Is Alexandre Burrows a smarter hockey player than Jaromir Jagr in any way? The idea sounds outrageous. How could a third-year Vancouver Canuck who agitates and brings energy in a third- or fourth-line role compare to a five-time Art Ross Trophy winner? But the reality is that if Burrows doesn’t use his head and play […]

The Russians used to dominate the hockey world, in part, because they were physically fitter than their opponents. Today, almost everyone’s in shape. The great dividing line, then, is often mental conditioning. And that’s an area where one Swedish captain of a Canadian NHL team could learn from another. Check out this recent excerpt from […]

Two remarkable facts distinguished Jesse Boulerice’s vicious cross-check to Ryan Kesler’s face last week. First, the blow didn’t injure the Vancouver forward nearly as badly as it could have if Boulerice’s stick hadn’t broken on impact. Second, as of October 15, the Vancouver Police Department has not announced a criminal investigation into the incident, nor […]

In addition to writing about hockey, I frequently review hard rock and metal CDs for the Georgia Straight newspaper in Vancouver, and whenever possible, I like to insert a blatant yet appropriate hockey reference. It’s no coincidence, in my view, that rousing, guitar-driven 80’s music continues to rock NHL arenas even decades after going out […]

I’ve worn many hats (or should that be helmets?) over the years as a hockey writer, largely because I’ve always felt it’s fun to tie this sport into as many areas of life as possible. That’s included covering the launch of Wayne Gretzky’s signature fashion line at the Bay, interviewing the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” […]

In recent years, René Fasel has often spent more time in Vancouver, Canada than anywhere besides the Zurich headquarters of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in his native Switzerland. The IIHF President chairs the IOC Coordination Commission for the 2010 Winter Olympics, and he visits Canada’s leading West Coast city regularly to make sure […]

It wasn’t quite as big as winning double gold in Turin and Riga last year, but for Swedish hockey fans, the news I covered today in Vancouver is still something to celebrate. From IIHF.com: Sweden won the right to host the 2013 IIHF Championship at the IIHF Semi-Annual Congress today, beating out Belarus, the Czech […]

Lars Lindgren, whom the Vancouver Canucks hired as a European scout earlier this month, accomplished a lot of fine things during his playing career. The big Pitea native was a two-time Swedish League all-star defenseman and a mainstay on Vancouver’s blueline during the club’s 1982 march to the Stanley Cup finals. Unfortunately, as Steve Smith […]

I covered the exhibition opener for the Canucks in Vancouver. It’s good to be back at GM Place for NHL hockey (even of the pre-season variety). My last such experience was Game Seven versus Dallas, prior to heading off to the IIHF World Championship in Moscow. Sure, the atmosphere was just a tad more jacked […]

It’s hard to believe Lukas Krajicek is only entering his third full NHL season. He made his NHL debut with Florida on April 6, 2002 as a call-up from the OHL’s Peterborough Petes. But it took until 2005-06 for the #24 overall pick of the Panthers in 2001 to establish himself as an everyday blueliner […]