Nathaniel Oliver
General Manager of the Buffalo Beauts (NWHL). Hockey history writer "The Hockey Writers". Credentialed media for the NHL Combine and 2018 IIHF World Junior Championships in Buffalo, NY, USA. Born and raised in Buffalo, NY. Lifelong hockey fan for over 40 years. Proponent of the women's game.
Author's Posts
2021 World Junior Championship Team Austria Final Roster
December 24th, 2020 The Austrians have sized their roster down to the 25-player limit. As with some of their counterparts, they waited rather late to do so. No matter. The team's head coach Roger Bader hopes that the 25 he selected are the right recipe to pull off some upsets. Well before the World Juniors were set to begin in Alberta, the most...
Los Angeles Kings: The Foundation of Royalty
December 21st, 2020 In March of 1965, NHL President Clarence Campbell began a formal process to expand the National Hockey League from six teams to an even dozen. The maneuver would see franchises placed in both the midwest and the west coast, in addition to the league's already established “Original Six”. Numerous cities sought to be a landing spot...
One for the Ages: Billy Smith's 1981-82 NHL Season
December 12th, 2020 Unless you played for the New York Islanders or were a fan of the team, you despised Billy Smith. He was mean and ornery to say the least, and wielded his goalie stick like some sort of wild hatchet man. No opposing player was safe around Smith's goal crease. Whether it was a butt end close to the eye of Lindy Ruff or a chop to "The...
One for the Ages: Wayne Gretzky's 1995-96 NHL Season
December 11th, 2020 The 1995-96 St. Louis Blues were a collection of hockey's aged superstars. A team with an all-in mentality. One that endeavored to squeeze whatever elixir was still left in the proverbial fountain of youth. But for some reason, it didn't quite work. Wayne Gretzky's time with the Blues is likely the least talked about time of his...
Cleveland Barons NHL Draft History
December 4th, 2020 The NHL version of the Cleveland Barons was one of the shortest-lived teams in the history of the league. The franchise was originally part of "The Great Expansion" of 1967 when the NHL expanded from six teams to an even dozen. Initially known as the Oakland Seals from 1967 until 1970, the Bay Area team eventually changed their name to...
2021 World Junior Championship Team Austria Preview
November 25th, 2020 Every World Junior Championship has to have a potential Cinderella team, right? It will be no different when things get underway in Edmonton and Red Deer. This time around though it is the Austrians who have done the unexpected and now find themselves playing with the big boys. Defeating Slovenia 4-1 nearly a year ago at 2020's U20...
