laykroyd

Covering the Olympics for IIHF.com is going to keep me very busy for the rest of February. In fact, it already is, and we haven’t dropped the first puck yet. Check out some of my latest pieces on the joy of jerseys , the historical home ice advantage for Canada’s women, and all the things to do in Vancouver beyond the rinks . I also did a feature for the Georgia Straight , identifying 10 ways this Olympic hockey tournament will differ from previous ones. Related Posts IIHF Congress... Read Full Story

What is Lou Lamoriello thinking? When the New Jersey Devils general manager acquired sniper Ilya Kovalchuk from the Atlanta Thrashers on February 4, he made the following statement during a conference call about the blockbuster deal: “He [Kovalchuk] can do things that a lot of people can’t do, and put him into our lineup, he will become a part. He will be no different than any of our other players. He’ll be a part of who we are and help the team win.” While most analysts agree that New... Read Full Story

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2009 By Lucas Aykroyd The world was a tumultuous place in 1979. The Iranian Revolution, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the Three Mile Island nuclear accident made headlines. But the annual NHL draft offered a ray of light for hockey fans with an unprecedented influx of talent, mostly from the Canadian junior ranks. “There’s been a lot of talk about the ‘79 draft being the best ever,” said Mike Gartner, who went fourth overall to... Read Full Story

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2009 By Lucas Aykroyd Sam Gagner has a long way to go to catch up with his father Dave. To be precise, Sam trails by 791 career NHL games and 629 points. But the 20-year-old Edmonton Oilers center is gradually learning what it’ll take to match the consistency of the senior Gagner, who played for seven NHL franchises between 1984 and 1999. Sam got a first-hand lesson during the last week of August at the inaugural Euro-Can Cup tournament in... Read Full Story

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2009 By Lucas Aykroyd The London Pro Knights beat Switzerland’s EV Zug 7-4 on August 31 to win the final of the inaugural Euro-Can Cup. Hosted in London, Canada, the week-long, eight-game tournament also featured Austria’s Black Wings Linz and EHC Munchen of Germany’s 2nd Bundesliga, which finished third and fourth respectively. Based on the rosters, the results of this pre-season battle were fairly predictable. The host team consisted mostly of... Read Full Story

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2009 By Lucas Aykroyd Nowadays, in a hockey-mad country like Canada, the NHL trade deadline gets the kind of news coverage more typically associated with giant earthquakes and Beatles reunions. On March 4 this year, TSN and Sportsnet, the two dedicated cable TV sports networks, went head-to-head as usual with hours of announcements about trades as they happened, plus instant analysis. But is all the hype really merited? Understand this: we’re... Read Full Story

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2009 By Lucas Aykroyd If you compare the first NHL season of Steven Stamkos to the rookie campaigns of other recent top draft picks like Alexander Ovechkin (2004) or Sidney Crosby (2005), it might seem like a failure. But as the 2008-09 regular season heads toward its conclusion, the 19-year-old Tampa Bay Lightning centre has clearly made big improvements. “My confidence level is the highest it’s been in weeks,” said Stamkos after scoring... Read Full Story

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2009 By Lucas Aykroyd In January, the Vancouver Canucks looked like they were about to freeze to death. In February, the club has begun to smell as sweet as springtime flowers. After an overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild on January 31, the Canucks had truly hit rock bottom, registering their ninth consecutive defeat on home ice. But they finally gave the GM Place faithful something to cheer about on February 3 with a 4-3 victory over the... Read Full Story

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd When Roberto Luongo strained his groin while making a routine save on Pittsburgh defenseman Philippe Boucher on November 22, Vancouver Canucks fans had genuine reason for concern. Their superstar captain has amassed 11 wins, five losses, and two ties for his team so far this year, along with a 2.17 GAA and .928 save percentage. But as Luongo told a news conference at GM Place two days later, he’ll be sidelined “week to week... Read Full Story

Originally published in the official 2009 World Junior Program From the 19th century to the 21st, Ottawa’s hockey heritage is legendary By Lucas Aykroyd Even if it was just about checking birth certificates, Ottawa’s contribution to hockey history would be huge. Dozens of NHLers were born in the host city for the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship, including old-time legends like Alec Connell and Frank Boucher, 1980’s stars like Rick Vaive and Doug Wilson, and current aces like Derek... Read Full Story