Radulov Signing with KHL Club Puts New Transfer Deal to Test

BOULDER, Colorado -- The NHL, the NHL Players Association, the International Ice Hockey Federation and the seven top hockey leagues in Europe reached a tentative peace over player contracts at a meeting July 10 in Zurich, agreeing in principle to a new transfer regime for the sport.

Though no formal transfer agreement was signed, all the leagues, including those from Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Switzerland, and the newly-formed, Russian-based Continental Hockey League (KHL), agreed not to sign players currently under contract in other leagues.

Earlier this year, the European leagues all backed out of the IIHF-brokered transfer deal with the NHL, demanding an increase on the US$200,000 fee they receive when NHL clubs sign their out-of-contract players. Russia never signed that deal, which was reached three years ago, and this has created a great many legal battles over players moving from one league to another, most famously with Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin in 2006. Some teams were reportedly trying to lure the young star back to Russia, which is part of the reason why this meeting was held.

Nashville Predators forward Alexander Radulov has made the whole situation all the more confusing by signing a deal with KHL club Salavat Yulayev Ufa. Though Radulov still has one year remaining on his entry-level contract with the Predators, he signed a three-year deal with the Russian club worth a reported US$13 million.

It remains unclear whether the KHL will honor its new commitments to the NHL and quash the Radulov deal, but the 22-year-old remains determined to play in Russia next year for the reigning league champs. He is scheduled to earn $984,000 before performance bonuses next year in Nashville, according to The Hockey News. Were he to bolt to the KHL, he would be one of the top five highest-paid players in the league.

Emery Signs with Russian Club Altant Mytishchi

BOULDER, Colorado -- Former Ottawa Senators goaltender Ray Emery has signed a one-year deal reportedly worth US$2 million with Russian club Atlant Mytishchi, the CBC reported Wednesday.

Coming off an appearance in the Stanley Cup finals in 2007, Emery had signed a three-year, $9 million contract with the Senators last summer. But after an abysmal 2007-08 campaign in which he played in only 31 games due to various injuries and disciplinary problems, Ottawa decided to buy out the remainder of the 25-year-old's contract this summer.

Apparently there was very little interest in Emery's services from NHL clubs, so Russia appeared to be the best option. Undoubtedly, New York Times reporter Michael Schwirtz will chalk this up as a coup for Russian hockey, as another "star" has fled North America for the bright lights of the KHL.

Signing Emery is a significant investment for his new club, formerly known as Khimik, as the Russian league places heavy restrictions on signing foreign-born goaltenders. Teams are limited to only five foreigners on their roster, but goalies count double towards the quota. Additionally, during the regular season, foreign goalies are not allowed to play more than 50% of their team's minutes. There are no such restrictions on playing time during the playoffs.

Emery will be joining a team with several former NHLers, including defenseman Dmitry Bykov (formerly of the Detroit Red Wings), and forwards Alexander Korolyuk (San Jose Sharks) and Igor Korolev (four NHL clubs).

Jagr Returns to Avangard Omsk

BOULDER, Colorado -- Jaromir Jagr will be spending next season in the Russian city of Omsk, joining the same club he played with during the NHL lockout in 2004-05, Avangard.

The 36-year-old right winger could not reach a deal with the New York Rangers and decided to leave the NHL when he became an unrestricted free agent. Jagr spent the last four seasons with the Rangers and had just completed the final season of a seven-year, US$76 million contract.

This past season, Jagr had his lowest point total since the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season, netting only 25 goals and 71 points. While playing for Avangard Omsk, Jagr led the league in scoring and helped his club capture the European Champions Cup.

The terms of Jagr's new deal were not disclosed by Avangard.

Red Wings Sign Hossa to 1-Year Deal; Bruins Land Ryder

BOULDER, Colorado -- The Marian Hossa sweepstakes are over, and the league's best team just got better as the Detroit Red Wings signed the right winger to a one-year, US$7.45 million contract Wednesday.

Hossa had earlier rejected an offer of six years and $45 million to stay with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He had also drawn interest from the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, and New York Rangers.

I must say I am glad the Bruins did not saddle themselves with that millstone of a deal they were rumored to have offered Hossa, and I hope that New York Post report was nothing more than rumor. I am surprised that Hossa did not opt for a multi-year deal, and he got only a modest pay raise (he earned $7 million in 2007-08) from Detroit. But the short deal gives Detroit a great deal of flexibility to re-sign Henrik Zetterberg, who will becomes an unrestricted free agent after next season.

The Red Wings have proven over the years that they are willing to spend to hold onto their best players, and many players have taken pay cuts to stay in Detroit. There is a lot of loyalty in that organization (just look at the signings of Chris Osgood and Darren McCarty), and perhaps that appealed to Hossa. The chance to win a Stanley Cup also probably played a large role in his decision.

Without Hossa to worry about, the Penguins were able to lock up Evgeni Malkin for the next several years, signing the 22-year-old center to five-year, $43.5 million contract extension Wednesday. Malkin is entering the final year of his rookie contract, meaning the new deal takes effect in 2009-10 and lasts through 2013-14.

The Boston Bruins acquired unrestricted free agent right wing Michael Ryder from the Montreal Canadiens, signing him to a multi-year contract Tuesday. Details of the deal were not disclosed, as per team policy.

Ryder will be trying to put last season behind him, a dreadful campaign that saw him score only 14 goals and 31 points and ensured his exit from Montreal. Ryder had previously notched two consecutive 30-goal seasons for the Canadiens. During his rookie campaign in 2003-04, he led all rookies in goals (25), assists (38) and points (63) and finished second in Calder Trophy voting behind Bruins goalie Andrew Raycroft.

For a full run-down of all the free agent signings, visit ESPN.com.

NHL Free Agent Rodeo Kicks off with Huge Deals

BOULDER, Colorado -- The NHL's free agent market officially opened at noon E.T. on Tuesday, and several teams were busy snapping up the most coveted commodities on the market.

But perhaps the most sought-after player, Pittsburgh forward Marian Hossa, remains unsigned. Reportedly the Rangers, Oilers and Bruins are interested in acquiring the 29-year-old Slovak's services.

The New York Post has reported that the Bruins are prepared to offer Hossa close to US$100 million over 12 years. Hossa has already rejected a six-year, $45 million offer from the Penguins.

Among the biggest signings were defenseman Brian Campbell's eight-year, $57 million dollar contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Hawks also addressed some of their goaltending woes by signing 32-year-old Cristobal Huet away from the Washington Capitals for $22.5 million over four years.

Tampa Bay made some early noise, trading for the rights to negotiate with Pittsburgh forwards Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts and Minnesota's Brian Rolston before the market opened. They managed to lock up Malone on Monday, signing him for $31.5 million over seven years, while Roberts was signed to a one-year deal.

In addition, the Lightning brought back Vinny Prospal, who had been sent to the Flyers at the trade deadline. They also added another former Penguin, forward Adam Hall, and Phoenix' Radim Vrbata.

Tampa had recently bought out the contract of their former number one goalie, Marc Denis, and they signed long-time Washington backstop Olaf Kolzig to a one-year deal. Kolzig will likely backup Mike Smith next year, who had taken over the top spot from Kari Ramo at the end of the season.

The Lightning were unable, however, to lock up Rolston, who signed a four-year, $20 million deal with the club he broke into the NHL with, the New Jersey Devils.

Many of the Toronto Maple Leafs' castoffs found new homes on July 1. Darcy Tucker and Andrew Raycroft, who had both been bought out by the Leafs, were each signed by the Colorado Avalanche. Colorado was in need of goaltending help after losing starter Jose Theodore to Washington, where he signed for $9 million over two years.

Mats Sundin, meanwhile, was reportedly offered a two-year, $20 million deal from the Vancouver Canucks. The Leafs captain and unrestricted free agent is currently in Europe contemplating whether to return to the NHL or retire.

Other than the reported Hossa offer, the Boston Bruins have yet to make a move so far this offseason, choosing instead to lock up some core players from last season by re-signing defensemen Mark Stuart and Aaron Ward to multi-year deals. Goalie Alex Auld, who filled a key role for Boston last season after backup Manny Fernandez suffered a knee injury, was lost to Ottawa, where he signed for two years. Boston's only other unrestricted free angent, Glen Metropolit, has yet to sign anywhere.

This whole affair looks to just get crazier, so unless the Bruins sign Hossa to a Yashin-like contract, or the Leafs bring Doug Gilmour out of retirement (again), I'm not going to post about the free agent free-for-all anymore.

Russia Launches Continental Hockey League

BOULDER, Colorado -- Every summer I feel the need to get in my truck and drive a few thousand miles around this country. A road trip is great way to run away from your problems, at least temporarily, and you get a chance to visit friends in places you would normally just fly over traveling from one coast to another.

I had hoped to make a pilgrimage to Toronto to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame, but with the American dollar so weak, no free lodging in Ontario, and a carload of contraband fireworks, I thought it best not to risk an international border crossing. Though the trip was light on hockey, I did get in quite a bit of baseball, visiting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City and catching minor league games on Coney Island and in flood-drenched Des Moines.

Some of the other highlights of the trip included a visit to Petersburg, KY's Creation Museum (you have no idea how crazy this place is until you have visited it - that's me to the right with a dinosaur with a saddle on it), Philadelphia's Eastern State Penitentiary (prison museums are a hobby of mine), and the architectural wonders of Columbus, IN.

But now, onto the news ...

There has been some action on the Russian hockey front this summer. It appears as if Salavat Yulayev Ufa will be the last ever Superleague champions, as the top Russian circuit was dissolved at the conclusion of the season, to be replaced by a new 24-team league that will include teams from other former Soviet republics.

In April, new league president Alexander Medvedev, who is also the deputy chairman of Russian state-owned natural gas giant Gazprom and a member of the IIHF council, announced the creation of the Continental Hockey League (KHL).

The KHL will consist of 24 teams - 20 Russian clubs drawn from the Superleague, as well as Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg and Kazakhstan's Barys Astana, who both formerly played in the Russian Elite League, and Belorusian club Dynamo Misk, from the Belorusian Open Championship. The final club - Latvia's Dynamo Riga (logo pictured left) - was founded in April and will begin operations in the new league. The league championship trophy has been named the Gagarin Cup, after the famed Soviet cosmonaut.

The new league was created to challenge to NHL for both fans and players. "Our goal is to eventually become the best hockey league in the world," Medvedev said in an interview with the Russian paper Sovetsky Sport April 10. The new league president hopes that eventually the KHL will be able to attract top teams from Western European leagues as well.

Medvedev promised that the KHL would have much stricter rules regulating team finances and player transactions in order to prevent the instability and infighting that has plagued earlier incarnations of the Russian professional leagues.

The NHL has already entered into negotiations on a temporary agreement with the new league to prevent either league from poaching players. The initial proposal from the NHL falls short of a transfer agreement, something it has been unable to secure with the Russian Hockey Federation (RHF).

Medvedev has stated that his teams are free to sign whomever they like, whether they are under contract with an NHL club or not. But NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly claimed that he had assurances from the new league that there would be no poaching of contract players. "Mr. Medvedev, on behalf of the KHL, has already agreed to respect the valid and binding contractual obligations of players to NHL clubs," Daly said, as reported by the AP June 25.

Earlier this month, some Russian clubs caused quite a stir when they reportedly offered Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin roughly US$12.5 million per season to return to Russia. Malkin has chosen to stay in Pittsburgh in 2008-09, when he is scheduled to earn $3.8 million.

Malkin was at the center of the transfer agreement conflict when he left his Russian club, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, to join the Penguins in August 2006. Pittsburgh had drafted Malkin second overall in 2004, and a legal battle ensued between the clubs over his rights. Ultimately, US courts ruled that Malkin did not have to honor the final year of his contract with Metallurg, and that Pittsburgh had acquired his services legally.

This is the third major shakeup of Russian professional hockey since 2000, when the Professional Hockey League (PHL) was created as an umbrella organization for the country's top two leagues. Then in June 2006, RHF president Vladislav Tretiak dissolved the PHL and placed its teams under the direction of the federation.

The first proposal to create a regional hockey league to compete with the NHL was floated by Russian minister of sport and Hockey Hall of Famer Vyacheslav Fetisov in 2005. Fetisov proposed forming the Eurasion Hockey League (EAHL), which would include clubs from Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Ukraine and Latvia. That proposal was never enacted but formed the basis for this new league.

[Right: does anything happen in Russia these days without this company's stamp of approval?]

Wings' Johan Franzen Scores 26 Goals in 26 Games

BOULDER, Colorado -- Detroit Red Wings right winger Johan Franzen has carried his hot streak to finish off the regular season into the playoffs.

Franzen had his second hat trick of the playoffs Thursday night in the Wings' 8-2 dismantling of the Colorado Avalanche to sweep their conference semi-final series. The three goals gave him 26 in as many games.

I haven't been paying attention to the playoffs much since the Boston Bruins were bounced in the first round, but I thought I would make note of this remarkable achievement. Franzen is probably the least known of the seven Swedes who now form the core of the Red Wings team.

That's What You Get

MONTREAL -- Police say 16 people have been arrested after riotous celebrations swept through downtown Montreal late Monday night, leaving a trail of burned police cars and vandalized shops.

Thousands rushed to the streets for initially peaceful celebrations following the Montreal Canadiens' seventh-game win over the Boston Bruins, which advances Montreal to the next round of the NHL playoffs. [more from the CBC...]

Bruins Force Game Seven Against Montreal

BOULDER, Colorado -- The Bruins forced a game seven, and I was there at the Garden to see it.

The Boston Bruins are 0-20 in their history in series in which they have trailed 3-1. They have also never won a series in which they trailed 2-0. But forget about history.

Ever since they built the TD Banknorth Garden, originally known as the Fleet Center, I have always thought it was a sterile, quiet building. But Saturday night was one of the loudest, most raucous hockey games I have ever been to. The atmosphere was incredible, driven by an absolutely thrilling game on the ice.

In the preview I wrote to this series, I said that Boston would have to play its defensive system perfectly to pin down the Habs' speedy forwards. Instead, the Bruins have shown that they can skate all night with the Canadiens, and speedy forwards like Phil Kessel and Marco Sturm have been critical in maintaining Boston's incredible tempo. Carey Price has also looked shaky in the past two games, while Tim Thomas has been his usual consistent self.

If the Bruins hope to complete their stunning upset, they will have to keep up what they've started the last two games. They need to get offensive contributions from all four lines, and they need to keep skating hard in all three zones and not get caught out of position while trying to play too physically (that especially applies Shawn Thornton, Andrew Alberts, and Zdeno Chara, who have all made costly gaffes while trying to line up big hits in this series).

This game will not be won in the neutral zone and it will not be won with defensive systems. It will be won with forechecking and backchecking, because this is going to be a fast, north-south kind of game.

Here we go, Bruins, here we go!

Photo: Tim Thomas, who played the end of game six with his chinstrap in his mouth after his mask broke, could have the game of his career tonight (credit: Andrew Gustafson).

Welcome to the Playoffs, Marc Savard!

Marc Savard had played in 661 NHL games before making his first playoff appearance, and he has already made his mark. He has three points in his first three games, including the overtime game-winner in game 3 against the Montreal Canadiens.

Though his games total trails Florida's Olli Jokinen, who has 723 games under his belt without a whiff of playoff action, Savard has outscored Jokinen with 576 career points compared to 461. None of that matters now, though, as the Bruins look to even the series 2-2 on Tuesday in Boston.

(Left: Savard 10 years ago playing for the Hartford Wolfpack)

BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins finally found a way to outhit the Montreal Canadiens — even outskate them at times — and, for the first time in three games, outscore them.

Marc Savard scored 9:25 into overtime as the Bruins prevailed 2-1 over the visiting Canadiens in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference quarter-final in front of 17,565 frenzied fans at the TD Banknorth Garden on Sunday night.

As Montreal struggled to regain possession of the puck on a delayed penalty, Savard jumped off the bench in time to bury Dennis Wideman's blind backhand pass for the decisive goal. [More from the CBC...]

Despite Late Boston Rally, Kovalev Gives Habs 2-0 Series Lead in OT

MONTREAL -- Alex Kovalev scored in overtime as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins 3-2 Saturday and took a 2-0 lead in their opening-round playoff series.

Kovalev scored 2:30 into overtime on a power play. Andrei Markov passed it to Kovalev on the left side, who scored on a high shot from the left circle.

It was Montreal's first power-play goal in 13 attempts in the series. [More from thn.com...]

Is the City of Montreal Run By Complete Idiots?

BOULDER, Colorado -- Yes. Yes, it is.

I would like to sandblast the damn Habs logo off of every building in that city, but this is just insane. From the CBC:

Montreal 'overreacting' to Habs logos on fire halls, union says

MONTREAL, April 11, 2008

In a move the Montreal firefighters union calls ridiculous, the city has dispatched cleaners to several fire stations painted in Canadiens logos after the mayor called the murals graffiti and ordered them scrubbed off.

More than 60 fire stations across the city decorated their doors and windows with Montreal Canadiens colours this week to support the Habs' bid for the Stanley Cup.

More...

Bruins Set to Take on Canadiens in NHL Playoffs

BOULDER, Colorado -- The Boston Bruins and the Canadiens will face off tonight in Montreal in game one of their first-round playoff matchup.

The Boston Bruins are seeded eighth in the Eastern Conference, finishing the season with a 41-29-12 record, good for 94 points. Montreal is the conference's top seed with a 47-25-10 record and 104 points.

Montreal has an 8-0 record against the Bruins this season, and they are riding an 11-game winning streak against Boston. The Habs have outscored the B's 39-16 this season, and their impressive team speed and league-leading power play have helped them dominate the B's.

Boston will get a slight lift tonight, however, as leading scorer Marc Savard will return to the lineup for the first time since March 22. The team is still without 22-goal man Chuck Kobasew, who is out 4-8 weeks with a broken leg. Patrice Bergeron has returned to practice after sitting out 72 games with a concussion, but he will not return in game one, and perhaps not at all this playoff season.

The general consensus is that the Canadiens will make short work of this overachieving Boston club, as they have done all season. Boston will have to play mistake-free hockey, executing their stifling defensive system to perfection if they hope to contain Montreal's speedy forwards. The Bruin's MVP for most of the season, goalie Tim Thomas, will have to be outstanding in his playoff debut if he hopes to out-duel the rookie phenom in the Montreal net, Carey Price. Boston will have to play a physical game to keep the Habs' attack pinned down, as size and toughness is one of Boston's few edges.

Boston is not as totally overmatched in this series as some have suggested, but the history between these two teams, both recent and distant, does not bode well for the Bruins' chances. The playoff heartbreaks are just too many to count, from Rocket Richard's half-unconscious game-winner in 1952 (pictured right, the raccoon-eyed Bruins goalie Sugar Jim Henry bowing before the bloodied, yet still regal Richard) to the infamous "too many men" incident in 1979. Hopefully this year the Ghosts of the Forum will let the Bruins be.

This is the third time these two teams have met since 2002, but in the previous two meetings, the roles were reversed. In 2002, Boston was the top seed yet lost their first-round series four games to two; two years later, the two-seeded Bruins also made a first-round exit, losing a seven-game series to the Habs after being up 3-1.

Boston has not won a playoff series since defeating the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in 1999.

This will be the NHL-record 31st time these two clubs have met in the playoffs, having played each other in 152 games. Montreal holds a substantial 23-7 lead all-time over the Bruins, including an impressive 18 consecutive series wins from 1943 to 1988.

The matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs is second all-time in terms of both number of series (23) and games (117).

The Hockey News Scoops The New York Times

BOULDER, Colorado -- In their infinite wisdom, The New York Times chose to not print my letter in the previous post. Last week in The Hockey News, however, Ken Campbell wrote a column titled "War for Russians Will Stay Cold" (March 25, 2008 issue) in which he basically makes all the same arguments that I did - small rinks, small revenues, and a lack of organization make the Russian league unable to compete for talent in the NHL.

I guess great minds think alike. I guess I should have sent that letter to a reputable sports publication.

The New York Times Could Learn a Few Things About Russian Hockey, and Reporting

BOULDER, Colorado -- I was somewhat upset, but mostly just disappointed when this article appeared in the New York Times last week. Titled "A New Miracle on Ice: Russia Is Luring Back N.H.L. Stars" and written by Michael Schwirtz, the article discusses generally the growing wealth of Russian Superleague clubs, and more specifically about the return of Islanders castoff Alexi Yashin to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.

Rather than summarize what is wrong with this article again, below is the e-mail I wrote to the Times and to a number of reporters in the Moscow bureau, including Mr. Schwirtz:

I am writing in regards to the article that appeared in today's issue (February 29th, 2008) titled "Russia Is Luring Back N.H.L. Stars" by Michael Schwirtz. As a former reporter for Russia's RTR-Sport television station and a long-time follower of Russian hockey, I must say that the article overstates the case for the growth of the Russian Superleague, relying far too heavily on the opinions of Russian government officials and hockey boosters, and not looking at the story across the wider hockey landscape in Russia.

I have to object to the use of the word "star" to describe a player like Alexei Yashin. Schwirtz seems to suggest the fact that had a $87.5 million contract makes him a premier NHL player, when the fact that neither the Islanders nor any other club wanted him, even without his albatross contract, suggests that he had few options to continue his career other than to return home to Russia. While Oleg Tverdovsky and Darius Kasparaitus have had successful NHL careers, no NHL clubs are currently interested in their services. This is the typical player returning to the Superleague - older veterans who are on the NHL bubble - and they far outnumber the bona fide NHLers who have opted for Russia (like Alexei Morozov or Dmitry Bykov).

During the NHL lockout in 2004-05, more than 70 NHL players, both Russian and non-Russian, flooded into the Superleague, and it truly was the best league in the world, but it still had major shortcomings. NHL players routinely complained about poor officiating, and even Russian players grew tired of the authoritarian attitudes towards training, practice and equal ice time for all that many coaches maintain. Not to mention the fact that, Yaroslavl and other wealthy teams like Ak Bars Kazan aside, most teams' facilities remain sub-par by even North American minor league standards.

A far more telling example of the state of Russian hockey is that of Pavel Datsyuk. A legitimate star for the Detroit Red Wings, he played for Dynamo Moscow during the 2004-05 season. More importantly, following the lockout, Datsyuk was ready to stay in Russia, signing a contract with Avangard Omsk. But a contract dispute erupted between his current and former teams, and with no reliable league regulation or arbitration system, Datsyuk was left in limbo, barred from playing for either side. Fed up with the infighting that plagues Superleague clubs, Datsyuk signed with Detroit and returned to the NHL. Russia's very best young players, like Evgeni Malkin, Alexander Semin and Alexander Ovechkin, continue to leave Russia at a regular clip for the NHL - and without a transfer agreement in place, Superleague clubs receive nothing in return for them. Russia is right to complain that too many players are brought to North America too soon, and they end up languishing in the minor leagues. As part of the new transfer agreement, the NHL should provide assurances that drafted players will be allowed to continue their development in Russia, just as other European players do.

The financial picture of Russian hockey is not so rosy, either. After years of work to establish the Professional Hockey League, a governing body for Russia's two top professional leagues, the PHL was dissolved in 2006 and taken over by the Russian Hockey Federation, and there remain major problems with the league's contract and financial regulations. While many of clubs have experienced a financial windfall in recent years, almost entirely due to the largess of their state corporation sponsors, other storied clubs like Spartak Moscow and Lada Toliyatti have been driven into financial crisis. Fan support is indeed strong, but attracting 10,000 spectators to a game is an outlier - even a rich club like Yaroslavl averages only 7,000 fans per game, while Spartak draws 4,800. With most tickets costing less than $20, these teams remain financially solvent due to the support of sponsors, not fans.

Many of the efforts of the Russian Hockey Federation to foster development of their players and leagues have been laudable, but they have mostly done this by keeping foreigners out, not by attracting Russians overseas back home. The league places limits on the number of foreign players teams can keep on their rosters, and they have to pay hefty fines for every foreign player they sign, especially for goaltenders. Players from Russia and other former Soviet republics (especially Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Belarus) make up more than 90% of the players in the Superleague. By comparison, only 72% of NHL players are American- or Canadian-born.

I do not mean to suggest that the Russian Superleague is not one of the world's premier leagues - it probably ranks second or third in the world behind the NHL, and perhaps the AHL. However, the notion forwarded in this article that it will challenge the NHL is far-fetched, to say the least. The Eurasian Hockey League, which was proposed by Fetisov back in 2005, has not materialized in any form. While most players have been lured back from places like Switzerland and Sweden, where most fled in the early 1990's, the league has done little to attract top-flight talent from outside Russia. The Federation must decide whether it wants to turn the Superleague into an international competitor to the NHL or if it wants to use it to develop homegrown talent, because it can't do both.

And a final correction - Alexei Yashin and Carol Alt are not married, but they have been in a long-term relationship.

Like so much reporting about Russia these days, this article fails to venture outside of the glitz and glamor of the moneyed ring around Moscow. A trip just across town from your office to the dilapidated home of Spartak would tell you a somewhat different story of Russian hockey.

Andrew Gustafson
Boulder, CO

I did receive a response from Mr. Schwirtz, though not from the Times, meaning my letter will not be appearing anywhere, well, other than here. This is what he said:

Dear Mr. Gustafson,

I appreciate your taking the time to write such a detailed and obviously informed response to my article. I disagree with some of the points you have raised, if not with the general thrust of your argument.

I believe that we are in general agreement about the relative strengths of the Superliga vis-à-vis the NHL. I did not set out to make the case that the Superliga can, at this moment, compete with the NHL, only to discuss recent trends in its development. I stated clearly that the best young players continue to opt for the NHL, where the financial incentives surpass what the Superliga can now offer. And, yes, many teams do continue to play in run-down, Soviet-era stadiums. That some can now afford modern facilities, however, is a concrete example of the point I am making about the league's increasing wealth.

I chose to profile Mr. Yashin in the piece because, with his long career in the NHL and successes in the Superliga, he was able to bridge the two worlds. I would argue that Mr. Yashin's NHL record and notoriety in the Superliga certainly qualify him as a "star."

As for the relationship between Mr. Yashin and Ms. Alt, please note the clarification in today's Times.

I can only respond to your last remark concerning "reporting about Russia these days" by pointing out that I wrote the article from Yaroslavl, not within "the glitz and glamour of the moneyed ring around Moscow."

Again, I thank you for your comments.

Sincerely,

Michael Schwirtz

Let me address some of these points.

First, he says that while Lokomotiv's wealth may not be representative of the whole Superleague, it is important to note that some teams are getting richer. While true, the point I was making is that the source of their wealth is important as well. These teams have not grown organically, but instead have simply found wealthy benefactors in the form of state corporations. Just as the collapse of AvtoVAZ nearly put Lada Toliyatti out of business, a change in commodities prices - or perhaps some more sensible management that actually invests in the core business - might force the likes of Gazprom to pull out of the hockey racket.

Second, I will concede that Alexei Yashin is very famous, and he is extremely popular in Russia, but the fact remains that no NHL team had any interest in his services, and even without his absurd Islanders contract that made him untradeable, it is unlikely that he will ever skate in the NHL again.

His final point about the current state of reporting in Russia deserves some consideration. I had wanted to draw more attention to this in my original letter but decided to focus on the hockey issues instead. Firstly, Yaroslavl is an easily-accessible, major city that is just a four-hour train ride from the capital, and I was including it within the "moneyed ring around Moscow." But my larger point is that even a cursory review of the major American and British papers reporting in Russia will show that far too many stories are features about the same thing: Russia's newfound wealth.

There are a number of problems with these types of stories, and Mr. Schwirtz' is by no means the most egregious example, but it is part of a pattern. This view through the eyes of Moscow's (or Yaroslavl's) elite is a total perversion of Russian society. Who cares about a Lamborghini dealership in Moscow when the majority of people live in desperate poverty? This gaze also perpetuates a myth about the accomplishments of Vladimir Putin - the myth that he has provided the "stability" that enabled the growth of the Russian economy over the past eight years. The world needs fewer stories about the habits of Russia's ultra-rich and more about what is going on it the country's more remote and impoverished corners. Or perhaps a mere acknowledgment of the fact that the country's current crop of oligarchs are no less thuggish and criminal than the robber barons of the 1990's that Putin supposedly brought to heel.

This story is also not really news. Many of the developments in the Superleague described in the piece have been going on since 2004. Alexei Yashin signed with Yaroslavl back in July. But this is not unique to this article. The Times recently published a piece by Clifford Levy about the Russian parliamentary elections in Nizhny Novgorod - an event that had taken place two and half months earlier. And much of the voting irregularities he described had been widely reported elsewhere, both in English and Russian. As if to add to the absurdity, the next day Mr. Levy wrote another non-article about reactions to his original piece.

I understand that this hockey piece is a feature, but with so much time to write this article, the reporting still seems slipshod. This is mostly due to the fact that the statements of various Russian hockey officials are left unqualified, leaving the reader with the impression that the Superleague is closing the gap with the NHL.

While I am sure that many readers who were unfamiliar with the Russian Superleague found this article informative and interesting, I see it as another example of the uninspired reporting that is rampant in Moscow. Russia is a massive and massively misunderstood part of the world, and American newspapers have a responsibility to ensure that the public is well-informed about the country. The Russian government is currently waging a propaganda war, clamping down on dissent in the media at home and using its wealth and reach to shape its image abroad. If our reporters are not diligent about getting the real stories in Russia, we are damned to be subjected to state-owned tripe like Russia Today, where the streets of Grozny are safer than New York, every Russian drives a BMW, and Alexi Yashin is a superstar.

Solution for Tampa's Goaltending Woes?

BOULDER, Colorado -- The Tampa Bay Lightning currently sit in last place in the Eastern Conference, and though they have suffered some devastating injuries (most importantly to power play quarterback Dan Boyle, who recently returned after a three month absence), their atrocious goaltending can be blamed for much of their struggles.

The presumptive starter at the beginning of the season, Marc Denis was assigned to the AHL back on December 29th and has not had a whiff of the NHL since. Johan Homqvist has managed 20 wins, but he is terrible in every other statistical category, and his inconsistency has allowed rookie Karri Ramo to challenge him for starts.

This season may be a lost cause for the Lightning, but far-off Russian club Ak Bars Kazan may have provided them with an opportunity to sign their goaltender of the future.

In 2002, Tampa drafted Russian goalie Vasily Koshechkin in the eighth round, 233rd overall. Koshechkin was trained by the legendary Lada Toliyatti hockey school, and he has developed into one of Russia's few blue-chip goalie prospects. He starred for the big club for two years, posting an overall record of 34-22-12 with goals against averages of 1.56 and 2.08 in 2005-06 and 06-07, respectively.

Though Lada was an excellent defensive club during those seasons, Koshechkin performed spectacularly behind the solid defensive corps and took his team farther than expected in the Superleague playoffs. Koshechkin is also a big goalie, standing at 6'6", with remarkable quickness for his size. You can read the whole scouting report on him here, from russianprospects.com.

Before this season, Koshechkin nearly signed with the Lightning, but instead he signed a two-year deal with perennial powerhouse Ak Bars. He has struggled so far this season, posting a 5-9 record, and conflicts with domineering coach Zenitula Bilyaletdinov caused him to leave the team several weeks ago. On Monday, Ak Bars announced that Koshechkin had been given his release.

Though Koshechkin certainly will not be available for Tampa this season, his lack of a contract in Russia may make him available to challenge for a spot on their roster next season, as the Lightning can avoid paying a transfer fee to a Russian club.

It certainly is not a solution for this season, but Koshechkin's upside is tremendous, and the 24 year old deserves a chance to shine on an NHL rink.

Above: Koshechkin in goal for Lada in a game against Spartak Moscow in 2005 - notice that Russia continues to employ goal judges, who have been an unfortunate casualty of the "new" NHL (Andrew Gustafson).

Bruins Pay Tribute to O'Ree

TD BankNorth Garden, BOSTON -- During their game against the New York Rangers this afternoon, the Boston Bruins paid tribute to Willie O'Ree, who became the first black player to play in the NHL 50 years ago Friday.

There is an article about O'Ree on the NHL website here.

In the United States, hockey is often thought of as a game for rich, white suburban kids. While this characterization is probably true for the majority of players, thinking of hockey and hockey players in this way also belittles those players who don't fit that stereotype. The black player is still seen by many as some sort of sideshow. But black players have reached and continue to reach the highest achievements in hockey, players like Hall of Fame goaltender Grant Fuhr and former league scoring champ Jarome Iginla.

O'Ree's accomplishment was not heralded at the time as a great step forward for civil rights - he was just a young kid from New Brunswick who's dream came true when he got the call up to put on the black and gold and skate for the Bruins in the Montreal Forum. Just like every other kid, black or white, from Canada, the US, Sweden, wherever (Johnny Oduya has player on the Swedish national team).

I can say with complete confidence that no black player has ever played in the Russian Bandy League, but I wonder who the first black player was in the Russian Superleague? Perhaps Fred Brathwaite, who joined Ak Bars Kazan in 2004?

Shut up, Bobby Clarke

BOULDER, Colorado -- I guess I'm a little keyed up after the Bruins' overtime victory over the Flyers on Saturday, so I thought I'd mention something that Flyers Senior Vice President Bobby Clarke said about a week ago.

I've made my opinions clear about this year's installment of the Philadelphia Flyers. I think they are a bunch of gutless thugs who are collectively a discredit to the game of hockey. Two Bruins players have been victims of their reckless play, and both, Patrice Bergeron and Andrew Alberts, remain out of the lineup with concussions months later. This disgusting display by Clarke illustrates how low the Flyers have sunk, and proves my claim that this dangerous style of play is encouraged by the organization from top to bottom.

While being interviewed on Canada's TSN, Clarke defended a shameless play by Steve Downie - the same Steve Downie who leveled Dean McAmmond with a vicious headshot during the preseason - in which he sucker punched Toronto's Jason Blake.

After the McAmmond hit, which garnered a 20 game suspension from the league, Blake suggested that Downie should have received a stiffer penalty, perhaps even a lifetime ban. Apparently for Clarke, this is justification for sucker punching a guy several months later. But Clarke wasn't finished there - he also went on to defend Downie's hit on McAmmond.

"The hit that Downie threw on McAmmond was not a whole lot different than the hits we all, including myself, admired that Scott Stevens used to throw in open ice," Clarke said.

One astute reader of The Hockey News had this to say about Clarke's argument:

"Apparently Bob hasn't looked at the rulebook lately! According to the NHL's own rules, Steve Downie was guilty of four separate offences in his hit.

1 - Downie left his feet; charging.
2 - Downie took more than three strides with the intention of hitting a player; also charging.
3 - Downie used his elbow as the lead part of his body making contact with McAmmond; elbowing.
And finally, 4 - Downie maliciously and without regard for the well-being of McAmmond, went after his head; intent to injure.

I've seen clips of Stevens' most devastating hits in his career. I'll concede that Stevens did jump on some of the hits. He did not, however, do any of the other three offences to another player that Downie is clearly guilty of."

Here's a clip of Clarke's comments, which includes footage of the Blake punch and the hit on McAmmond.


Neither play is even remotely defensible, and Clarke should be ashamed. But we shouldn't expect very much from him, as he showed very little shame for various despicable acts throughout his career as a player and a GM. Thanks again for showing the world what an idiot you are, Bobby.

And by the way, Downie did not receive a suspension from the league for his punch, which garnered only a double minor in the game.

I guess after these last few posts you can start calling me "Captain Video." Now if only there was a way to reliably get video highlights of the Russian Bandy League.

Mini 1-on-1: New England Hockey Institution Returns

BOULDER, Colorado -- This season the Boston Bruins have revived one of the great New England hockey institutions, the Mini 1-on-1.

Being a kid growing up in New England, Mini 1-on-1 was one of the highlights of watching Bruins games on TV with my dad (in addition to watching the likes of Ray Bourque, Cam Neely, and Adam Oates kick some ass).

It's great to see the next generation of American hockey players on television screens across the region. One of the great strengths of the Bruins as an organization has been their ties to the local hockey community. Putting on the Bruins jersey has been special for a lot of local kids who played from mites through college in the Boston area, guys like Steve Heinze, Ted Donato, and Chris Nilan.

Mini 1-0n-1 is a shootout tournament featuring youth hockey teams from all over Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine and is shown during the intermissions of Bruins games. There are three brackets, including boys mites (8 and under), girls mites, and boys squirts (9-10).

The Bruins are an organization that has fallen on hard times of late (they just lost their eighth straight game to the Montreal Canadiens, 5-2), but the return of Mini 1-on-1 is a good sign that the team is interested in rebuilding its fan base.

Last month Sports Illustrated ran a great article by Michael Farber, "In Search of ... Hockeytown, U.S.A.," in which they crowned St. Paul America's new hockey capital. It won the title largely on the strength of its support for grassroots hockey:

"This is the unwritten hockey schedule in the Twin Cities: boys' hockey Tuesday night, girls' hockey Thursday night, the University of Minnesota Friday and Saturday nights. Boys and girls also play on Saturday afternoon. It is no coincidence that the Wild often plays on Wednesday and Sunday. This is a franchise respectful of the game, aware of its niche and almost obsequious in its treatment of fans."

New Englanders also have a rabid interest in their youth and college hockey, and the Bruins should do everything they can to support what remains the second-largest player producing region in the country (after Minnesota, of course). The other contenders to be named "Hockeytown" were Philadelphia, Buffalo and Detroit - Boston wasn't even part of the conversation - but perhaps sometime in the near future, Boston will again be the hockey hotbed it was during the Big Bad Bruins days of the 1970's.

Gutless Pukes Strike Again

PHILADELPHIA -- The Boston Bruins traveled to Philadelphia for their first game against the Flyers since October 27th, the game in which Bruins center Patrice Bergeron was leveled from behind by defenseman Randy Jones and has been out of the lineup ever since with a concussion and a broken nose.

To nobody's surprise, the Flyers continued to take cheap shots; this time the victim was defenseman Andrew Alberts. After dropping to his knees to settle a puck with his body, the prone Alberts was blind-sided by Scott Hartnell and crumpled to the ice. He did not return to the game, which the Bruins won, incidentally, 6-3.

Alberts was able to leave the ice on his feet, and there is no word yet as to whether he sustained any injuries. Regardless, Hartnell made no effort to pull up on hitting a defenseless player, and instead drove Alberts' head right into the dasher. Hartnell received a five-minute major and a game misconduct penalty for the hit.

I hope Hartnell gets a suspension, but I won't be shocked if he doesn't. But as I said before, it's time for the NHL to send a message to the Flyers. Suspend the coach. Fine Ed Snider $100,000. Do something to show the Flyers that indiscriminate shots to the head will not be tolerated.

And to the rest of the teams in the league, I say this: kill 'em. Run at the Flyers. Make 'em fight game in, game out, shift in, shift out. Make life miserable for their gutless midget, Daniel (now he is, inexplicably, known as "Danny") Briere. The Flyers don't know where to draw the line between tough hockey and dirty hockey, and I'm tired of players getting hurt as a result of their recklessness and disrespect.