Kukla's Korner Hockey

Category: European-Hockey

Westcott Joins KHL

by Paul on 07/23/08 at 12:13 PM ET
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from Puck-rakers,

Former Blue Jackets defenseman Duvie Westcott has signed to play with Dinamo Riga (Latvia) of the Continental Hockey League (KHL).

Westcott was bought out of the final two years of his contract by the Blue Jackets this summer, meaning he’ll earn $600,000 plus from the Jackets over the next four years. He tried to get a one-way contract in the NHL, but found no takers.

continued

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How Did It Get To This Point

by Paul on 07/23/08 at 09:26 AM ET
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from the blog of Risto Pakarinen,

Backed by Gazprom, the world’s third-largest corporation, measured by market capitalization, and a company that made almost two billion dollars in profit last year, the Russians have expansion plans of their own. Last February, they announced the formation of the Kontinentalnaya Hokkeynaya Liga - the Continental Hockey League - or the KHL, and at stake is simply: world domination.

The KHL has reportedly tried to attract teams from Sweden and Finland to join the newly set-up league that currently only has two non-Russian teams, the Dynamos of Kiev and Riga, in Belarus and Latvia, respectively. None of the Scandinavian teams have taken the bait. Not just yet, anyway.

more

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Martin Rucinsky Leaves NHL

by Paul on 07/23/08 at 09:09 AM ET
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Martin Rucinsky will be playing for Sparta Prague next season according to a report from the AP via the International Herald Tribune.

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A Full-Scale War

by Alanah McGinley on 07/22/08 at 02:11 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.

continued…

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

Larionov Wants To Restore Hockey In Russia

by Paul on 07/22/08 at 09:40 AM ET
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from Snapshots at Mlive,

In the attached articles, Larionov seems intent upon not only helping SKA build a winning team, but also working on restoring some of Russia’s status as a country that can develop solid hockey players. He’s going to be a member of the KHL’s board of directors, and as such, he adds a somewhat moderate and nuanced viewpoint to a group of owners who are, by and large, economic oligarchs, and a set of GMs and coaches who are comprised Russian hockey veterans and the last of the Soviet hockey machine.

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Larionov Joins SKA

by Paul on 07/18/08 at 01:52 PM ET
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from the IIHF,

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – New hall of famer Igor Larionov returns to work in ice hockey and was named director of hockey operations of SKA St. Petersburg.

The club of the Russian KHL announced that Larionov signed a one-year contract with the possibility of extension. The 47-year-old, who was working as a wine merchant in the last years, is expected to arrive in St. Petersburg on Sunday.

continued

thanks to a KK reader for the pointer…

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A Dream

by Paul on 07/17/08 at 01:17 PM ET
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from Risto Pakarinen at NHL.com,

A Winter Classic is the best way to settle the score.

I see beautiful retro sweaters. The NHL is wearing orange, and the KHL is wearing black. All black, from head to toe. The NHLers have mullets.

I see a European sized rink.

Because I see that the venue is in Russia.

My vision carries me over the Atlantic, over Europe, over Moscow, high over the Red Square because the WCIII will be played in Siberia. Of course.

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A Canadian In Russia

by Paul on 07/17/08 at 10:33 AM ET
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from Joe O’Conner of the National Post via Faceoff.com,

Brathwaite was not ready to be a cheerleader. So when Omsk called and offered him a half-million dollars—or twice what he was making with the Wolves—he jumped at the opportunity. Sort of.

“It was a very tough decision for me, but I still wanted to play at the highest level I could,” Brathwaite said.

The Avangard fan club was waiting at the airport when he arrived.

“I don’t know if there is nothing else to do there,” Brathwaite said, “but they are definitely European-type hockey fans.”

They would sing fight songs, bang drums and turn the stands into a carnival during home games. But it was away from the rink where Brathwaite suffered his most shattering culture shocks.

more

thanks to a KK member for the pointer…

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Let’s Try This Again - Brylin Signs With Russian Team

by Paul on 07/15/08 at 08:48 AM ET
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via Slap Shot at the NYT,

Sergei Brylin has signed a three-year contract with SKA St. Petersburg, the club’s coach, Barry Smith, said Monday night. Smith’s remarks were reported in the Russian daily Sport-Express.

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  Tags: sergei+brylin

A Breach Of The Agreement

by Paul on 07/11/08 at 04:51 PM ET
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from Ken Campbell of the Hockey News,

The new agreement between the NHL and International Ice Hockey Federation to not poach players under contract hasn’t even been put into writing yet, but it has already received its first test with reports that Alexander Radulov has signed with Salavat Ufa of the Continental Hockey League.

IIHF spokesman Szymon Szemberg said neither the IIHF nor the NHL has received any official documentation concerning the Radulov signing and all his organization has to rely on are media reports. But he also said if it is true that Radulov has signed a contract in Russia, it is, “a flagrant breach of the agreement.”

continued

Updated 2:51pm ET (Alanah): Updates to the above story:

The agent for Alexander Radulov wouldn’t say whether or not he approves of his client’s decision to sign a three-year contract with Salavat Ufa in Russia, but he did acknowledge that the Continental Hockey League team offered so much money that it put Radulov in an almost untenable situation.

___________________________
*note: original post-time was 11:59am ET

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  Tags: alexander+radulov

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