December 2002 Feature

Special Appeal

Debby Battaglia, is a visitor to our site who had a house fire last year and lost all her photos & memorabilia from her hockey days. She played for the Western New York Fighting Saints of Clarence Women's Ice Hockey Team in 1983-84

The Western New York Fighting Saints won the States in Watertown, New York & the Nationals in Lake Placid, New York that year. They practiced at a rink in Buffalo called Holiday Twin Rinks & at a rink in Depew, New York that may have been called Firemen's Park. 

Debby wore the number 12 jersey and is hoping that someone involved with the team can help replace some of her lost mementoes.

Contact the A to Z at SpecialAppeal@azhockey.com and we will put you in touch with Debby.

Last Minute Christmas Gift

Looking for a stocking filler ?



The 2002-03 Edition of The Ice Hockey Annual might be just the thing. Known as the Bible of British Ice Hockey - it is now in its 27th year. A complete round up of hockey in the UK, it has in-depth coverage of every major club and league - plus stories from European & North America leagues. To order your copy click here. 

back to top

November 2002 Feature

The Ice Hockey Annual

The 2002-03 Edition of The Ice Hockey Annual has just been published by Stewart Roberts. Known as the Bible of British Ice Hockey - it is now in its 27th year. A complete round up of hockey in the UK, it has in-depth coverage of every major club and league - plus stories from European & North America leagues. To order your copy click here. 


Deceptions and Doublecross




The full title of the book is Deceptions and Doublecross : How the NHL Conquered Hockey. Written by Morey Holzman and Joseph Nieforth. Published by Dundurn Press in October 2002. This book tells the true story behind the founding of the National Hockey League, and the battles between Toronto owner Eddie Livingstone and NHL President Frank Calder.

Find out more at www.deceptionsanddoublecross.com

back to top

October 2002 Feature

BIRTHPLACE OF HOCKEY

As the hockey season gets underway around the world, the question that has always been asked by hockey fans, new or old, has been answered. The International Ice Hockey Federation issued a statement during the summer regarding the birthplace of hockey.

The IIHF said, "... the IIHF has for some time held internal discussions regarding the recognition and official acknowledgement of the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal as the birthplace of organized ice hockey. The discussions within the IIHF coincided with the submission of the 18-page report by the Society for International Hockey Research on June 12, 2002."

"We were happy to see that the SIHR report identifies the 3rd March 1875 game at the Victoria Skating Rink as the earliest eyewitness account of a specific game of hockey. The circumstances that surround that event, fulfill the IIHFs criteria for what can be recognized as the site of the first game of hockey."

The IIHF are to officially recognize the site where the Victoria Skating Rink once stood and want to see a historical site marker placed on the site between the Stanley and Drummond streets in Montreal. 

back to top

September 2002 Feature

A new book in the NHL’s Hockey Heroes series features Jaromir Jagr, the man to beat in the scoring honours - despite a less than brilliant first season with the Caps.

This book in the series is by Michael Harding and charts the rise & rise of the man from Kladno, Czechoslovakia.  The 30-year old right-winger already has an Olympic gold medal, two Stanley Cups and a handful of Art Ross Trophy wins. 

The Hockey Heroes books are filled with full-colour first rate photos illustrating the careers-to-date of established stars. They are well written comprehensive mini-biographies and although they are primarily aimed at teenagers, they are just the thing for adults who want the facts without the padding.

We are happy to recommend these books to all hockey fans. 

Buy it from our bookshop - here

back to top

August 2002 Feature

Recreational hockey teams looking to combine a holiday (vacation) with a hockey tournament may find the Global Sports Vacations web site of interest [web site].

The company organises Youth and Adult Hockey Tournaments at various places in North America.  The tournament and vacation package locations include Alexandria Bay in New York, Charleston in South Carolina, Daytona & Orlando in Florida, Las Vegas, Nashville in Tennessee, Orillia in Ontario and Virginia Beach.

Jim Notman is Global's tournament host and has over 16 years experience running hockey tournaments. He has been voted, Old-timers' Hockey News Man of the Year for his dedication to the community as well as being a great ambassador and tireless promoter of Old-timer's hockey.

back to top

July 2002 Feature

Attention : Red Wings & Curtis Joseph fans



A new book in the NHL’s Hockey Heroes series has been released just in time for Cujo's move to the reigning Stanley Cup champions.  Those Wings fans wondering how he will match up to the Dominator can find out in Curtis Joseph by Kerry Banks - another worthy addition to the series.

These books are filled with full-colour first rate photos illustrating the careers-to-date of established stars. They are well written comprehensive mini-biographies and although they are primarily aimed at teenagers, they are just the thing for adults who want the facts without the padding.

The book does a great job of covering Cujo’s career up to the end of the 2000-01 season - a late starter, a fiery competitor, a unique style - the book reviews these and many more aspects of the new Detroit goalie hunting his first Stanley Cup. 

We are happy to recommend these books to all hockey fans. 

Buy it from our bookshop - here

back to top

June 2002 Feature

NHL Central Scouting



NHL Central Scouting was established in 1975 as a service for NHL member clubs. 

The service employs full & part-time scouts throughout North America and also employs European Scouting Services, based in Finland, to scout Europe. In all, 22 scouts report on something like 3000 games a season. 

The service creates league and team directories, schedules and rosters for dozens of leagues and tournaments in North America and Europe. 

Central Scouting provides NHL teams with videotapes of top prospects and two player-ranking lists during the season. The lists are used by NHL Clubs as second opinions and help them make prospect evaluations.

Click here to visit the site to see the low down on the top players of the future.

back to top

May 2002 Feature

World Championships



The 2002 World Championships started in Sweden on the 26th April.  There are three rounds - Preliminary, Qualification/ Relegation and Medal.

The Preliminary round has completed and the initial 16 teams have been reduced to 12 for the Qualification round.  The four teams contesting the Relegation round are Italy, Japan, Poland and Slovenia.



For more information and details of the climax of the tournament which finishes on the 11th of May, visit the IIHF officail tournament site at www.ihwc.net

back to top

April 2002 Feature

BIRTHPLACE OF HOCKEY



www.birthplaceofhockey.com is a web site that makes the case for the Windsor Hockey Heritage Society claim that Windsor, Nova Scotia is the town where hockey originated.

Dr Garth Vaughan has been the driving force behind this web site and WHHS's claims.  He is also a Consultant for the A to Z and has written a history of the game entitled "The Puck Starts Here".

The issue of the origin of hockey is, sometimes, hotly contested by hockey historians because a number of locations in Canada have claimed to be the birth place of hockey.  We think that it all depends on what you consider as the defining moment in the origins of the game.  We tend to sit on the fence a little, can see the strength of the arguments of each of the main contestants and leave you, our visitors, to make up your own minds. See FAQs

Click here to visit www.birthplaceofhockey.com

back to top

March 2002 Feature

AUDIO & VIDEO INTERVIEWS

TheHockey.Net is a web site that gives you the chance to listen to or view exclusive interviews which feature NHL players and personalities. The site, managed by Steen Media Ltd has been on-line since November 1998 and is updated several times a week. 

TheHockey.Net involves players, coaches, executives, broadcasters and others from the arena of NHL hockey.

Click here to visit www.thehockey.net

To view the video component of the site you will need the Quick Time Player - obtainable on-line at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download

TOURNAMENT

The 7th World Firefighters Games are to be held in New Zealand in October 2002 and they are inviting firefighter hockey teams to participate.

For more information visit their web site at
www.firefightersgames2002.com

back to top

February 2002 Feature

BOOKS


The Concise Encyclopedia of Hockey
by M R Carroll

Short biographies on the top hockey players and top teams in the NHL are complemented by paragraphs on hockey's various leagues, cups, international events, rules and terms. There are numerous black & white photos throughout. A very readable book and, unlike the Total Hockey or the A to Z, it's small enough (235 mm x 190 mm and 244 pages) to sit on the bedside table.

To buy this book, visit the A to Z Bookshop.


Hockey Heroes : Mario Lemieux
by Sean Rossiter

This hardback edition in the Hockey Heroes series brings you right up to date with Lemieux's career - from a three year old in the basement of his home in a suburb of Montreal to the player/owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins and his triumphant comeback to the NHL in 2001.  As with other books in this series it is well written and superbly illustrated with full colour images from the Bruce Bennett Studios.

To buy this book, visit the A to Z Bookshop.

back to top

January 2002 Feature

We are pleased to announce the winners
of our 2001 All-Star Awards
congratulations to

Link Site of the Year - Pelland's Hockey Emporium
News Site of the Year - Benchwarmer.co.uk
Statistics Site of the Year - Hockey Results & Tables
Official Site of the Year - Guildford Flames
Fan Site of the Year - Net Surfer's Hockey League
Tribute Site of the Year - The Ringbearer

The short-listed sites that missed out
on the top award were as follows

Link site runner-up www.hockeyrefs.com
Link site runner-up www.hockeyweb.de
News site runner-up www.hockeysfuture.com 
News site runner-up www.hockeyrefs.com
Statistics site runner-up www.hockeydb.com
Statistics site runner-up www.eurohockey.net
Official site runner-up www.britnatleague.co.uk
Official site runner-up www.coldwaterwildcats.com
Fan site runner-up www.thehockeyforum.co.uk
Fan site runner-up www.londonknights.net
Tribute site runner-up guy carbonneau
Tribute site runner-up www.londonknights.net  

back to top

page hits