Originally written for the IIHF News Release in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd Some facts about the four previous IIHF World Championships held in Moscow are common knowledge among hockey fans. Tre Kronor supporters cherish the memory of their team’s 4-4 tie with the Soviet Union at Lenin Stadium on March 5, 1957, because the result […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd 2001 won’t mark the first time the IIHF World Championships have come to Germany. The tournament has a long and illustrious history in this part of the world. But there is a chance for a different kind of breakthrough. While both Canada and Russia are considered […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd They call him “Archie.” Maybe that’s an appropriate nickname for Alexei Zhamnov. The red-haired Russian sometimes achieves hockey feats of the larger-than-life dimensions of a cartoon character. But other times, his play is a mere caricature of what it could be. Russian Head Coach Alexander Yakushev […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd Vladimir Malakhov disappeared and was unavailable to speak with the media after his debut with the New Jersey Devils in a 5-2 road loss to Vancouver on 4 March. That was appropriate, since the veteran Russian defenseman was scarcely visible during his 17:17 of ice time, […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd Once an offensive threat with the New Jersey Devils of the early 1990’s, Valeri Zelepukin of the Philadelphia Flyers has seen his scoring fall off in recent years. This season, the 31-year-old Russian winger from Voskresensk has just 16 points in 36 games. Zelepukin, who idolized […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd You’d expect Valeri Bure to be in the best of moods after returning from an NHL All-Star Game weekend in Toronto that saw him pair with brother Pavel to nab MVP honors for the Russian Rocket. But instead, Bure the Younger admitted he had a bit […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd Pro hockey players know they may be told to pack their bags and take their stick and skates to a team on the other side of the continent at any time. Still, actually getting the news can come as a shock. And when you’re asked to […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd If you know your hockey history, you’ll recall the negative fan reaction Denis Potvin got whenever he played at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Well, Alexei Yashin of the Ottawa Senators looks poised to live out a Potvinesque nightmare this winter in rinks around the NHL, […]

Originally published in Rinkside in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd The invention of the airplane. The fall of the Berlin Wall. The emergence of the Internet. Some events irrevocably change the way we experience the world. Over the last 40 years of hockey history, we’ve seen a comparably huge change in the NHL’s attitude toward European-trained […]

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2004 By Lucas Aykroyd Today, North American fans are accustomed to watching Russian players strut their skills on this side of the Atlantic. But recently, some Canadian CHL graduates have reversed the trend by heading over to Russia. Few are better qualified to describe that experience than former goalie […]