IIHF.com: Hlinka

Had a nice chat with Jaroslav Hlinka the other day.

If I don’t have fun or don’t like to play, hockey becomes just like regular work and you just do it for the money. Money is important, everybody cares about it but I want to have a lot of fun during the season as well.

See the whole story here or keep reading below.

Nice guy Hlinka.

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Archives: Canadian coaches

Hockey is Canada, and Canada is hockey. Here’s a little something I wrote for iihf.com during the World Championship in Quebec City in May.

“The Canadian coaching training is excellent, and Canadian coaches are willing to learn new things all the time. I’m 60 years old and I’m still learning,” adds Goulet, smiling.

Yes, sir!

Read it here or continue reading below.

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The Cold War Is Back

About 15 years ago, the National Hockey League was a dynamic, outward-reaching league that had big plans for expansion. Not only to Tampa Bay, Nashville, and Columbus, Ohio, where it subsequently arrived, but also to the quirky and fascinating place a lot of the players seemed to be coming from.

“Europe.”

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NHL.com: Winter Classic III

Hey, I just updated my NHL.com blog!

Leave it to me. Just leave it.

In my mind, I can see a real classic – a true battle, a cold war, if you will – where there’s more at stake than just decent ratings on network television and where retro jerseys won’t be the only thing that makes people talk. Everything must be upped: the rivalry, the venue, the whole meaning of the game.

Click here or read the piece below.

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Maximum bust

Saw this piece of news today:

Maxim Mamin, 20, tested positive in a random doping control on January 2, 2008, following the game Russia – Czech Republic at the 2008 IIHF World U20 Championship in Pardubice, Czech Republic. Both the A-sample as well as the requested test of the B-sample confirmed the presence of norandrosterone, a metabolite of the anabolic steroid nandrolone.

And my mind raced straight to Dave King’s book King of Russia

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