Originally published in Rinkside in 2003 By Lucas Aykroyd All year long, they’re going to hear the ABBA jokes. Questions about whether coach Marc Crawford is fluent in Swedish yet. Suggestions that General Motors Place should be renamed the Volvodrome. So the Swedish members of the 2003-04 Vancouver Canucks may as well get used to […]

Originally published in summer 2004 By Lucas Aykroyd It seems like Steve Tambellini is connected to everything happening in the world of Canadian hockey lately. As the GM of Canada’s 2003 World Championship gold medal team, Tambellini carried on a great family tradition: his father Addie played for the 1961 Trail Smoke Eaters, the last […]

Originally published in Rinkside in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd If NHL hockey players were trees, the Kariya brothers would be bonsai. The parallels between Anaheim Mighty Ducks superstar Paul Kariya, his emerging sibling Steve Kariya of the Vancouver Canucks and the meticulously cultivated Japanese miniature trees are more than whimsical. All of them resemble their […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2001 By Lucas Aykroyd Contrary to the irresponsible reporting of some journalists, Arturs Irbe is not the only Latvian goalie in the National Hockey League. The Carolina Hurricanes star has company in Peter Skudra, a 28-year-old veteran entering his fifth NHL season. But since signing as a free agent with […]

Originally published in Rinkside in 2006 By Lucas Aykroyd Last year, two young forwards from Ornskoldsvik, Sweden proved it’s possible to be Number Two and Number One at the same time. Brothers Henrik and Daniel Sedin chipped in 75 and 71 points respectively for the Vancouver Canucks, forming two-thirds of arguably the NHL’s best second […]

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 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 In recent years, every Stanley Cup champion has featured at least two defensemen with elite physical and scoring skills. Rob Blake and Ray Bourque in Colorado. Scott Stevens and Brian Rafalski in New Jersey. Derian Hatcher and Sergei Zubov in Dallas. So if the Vancouver Canucks […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd EuroReport is proud to present an advance review of Pavel Bure: The Riddle of the Russian Rocket, the new unauthorized biography by Vancouver writer Kerry Banks. Banks is an award-winning journalist and sports columnist with Vancouver’s Georgia Straight. He has published five sports trivia books and […]

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 […]