Euro Curve

Euro Curve appears Saturdays on Illegalcurve.com and chronicles the latest international hockey news.

– The New York Rangers are going to rack up the air miles this coming Fall as they will play in the inaugural Victoria Cup against Metallurg Magnitogorsk (winner of the 2008 European Champions Cup) in addition to an exhibition game versus Swiss Club SC Bern. The Victoria Cup will be the first tournament in 17 years that has pitted an NHL club versus a Russian League team. It will be played at the soon-to-be-newly-renovated PostFinance Arena (cap. 16,789).

– Risto Pakarinen, the European hockey writer for the The Hockey News, had a interesting piece in the April 8th issue about the top 10 arena draws in Europe this season. SC Bern of the Swiss League had the highest average attendance for the seventh straight year at 15, 939. The top Russian club was Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. (8,995).

– Hockey Canada recently announced that Columbus Blue Jackets frontman Ken Hitchcock will once again be the head coach for Canada at the 2008 World Hockey Championships in Quebec City/Halifax. Hitchcock has won at almost all levels of amateur and professional hockey including the Stanley Cup, Memorial Cup and Winter Olympic Gold. Team Canada general manager Steve Yzerman is expected to announce the roster early next week and he will not have a shortage of players to choose from. Columbus Blue Jackets star and 2007 World Hockey Championship MVP Rick Nash should be ready to go despite having to undergo minor throat surgery this week and will be counted on offensively, especially with Hitch behind the bench. Other players who should expect a call from Yzerman include: Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St.Louis, Sam Gagner, Dustin Penner, Nathan Horton, Mike Cammalleri, Jonathan Toews, Darcy Tucker, Jay Bouwmeester, Ryan Kesler,Mike Comrie, Matt Stajan, Andrew Cogliano, David Perron, Duncan Keith, Roberto Luongo, Dwayne Roloson, Carlo Coliacovo, Dan Boyle, Andrew Raycroft.

For Illegal Curve, I’m Ezra Ginsburg.