Kukla's Korner Hockey
European Hockey 101
by Paul on 09/22/12 at 04:44 PM ET
Comments (0)
from Jeff Z. Klein of the New York Times,
Whenever Gary Bettman and the N.H.L. owners lock out their players, fans in North America reacquaint themselves with European hockey. It happened in 1994-95, in 2004-5 and now again in 2012.
After only one week of this lockout, more than 60 N.H.L. players have signed or agreed to contracts in Europe; during the last lockout, almost 400 N.H.L. players skated abroad. So here is a guide to Europe’s top seven domestic leagues, their long traditions and their thundering crowds rocking claustrophobic rinks. If you can master the difference between Trinec of the Czech Republic and Trencin of Slovakia, or Metallurg Magnitogorsk and Metallurg Novokuznetsk of Russia, you can follow your favorite N.H.L. players overseas.
RUSSIAN K.H.L. Widely considered the world’s second-best league, the Kontinental Hockey League is the present-day home to the great clubs of the Soviet era. But where once teams were sponsored by the likes of the army, the Interior Ministry and labor unions, today they are sponsored by national energy companies, regional energy companies and the billionaire owners of energy companies.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Comments
Be the first to comment.
Add a Comment
Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.
Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.
Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.
Most Recent Blog Posts
Tortorella- “We Need To Go Win A Game”
Team Sweden Wins World Championship Gold
Only Ottawa Cheering For Ottawa
Two Eastern Conference Playoff Games On The NHL Schedule Today
Once Again, The Bigger Ice Debate
Hockey Talks On A Sunday Morning
Quick Could Face League Discipline
How About Some New Rules And Torres Talk Too
Sharks’ OT win avoids 3-0 deficit, aggravates Kings, Jonathan Quick
About Kukla's Korner Hockey
Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.
Email Paul anytime at pk@kuklaskorner.com
