball pitcher Nolan Ryan or Tom Clancy’s fictional hero Jack Ryan. The USA’s Bobby Ryan is hoping to join those illustrious ranks with a strong performance at the 2006 IIHF World Championship. […]

Originally published on HockeyCanada.ca in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd Without David Aebischer, Switzerland would have nothing to brag about in World Junior hockey history. That’s a strong statement, but considering the Fribourg-born goalie led the Swiss to their only medal ever in 1998 (the bronze) with a stunning 1.58 GAA, it holds true. The intensely […]

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 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 IIHF.com in 2002 By Lucas Aykroyd Ukraine is not exactly a team of big names. Aside from Dmitri Khristich, few of its forwards have had any impact in the NHL. Ukrainian-born defensemen like Alexei Zhitnik and Oleg Tverdovsky have represented Russia in the past and are unavailable for these Games. So Ukraine […]