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 His taste in entertainment, ranging from WWF wrestling to the movie “Road Trip,” may not be the most intellectual, but Ville Nieminen shows plenty of smarts on the ice. The 23-year-old rookie left wing from Tampere, Finland was recently called up from the Hershey Bears of […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd For many years, the name “Naslund” and NHL success were synonymous with just one player: Mats Naslund, the Montreal Canadiens star of the 1980s. But that changed in 1998-99. Markus Naslund of the Vancouver Canucks enjoyed a breakout season, going 36-30-66 in 80 games to lead […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd You might associate the “Changing of the Guard” with Buckingham Palace or Red Square, but a recent changing of the “Keepers of the Goal” with the San Jose Sharks has given a 25-year-old netminder from Kazakhstan his big shot in a different arena. Evgeni (John) Nabokov […]

Originally published on EuroReport in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd Alexander the Great is back—to conquer the Chicago Blackhawks, anyway. A two-goal performance by Alexander Mogilny of the Vancouver Canucks sparked his team to a wild 5-4 win over the Blackhawks at GM Place on 6 October. Throughout the game, the gifted 195-pound right winger displayed […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd You know that song by the Who, “Boris The Spider?” Well, Boris Mironov may not have eight legs, but some nights the mobile 28-year-old Muscovite plays as much as four seventh defensemen put together. And early in his second full season with the Chicago Blackhawks, Mironov […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd The menacing theme music from Jaws has echoed through San Jose Arena thousands of times when the Sharks go on the power play. Marco Sturm’s presence isn’t quite that intimidating, but the swift winger from Dingolfing, Germany does his part to strike fear into the hearts […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd Perhaps we should qualify the saying that “one man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity” in the case of rookie Calgary defenseman Toni Lydman. Derek Morris’s decision to hold out in contract negotiations isn’t exactly a misfortune, but it has allowed Lydman to stake his claim on […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd Before Nicklas Lidstrom joined the Detroit Red Wings in 1991, he spent time studying to become an engineer. That must have influenced his style of play. The 30-year-old defenseman from Vasteras, Sweden approaches hockey with mathematical precision, whether completing an outlet pass in his own zone […]