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, […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd Sometimes Alexander Selivanov must wonder if his career is doomed to consist of a series of bad jokes. Last season, playing for the Edmonton Oilers on a line with Doug Weight and Ryan Smyth, the 29-year-old Moscow native led the NHL with 18 goals at the […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd When you think of Finnish defensemen, what comes to mind? In all likelihood, it’s a long chain of offensive-minded, elegant blueliners like Risto Siltanen, Jyrki Lumme and Kimmo Timonen. But Kari Haakana looks poised to break that mold if he can stick with the Edmonton Oilers […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2002 By Lucas Aykroyd Pittsburgh seems to be the spiritual home for Czech NHLers, and that hasn’t changed much even since the early season firing of Head Coach Ivan Hlinka. Robert Lang is a case in point. Early in his NHL career, it looked like he didn’t have a prayer […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd On a St. Louis Blues squad that boasts such perennial Norris Trophy candidates as Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger, the name of Ricard Persson is easy to overlook. But the shaven-headed 30-year-old defenseman from Ostersund, Sweden knows his value to the team isn’t measured in bone-crushing […]

Originally published in Rinkside in 2003 By Lucas Aykroyd In the third century AD, the Roman Empire dominated Europe from the shores of Britain to the eastern fringes of the Mediterranean Sea. Twenty-first-century Italian hockey, unfortunately, isn’t quite in the same league. Internationally, Italy must battle to regain its honor after a 4-0 loss to […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd Maybe Jarkko Ruutu is just a bit of a slow starter. Two years in a row, Vancouver Canucks GM Brian Burke predicted the 25-year-old Helsinki native would crack Vancouver’s opening night lineup. But instead, Ruutu ended up in the minors. He’s made his best-ever impression in […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd It’s tough to forget the image of a skinny kid from Czechoslovakia marching down from the stands at the 1984 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal to pull on an oversized Habs jersey. But today, Petr Svoboda epitomizes the term “veteran.” Nearing 1000 NHL games played at […]

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 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 […]