When the Russians flopped with a tenth-place finish at the 2004 IIHF World Championship in the Czech Republic, head coach Viktor Tikhonov blamed it on “the mistakes of the players” and “the lack of time” to prepare for the tournament. Tikhonov, predictably, refused to acknowledge that his 1984-style methods just hadn’t worked, and that his […]

Originally written in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd The first time Canada played the USA at a World Junior tournament, the Montreal Canadiens were the reigning Stanley Cup champions, Dark Side of the Moon was the hot new album from Pink Floyd, Pierre Trudeau was the Prime Minister of Canada, and Richard Nixon was the President […]

Originally published on HockeyCanada.ca in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd At this stage of Alexander Edler’s career, some observers might project the 19-year-old to be a poor man’s version of Nicklas Lidstrom. That wouldn’t be a bad thing. But don’t forget something else: both those Swedish defencemen were drafted in the third round of the NHL […]

Originally published on HockeyCanada.ca in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd To build a winning team, you ultimately have to focus on the players you have, not the ones you don’t have. (Just ask Brent Sutter.) But it’s hard to forget about a certain teenage wunderkind who lit it up for Canada at the 2004 and 2005 […]

Originally published on HockeyCanada.ca in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd The surname “Ryan” has frequently been associated with American excellence, whether it’s the legendary baseball pitcher Nolan Ryan or Tom Clancy’s fictional hero Jack Ryan. The USA’s Bobby Ryan is hoping to join those illustrious ranks with a strong performance at the 2006 IIHF World Championship. […]

Originally published on HockeyCanada.ca in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd At first glance, it’s a bit of a shock to see big Jim Sandlak wearing a Team USA jacket at various 2006 World Junior venues. Okay, maybe this doesn’t rank up there with Bryan Trottier donning American colours at the 1984 Canada Cup or Brett Hull’s […]

Originally published on HockeyCanada.ca in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd Without David Aebischer, Switzerland would have nothing to brag about in World Junior hockey history. That’s a strong statement, but considering the Fribourg-born goalie led the Swiss to their only medal ever in 1998 (the bronze) with a stunning 1.58 GAA, it holds true. The intensely […]

Originally published on HockeyCanada.ca in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd Ten years before stars like Sidney Crosby, Dion Phaneuf, and Corey Perry made the 2005 version of Team Canada the strongest-ever World Junior entry, there was another gold medal-winning team that thrilled the host nation when the tournament was held in Red Deer, Alberta. Three members […]

Originally published on HockeyCanada.ca in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd While interest in the annual IIHF World Junior Championship is enormous in Canada, some hockey fans elsewhere in the world don’t get as pumped up about it. Their attitude is, “Hey, these are just kids.” But frankly, anyone who loves Olympic hockey should keep close tabs […]

Originally published on HockeyCanada.ca in 2005 By Lucas Aykroyd When you survey hockey history, few players can rival Wayne Gretzky as the best of all time. But Bobby Orr is one of them, and while Gretzky has been preoccupied recently with coaching the Phoenix Coyotes and picking the Olympic team, as well as family matters, […]