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Entries with the tag: khl
Jagr Happy In Russia
by Paul on 01/09/09 at 04:19 PM ET
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from Lynn Zinser of the New York Times,
As Jaromir Jagr got ready for the latest unique experience in a season already full of them, he said he has no regrets about leaving the N.H.L. to play in Russia, despite watching a teammate die on the bench, having his coach quit in the middle of a game and playing in a league whose financial situation is said to be faltering.
“You could write a book about it,” Jagr said of his season during a telephone interview from Moscow. “But I’m fine. I’m doing good. I’m happy.”
On Friday, Jagr was getting ready to take center stage for the Continental Hockey League, or K.H.L., All-Star game on Saturday at an outdoor rink in Red Square. There, Jagr is the all-star of all stars, the biggest name in a league marketing itself around him.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Jaromir+Jagr, KHL,
Wayne Flemming Fired During The Game
by Paul on 01/09/09 at 09:12 AM ET
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from Russia Today,
The coach of Avangard Omsk hockey team didn’t return to the bench for the third period of his team’s home game against Vityaz Podolsk. Canadian specialist Wayne Fleming couldn’t do so as he’d been fired during the break.
After the second period Avangard were losing 1-0 to lowly Vityaz and the club’s bosses had just had enough of the team’s poor performance in the current KHL season.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: KHL,
Santa Surprise
by Paul on 01/02/09 at 10:08 AM ET
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I hope the NHL doesn’t pick-up on this marketing idea. It sort of spooks me out.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: KHL,
Financial Woes In The KHL
by Paul on 12/23/08 at 01:24 PM ET
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from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,
As with all start-ups, it has not exactly been smooth sailing for the KHL in its inaugural season. On Saturday, the league’s board of directors met to ponder an idea that had been floated the week before – a 30 per-cent across-the-board contract rollback to cut costs for some of the most under-funded franchises.
Amid heavy opposition from the newly formed players’ association (run by Andrei Kovalenko, a former NHL, nicknamed The Tank in his playing days), the proposal was put on the shelf at least for the duration of this season. KHL president Alexander Medvedev decided, according to sources, that trying to force a rollback would cause more headaches than it would solve problems....
The KHL salary cap will almost certainly be reduced next season; and Medvedev – a major emerging force in the hockey world - went to great lengths to warn teams that were in arrears in paying player salaries that those agreements needed to be honored. He went so far as to say the government might even intervene if promises weren’t kept.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: KHL,
Dan LaCouture Trying To Find A Home In Russia
by Paul on 12/18/08 at 11:02 AM ET
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via TSN,
Sources tell TSN another NHL player may be about to jump to the KHL.
Carolina Hurricanes forward Dan LaCouture is believed to have left the team for Russia, however, the Hurricanes remain unclear as to which Kontinental Hockey League team LaCouture is attempting to join.
The Hurricanes intend on suspending LaCouture, who was signed as a free agent in October, if he doesn’t have an immediate change of heart.
If LaCouture walks away from his contract with the Hurricanes this will fuel the ongoing feud between the KHL and the National Hockey League as, once again, the Kontinental Hockey League would have apparently abandoned its policy of respecting NHL contracts.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Carolina Hurricanes | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Dan+LaCouture, KHL,
Comfortable In The KHL
by Paul on 12/15/08 at 08:07 AM ET
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from Rick Westhead of the Toronto Star,
On a recent Friday night, an unseasonably warm night for northern Russia in late November, Emery was a world away from the scrutiny and was asked what kind of mood he wakes up in most mornings.
“At the start I do the old, `Where am I?’ when I open my eyes but now I’m used to it,” he said. “Sometimes I’m still confused or feel a bit homesick when I wake up. It’s been a pretty good break for the most part. I’m just relaxing. It’s nice not having that microscope on you, being able to live.
“I miss a lot about Canada, North America, just living there, conversing with people. But at the same time, I don’t miss not being comfortable at dinner because people are watching you and you feel eyes on you all the time.”
read on as Westhead continues with stories from Russia…
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: KHL, Ray+Emery,
An In-Depth Look At The KHL
by Paul on 12/14/08 at 08:24 AM ET
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from Rick Westhead of the Toronto Star,
“There’s no question the hockey is a lot different,” Jagr said. “You’ve got to skate a lot more here, playing on the larger Olympic ice, and there’s more room. Even if you take a shot from near the boards here, you’re really not that close to the net.”
Game programs are free and there are no air horns, organs or vendors walking the aisles. But rock music reverberates through the stadium during breaks in play and over centre ice an NHL-quality video board shows replays.
Between periods, spectators line up at concession counters, and for about $4.50 at one concessionaire called “Chicken Next Door,” they can buy chicken nuggets or kabobs. A pint-sized beer costs $3.80 and Pringle’s potato chips are available for $6.70 for a large, or $3.60 for a small. Jagr and Cherapanov black home jerseys – they bear a resemblance to those worn by the Buffalo Sabres – are available for about $70 apiece.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: KHL,
The Aggressive Way Of Play
by Paul on 12/13/08 at 04:04 PM ET
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from Russia Today,
Canadian Darcy Verot is spending 2007-2008 season with Vityaz Chekhov. His arrival was some kind of a sensation, since Russian hockey had never seen this aggressive way of playing the game, which the Chekhov crowd really enjoys. The town’s stadium rarely has empty seats even though the club is currently the worst in the KHL.
read on and watch a related video…
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Tags: Darcy+Verot, KHL,
KHL Takes a Lesson From the NHL
by Alanah McGinley on 12/04/08 at 04:25 PM ET
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From WABC:
The NHL won’t have the only outdoor hockey game this season.
The Continental Hockey League announced Thursday its first ever All-Star Game will be held outdoors Jan. 10 at Red Square.
Team Yashin, featuring Russian-born players and led by former New York Islanders center Alexei Yashin, will take on Team Jagr, made up of players from the rest of the world and captained by former New York Rangers star winger Jaromir Jagr.
Voting on the KHL All Star game has been going on here. Photo is from Sharkspage where PJ included it on this post a couple years ago about another notable hockey game that took place in Red Square.
Filed in: | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: all+star+game, khl, red+square,
Team Yashin vs Team Jagr
by Alanah McGinley on 11/26/08 at 05:28 PM ET
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From Canwest via the Ottawa Citizen:
The inaugural Continental Hockey League All-Star Game will have an NHL ring to it.
The KHL announced on its website that the all-star game - which will be played outdoors at Moscow’s Red Square on Jan. 11 - will pit “Yashin Team” vs. “Jagr Team.”
The Yashin Team, headed by former Ottawa Senator and New York Islander Alexei Yashin, will feature players from Russia and former Soviet republics. Jagr Team, headed by former Pittsburgh Penguins great Jaromir Jagr, will be made up of non-Russian players.
The format was decided by fan voting on the KHL website. The KHL announced Wednesday that 50.13 per cent of voters favoured the Yashin vs. Jagr format, while 49.87 per cent favoured a more tradition West vs. East format.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: khl,
Matt Murley Cleared by IIHF to Play in KHL
by Alanah McGinley on 11/24/08 at 01:13 PM ET
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Press release from the KHL:
The Disciplinary Committee of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) recently met to discuss violations of the IIHF bylaws on player transfers in connection with the transfer of United States forward Matt Murley to the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) club Amur Khabarovsk.
Mr. Murley left the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL) and joined the Amur team of the KHL on October 10. The NHL informed the IIHF that the player had a valid contract with Carolina and had no right to enter into an agreement with any other club.
Complete explanation below. [Update: Plus added links down below]
Filed in: NHL Teams, Carolina Hurricanes, Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: iihf, khl, matt+murley,
Still Scoring
by Paul on 11/21/08 at 11:33 AM ET
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Some of your favorite ex-NHL players still putting the puck in the net in the KHL.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: KHL,
Criminal Investigation Continues in Cherepanov’s Death
by Alanah McGinley on 11/14/08 at 12:25 PM ET
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The KHL’s Vice-President of Hockey Operations Vladimir Shalaeva and others addressed the media at a press conference today in Moscow, with updates surrounding the investigation into Cherepanov’s death.
“Today November 14, 2008, there was a move to close the criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Aleksei Cherepanov, however the prosecutor ordered that the criminal investigation continue.
“A comprehensive forensic study, conducted by additional medical specialists is underway to more deeply and thoroughly analyze the case. We will not be able to share the cause of death of Alexei Cherepanov until this examination is completed in full.”
-- Vladimir Shalaeva
Shalaeva also noted that the New York Rangers have provided their own medical records on Cherepanov to the KHL.
Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Rangers, Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: alex+cherepanov, khl, Vladimir+Shalaeva,
The Direction Of The KHL
by Paul on 11/10/08 at 07:26 PM ET
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from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,
Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League — considered to be the greatest threat to NHL stability since the WHA — is undergoing its own growing pains in its inaugural season, with teams missing payroll, uncertainty over the fate of its smaller franchises and worries about the possible impact of the growing world economic crisis on its well-moneyed backers, many of them who rely on high world oil prices for their wealth.
“I should be and I must be and I will be honest with you — that is a big concern,” said Igor Larionov Monday, on the day he was inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame, after a distinguished 27-year career, mixed between international and NHL play....
Larionov said the economics of the KHL make little sense today, given that some teams in the Moscow draw as few as 1,000 to 2,000 people per game and ticket prices are so modest - $5, $10, $15 max. At that rate, he does not believe the sort of salaries they were offering to players last season — as much as $10 million to Pittsburgh Penguins’ star Evgeni Malkin — were sustainable over the long term.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Igor+Larionov, KHL,
Three KHL Players Found to Have Heart Problems
by Alanah McGinley on 11/10/08 at 02:51 PM ET
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Last week the KHL announced it was undertaking medical evaluations across the league and invited media members to observe the process.
Today, after the first round of evaluations have been completed on some 67 players under the age of 20, some preliminary results were made public:
Based upon the first round of examinations, three KHL players were found to have heart problems. These athletes were referred to cardiologist specialists to undergo more testing.
The KHL’s Medical Center won’t be banning players as yet; the cardiologists will make that determination.
Full text of the press release is below:
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: khl, kontinental+hockey+league,
Some KHL Teams Have Trouble Meeting Payroll
by Paul on 11/07/08 at 06:43 PM ET
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from David Staples of the Cult of Hockey at the Edmonton Journal,
Peter Adler, the Euro-hockey expert, filed this report:
“In their inimitable way, the KHL has fallen down face-first with its salary payments ... especially those clubs that are in any shape or form connected to sponsorships by metal-producing companies and such have been hit hard .
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: KHL,
No Market In North America
by Paul on 11/06/08 at 12:49 PM ET
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from Jeff Z. Klein of Slap Shot at the NYT,
Q: ...As you show in your article, the Russian government considers the K.H.L. an instrument of foreign policy. Given the uncertain economic climate for Russia, are the league’s plans to expand beyond the old Soviet sphere still feasible? How about the newest talk from Slava Fetisov, on expanding into China, Korea and Japan?
Andrew Meier.: Europe remains the first target for growth. Above all, Fetisov, and others behind the founding of the K.H.L., fear that the N.H.L. is bent on a self-serving drive to preserve its market share. To Fetisov, the strategy is both myopic and ultimately detrimental to the game. “There’s no market there,” he told me. “North America’s too small. Europe is the future. That’s where the tradition, and the players, and the fans are.” Jagr, and a whole host of Europeans now playing in Russia, would tend to agree.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: KHL,
KHL Invites Media to Observe Medical Testing
by Alanah McGinley on 11/05/08 at 02:10 PM ET
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The KHL recently dealt with the fallout from Alexei Cherepanov’s death by adopting a list of resolutions in hopes of avoiding such tragedies in the future.
Today they’ve issued another press release related to those issues, this one inviting members of the media to observe their medical evaluation process. Presumably this openness is meant to reassure current and prospective players of the KHL’s commitment to their welfare.
Full text of the press release is available below.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: alexei+cherepanov, khl,
Cherepanov Was Playing Hockey Illegally?
by Alanah McGinley on 10/31/08 at 04:52 PM ET
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From the Associated Press today the allegation from Col. Vladimir Karpenko, a spokesman for the commander of Russia’s Railway Troops, that Alexei Cherepanov (who, of course, recently died during a game) was in fact playing “illegally” and should have been serving his mandatory military service at the time.
The full story is here.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: alexei+cherepanov, khl,
Canadiens Suspend Valentenko
by Alanah McGinley on 10/31/08 at 03:02 PM ET
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The Canadiens’ young prospect Pavel Valentenko signed a deal in Russia earlier this week, and the Habs responded today by suspending the player from the team and presenting their concerns to the IIHF.
Valentenko’s Canadian agent Roland Hedges tries to explain his client’s actions. From the Canadian Press via TSN:
Hedges said Valentenko has been supporting his family since he was 15, and took a pay cut to pursue his NHL dream when he signed with Montreal before the 2007-08 season.
After playing all of last season and the first four games of this season with Hamilton, he was given permission to return to Russia to attend to a family matter. He said the signing was not premeditated.
“His intention was to go home to see his parents and see what he could do,” said Hedges. “When he got home, his father already had the deal done (with Dynamo).
“And if you saw the size of the deal, you’d see why.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Montreal Canadiens, Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: iihf, khl, pavel+valentenko,
Hockey Europe—In the Spirit of Cooperation
by Alanah McGinley on 10/22/08 at 04:40 PM ET
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From SM-LIIGA:
The leading professional ice hockey leagues from Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland (as an associated member) have established a new organization named “Hockey Europe”. The purpose of the Group and its founding members is to promote cooperation, amicable relations and unity of these Leagues and their member Clubs in a middle of the heavy heated competition between the new launched Russian Ice Hockey League KHL and the North-American NHL.
*my thanks to David for dropping me a note about this
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: hockey+europe, khl,
KHL Deals with Cherepanov Tragedy
by Alanah McGinley on 10/22/08 at 04:03 PM ET
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Press Release from the KHL:
Resolutions of the Board of Directors of the Kontinental Hockey League
The Board of Directors of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) adopted a number of important resolutions at its October 21 meeting that are of great consequence to the future operations of the League. The meeting focused primarily on matters involving internal medical support services, first and foremost those concerning the medical monitoring of athletes.
Most significantly, the Board heard a preliminary report from a special KHL commission investigating the circumstances of the death of Omsk Avangard hockey player Alexei Cherepanov. As a result, the Board resolved to adopt a series of measures aimed at preventing future tragedies in hockey:
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Alexei+Cherepanov, khl, kontinental+hockey+league,
Are The KHL & IIHF ‘In-Bed’ Together
by Paul on 09/26/08 at 07:38 PM ET
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from Darren Dreger of TSN,
The NHL says the IIHF has bowed to KHL boss Alexander Medvedev and NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly goes as far as suggesting Medvedev and the IIHF are working together.
“There is a real concern that the IIHF as an organization has been co-opted by Medvedev and the KHL. There is no other explanation for their recent behaviour and for refusing to uphold their principles. It raises real questions about the type and nature of the relationship that exists between the leadership of the IIHF and Medvedev.”
Filed in: NHL Talk, Non-NHL Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: IIHF, KHL,
Trouble Brewing Again
by Paul on 08/15/08 at 08:45 AM ET
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from Evan Weiner at the NY Sun,
There is a scheduled meeting on September 4 in New York where representatives from the NHL, the KHL, and other ice hockey federations that is supposed to tackle issues such as the transfer agreements and the logistics of holding a hockey World Cup in 2012, but NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly isn’t so sure the league should be at the meeting.
“We are not certain we are going to go forward with the meeting at this point. Our position with the IIHF has been very clear. If the KHL doesn’t disqualify Alexander Radulov from playing in their league so he can abide to his contractual obligations to Nashville, we have no interest in meeting with them and or engaging in discussions over any broader cooperative relationship with them,” Daly told The New York Sun.
from Larry Brooks of the NY Post,
A previously secret meeting in Italy on Wednesday between Gary Bettman and KHL president Alexander Medvedev not only failed to broker a resolution on Alexander Radulov’s contractual situation, but rather ended with the parties an ocean apart on a working agreement, The Post has learned....
When Bettman threatened legal action, Medvedev essentially invited the commissioner to present his case in Russian court, reminding the commissioner that the NHL success rate in the Russian legal system is equal to the zero-percent success rate of Russian hockey interests in the US court system.
Filed in: NHL Talk | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: KHL,
Beware Of The KHL
by Paul on 08/11/08 at 11:40 AM ET
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from Mike Craigen of the Knoxville News Sentenel,
Thought not much of a threat in the past and only being able to use “home” as a their largest recruiting tool, this new league can now compete and surpass the NHL with their salary offers and have already snatched up a very respectable list of former NHL players to pad their line-ups, including; Ray Emery, John Graham, Jaromir Jagr, Jozef Stumpel, Trevor Letowski, Marcel Hossa , Josef Vasicek & Alex Radulov from the Nashville Predators.
I think this new league is fantastic for hockey on a global standpoint. For too long now, the NHL has been running the show, changing the game, setting the bar and making many decisions for the future of hockey, virtually uncontested. Though the KHL is a long way from bringing themselves to the level of play exhibited in the NHL, I wouldn’t be too surprised to see more and more players foreign & domestic flee for the larger salaries in the future.
Filed in: NHL Talk, Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: KHL,
International Hockey Chess Match
by Alanah McGinley on 07/24/08 at 02:33 PM ET
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From Charlie Teljeur at The Hockey News,
What would be a good analogy to describe the current state of Euro-NHL relations?
Maybe a chess match, in which one side – the NHL – has three Queens, five Knights, 12 Rooks and an infinite number of pawns. Europe is represented by a pair of rogue, but nicely dressed Bishops who feel they can move any direction they damn well please.
The National League – they’re the white side – have been hungrily swallowing up unlimited European talent since it was discovered Inge Hammerstrom wasn’t female and that she, er he, had a nice backhand.
Europe – playing the evil black role – occasionally jumps a pawn or two or sign a broken-down seen-better-days Queen (sorry, Jaromir) and waves said contract in the face of the “shocked” NHL, something akin to a pirate who steals your spare set of car keys.
Filed in: NHL Talk, Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: khl, nhl,
A Full-Scale War
by Alanah McGinley on 07/22/08 at 12:11 PM ET
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From Eric McErlain at the Sporting News,
It was just last week that I warned that Russia’s nascent Kontinental Hockey League represented a legitimate threat to the way that the NHL did business.
Now, here we are just a week later, and the brewing competition between the two leagues over hockey talent—in particular Russian-born hockey talent—is threatening to escalate into a full-scale war.
Eric reviews the events of the past week, then further explores the long-term impact all this might have on the NHL.
Filed in: NHL Talk, Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: khl,
KHL Responds to Suspensions
by Alanah McGinley on 07/18/08 at 12:38 PM ET
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Release from the KHL press service today:
KHL is in Disagreement with the Proposal to Suspend Players Signed Contracts
Today the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) suggested conducting an investigation regarding six players: Alexander Radulov, Nikita Filatov, Tomas Mojzis, Jason Krog, Fedor Fedorov and Victor Tikhonov. Until this investigation has come to its final conclusion and the IIHF has rendered its decisions, all the concerned players will be suspended from international transfers and competitions.
Regarding this statement KHL clarifies its position:
We accept the idea of an investigation but specify that it should be conducted within the framework of the relevant legislation of Russia, USA and Canada, as well as in accordance with the labor law regulations of the KHL and the NHL.
Filed in: NHL Talk, Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: iihf, khl,
KHL Wants Columbus To Pay Up
by Paul on 07/09/08 at 07:35 PM ET
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from Jeff Z. Klein of Slap Shot at the NYT,
According to an article in Tuesday’s Sovietskiy Sport, KHL president and Gazprom export CEO Alexander Medvedev wants the Columbus Blue Jackets to compensate CSKA Moscow for the Jacks’ signing of 18-year-old first-round draft choice Nikita Filatov. When asked how much the compensation should come to, he answered, “At least half a million dollars.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets, Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: khl, Nikita+Filatov,
