Originally published in the 2008 IIHF World Championship official program By Lucas Aykroyd Hockey history is full of memorable hat tricks of various types. How about Bill Mosienko’s never-equaled three goals in 21 seconds for Chicago versus the New York Rangers in 1952? Or you could point to Paul Henderson’s three consecutive game-winning tallies for […]

Originally published in the 2008 IIHF World Championship official program By Lucas Aykroyd Some people visit Halifax for attractions like the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Pier 21, or the Halifax Citadel. But for hardcore sports fans, this port city of 370,000 is renowned for staging outstanding international hockey events. Halifax’s Metro Centre will host […]

Originally published in the 2008 IIHF World Championship official program By Lucas Aykroyd Back in 1991, only eight national teams competed in the IIHF World Championship. At this year’s tournament in Halifax and Quebec City, there’ll be twice as many. It just goes to show how puck fever is sweeping the planet, and without Canadian […]

Yes, life has been quiet on the blog lately. I’m in Quebec City, gearing up for the quarter-finals of the 2008 IIHF World Championship. As always, it’s been great fun so far, working with my colleagues Szymon Szemberg, Martin Merk, Risto Pakarinen, Andrew Podnieks, John Sanful, and Jenny Wiedeke. You can view my articles and […]

Maybe the Mexican vibe in Vancouver sent the wrong message to the Nashville Predators during their 6-2 loss to the Canucks on Thursday night. A mariachi band played rinkside to promote Tourism Mexico, and in nearby Yaletown, the Tequila Kitchen restaurant was preparing for its grand opening. But surely come April, defenseman Shea Weber and […]

If you’re looking for someone who knows as much about, say, Frolunda defenseman Ronnie Sundin as Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Mats Sundin, Peter Westermark would be a great bet. The 32-year-old native of Skelleftea, Sweden blogs for HockeySverige.se, and is a longtime contributor to outlets such as McKeen’s Hockey, Hockey’s Future, and IHWC.NET, the official […]

I’ve been fortunate enough to work with the International Ice Hockey Federation at every World Championship and Olympics since 2000, writing and editing for the official web site. IIHF.com has just undergone a complete facelift as part of the organization’s 100th-year anniversary celebrations, and I’m happy to announce that I’ll be a contributing columnist for […]

Hockey Canada announces its selection camp roster for the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic today, and Jordan Staal of the Pittsburgh Penguins does not appear on that list. The Penguins told Hockey Canada officials a couple of days ago that the 19-year-old forward wouldn’t be made available. Presumably, Staal himself would […]

For many NHL fans, Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings put Slovenia on the hockey map with his dazzling 61-point rookie season last year. But this former Yugoslav republic of 2 million had already made its mark in the elite division of the IIHF World Championships as early as the 2002 tournament in Sweden. […]

On top of the Hockey Hall of Fame inductions, this past weekend in Toronto also featured the official launch of World of Hockey: Celebrating a Century of the IIHF. The International Ice Hockey Federation is gearing up for the 2008 IIHF World Championship in Halifax and Quebec City (May 1-18), which will mark the organization’s […]