If there’s one lesson we can take out of the just-completed NHL All-Star Weekend, it’s this: Alexander Ovechkin is Russian hockey’s answer to David Lee Roth, the ultra-outgoing lead singer of Van Halen. And we even have video evidence to support the following claims about the reigning Hart Trophy winner from the Washington Capitals and the blonde-maned showman who sang such rock classics as “Unchained” and “Jump.” 1) Like Roth, Ovechkin isn’t af... Read Full Story

Never mind whether Detroit can repeat as Stanley Cup champions or whether Sidney Crosby can rebound to wrest the scoring title away from Alexander Ovechkin. Here’s the big question: who’s going to win Canada’s Hockey Anthem Challenge? Back in June, CBC Sports launched the contest to find a replacement for the old Hockey Night in Canada theme song. Well, I figured someone’s got to win, so it might as well be me. (Note: I like to think of this as positive thinking, not a... Read Full Story

I’d be remiss if I didn’t link to one of Joe Pelletier’s best posts this summer: The Gretzky Trade: 20 Years Later. Joe’s rounded up just about every bit of retrospective analysis on the Internet about the landmark deal that sent the Great One to L.A., and offers his own reminiscences. I remember August 9, 1988 very well, too. It was the pre-Internet age, so when I heard the shocking news, I turned on my radio and roamed around the AM dial until I found Dan RussellR... Read Full Story

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd Let’s face it: you won’t find the “Flying Frenchmen” with the Montreal Canadiens anymore. Last year’s dynamic duo of Quebec-born snipers was Vincent Lecavalier (108 points) and Martin St. Louis (102 points) of the Tampa Bay Lightning. This year, Daniel Briere and Simon Gagne have started off at close to a two-points-per-game clip for the Philadelphia Flyers. If the Flyers hope to divert attention fro... Read Full Story

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd When the San Jose Sharks traded Vesa Toskala to Toronto at June’s NHL Draft, it meant a chance for a new goalie to back up starter Evgeni Nabokov. Dimitri Patzöld won the job at this year’s training camp, beating out Thomas Greiss, a fellow former member of the Kölner Haie. Patzöld earned a 3.35 GAA and .888 save percentage last season in 24 games with the AHL’s Worcester Sharks. Eishockey News spoke with the 24... Read Full Story

Originally published in Rinkside in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd After losing Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Finals to the Carolina Hurricanes in June 2006, Shawn Horcoff and his Edmonton teammates couldn’t have known that times would soon get even tougher. Superstar defenseman Chris Pronger surprisingly requested a trade a few days later, and other players who’d earned double-digit point totals in the Cup run–like Mike Peca, Sergei Samsonov, and Jaroslav Spacek–weren’t... Read Full Story

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd Life would be so much simpler for NHL coaches if every team won all its home games in overtime. In fact, it’s hard to imagine any other scenario where all coaches could succeed in keeping their jobs. However, the fans would probably start to get suspicious soon. Since teams do end up with losing records, coaches end up getting fired, and it doesn’t take long in this league. After Atlanta suffered six straight losses t... Read Full Story

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd It’s no wonder Ryan Smyth feels so comfortable with the Colorado Avalanche. After all, during his 11 seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, the gritty left winger scored more points against Colorado than any other NHL club (41). Make no mistake, Smyth still has strong ties to the Alberta capital. The Banff native wept when he was traded to the New York Islanders last season at the trade deadline after a contract dispute turned n... Read Full Story

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd It’s fortunate for the Anaheim Ducks that they won’t be competing in the Stanley Cup finals at the start of December. If that was the case, their chances of repeating as champions would be much slimmer. This hasn’t been a disastrous season so far. The Ducks are in the middle of the Western Conference pack, and although they started poorly with just four wins in October, November went significantly better points-... Read Full Story

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd After the Pittsburgh Penguins won three straight games in Western Canada, there was little doubt about two things. First, the club has rediscovered the winning chemistry that earned it 105 points last year. Second, Sidney Crosby is a god in this part of the world. The 4-2 win over Edmonton on December 5, the 3-2 shootout victory over Calgary on December 6, and the 2-1 shootout victory over Vancouver on December 9 all attracted se... Read Full Story