20 replies to this topic

[JWomp]

Sorry if this has already been posted, but the Toronto Star has a really good story on the KHL:

http://www.thestar.c...art-of-the-game

[NJDevils1214]

Good read.

[thefiestygoat]

That was a real interesting article, thanks for posting the link!

[lazer]

KgbHL

[Devils731]

That's some nutty stuff. I think it'd be hard, as a fringe NHL guy, to take extra money to be a part of that, if I knew I could get league minimum here.

[Z-Man]

After reading all that, Slava Fetisov must've had quite a few of those aforementioned $7,000 bar tabs if he believes this:

“How many players in the NHL are from Europe this year?” Fetisov asks. “Just 30 per cent now. Soon, (Europeans) will all come to the KHL, and the NHL will be left with the best players from North America only.”

[ohms law]

Yea, that struck me as well. Of course, the guy is the commissioner of the league now (or something), so I wouldn't really expect him to say anything different.

It was a great read, though. Good piece.

If I were in a player's shoes... I mean, I know that turning away money is damn near impossible, but geez. Those airplanes would scare the begeebus outta me, especially after Locomotiv happened!

[Triumph]

After reading all that, Slava Fetisov must've had quite a few of those aforementioned $7,000 bar tabs if he believes this:

“How many players in the NHL are from Europe this year?” Fetisov asks. “Just 30 per cent now. Soon, (Europeans) will all come to the KHL, and the NHL will be left with the best players from North America only.”

The thing is, though, he's right to some degree. There are fewer Europeans in the league than there were 5 or 10 years ago. The problem with his claim is that the top European players will by and large play in the NHL. But the fringe Russians, Czechs, Slovaks, and Finns? Or guys who have a bad experience in the NHL? They will continue to run to the KHL.

The most loony aspect of the league is the expansion they have planned.

[ohms law]

Well, I don't know that it's expansion so much as conquest...
It's not as crazy as it sounds when the vast majority of the teams that they'll be bringing in already exist.

[RowdyFan42]

After reading all that, Slava Fetisov must've had quite a few of those aforementioned $7,000 bar tabs if he believes this:

“How many players in the NHL are from Europe this year?” Fetisov asks. “Just 30 per cent now. Soon, (Europeans) will all come to the KHL, and the NHL will be left with the best players from North America only.”

Not to sound like a Don Cherry clone, but would that necessarily be a bad thing?

[Dadds]

Damn, russia is a nutty place. If I remember correctly Evgeni Malkin basically had to flee Russia because they did not want to let him leave.

[Triumph]

Not to sound like a Don Cherry clone, but would that necessarily be a bad thing?

Yes. Just one game watching the American WJC team is enough - watching that team was like watching a shift at a factory. There are a handful of Canadian players who are creative with the puck, and a thimbleful of Americans as well - losing the Europeans would mean losing a lot of the magicians.

Edited by Triumph, 08 January 2012 - 11:08 PM.

[ATLL765]

Yes. Just one game watching the American WJC team is enough - watching that team was like watching a shift at a factory. There are a handful of Canadian players who are creative with the puck, and a thimbleful of Americans as well - losing the Europeans would mean losing a lot of the magicians.

I agree that European players tend to be quite creative with the puck, but to use this year's US team at the WJC to compare to is unfair. That team played pretty awful and just never seemed to find any chemistry together for whatever reason. It didn't help that they seemed a bit small up front and the defense was nowhere near as physical as it needed to be.

[Triumph]

I agree that European players tend to be quite creative with the puck, but to use this year's US team at the WJC to compare to is unfair. That team played pretty awful and just never seemed to find any chemistry together for whatever reason. It didn't help that they seemed a bit small up front and the defense was nowhere near as physical as it needed to be.

While that team wasn't good and played below expectations, that's the style of hockey that dominates American play. Look at the forwards from the 2010 Olympic team - almost all of them play some iteration of the American game. When a forward has the puck in the offensive zone, his goal is to take the puck to the net, shoot first, try to win 1 on 1 matchups, play for rebounds. It wins hockey games - sometimes - but it's inelegant. Patrick Kane is about the only forward who I would consider a creative hockey player on that team. And unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a player to break this trend coming through the ranks, either.

Edited by Triumph, 08 January 2012 - 11:45 PM.

[ohms law]

It wins hockey games, period.


No, but Kane and Parise are both changing that, a little. US (or Canadian) hockey is never going to be as "elegant" (I'd say pussified, but that's fine) as Euro hockey is, but that's OK too. There's room for both types of game, and both systems have been picking things up from each other. There's been a lot of personnel movement between North American and Europe in the last 20 - 30 years. Just look at how NHL teams regularly cycle the puck and dig in the corners these days.

Regardless, I agree with your earlier point that it's the mid-level Europeans that are (mostly) staying in Europe now. Just look at what Alexander Vasyunov (unfortunately, now) choose to do -- with Lou's full support at the time, by the way... I hear what you're saying regarding the junior teams, but I tend to fall on RowdyFan's side of the fence here. That being said, it's not necessarily for the reasons that Don Cherry yammers on about. Consider the fact that every North American slot filled by a European is a slot taken from a North American. Yea, the NA juniors were having their level of play increased, but there was a (somewhat hidden) cost to that as well. I'd rather more players have the opportunity to play in general, personally. Even if they never pan out, that'll grow the game more.

[peteyvegas]

The Russian business men are like that here, too. I used to do business with some of them. They dont have credit departments, they have police (even here). They are literaly 100 years behind civilization when it comes to normal day to day interaction. They live by that Mafia mentality. I'm amazed that they even exist as a society.

[ohms law]

Yup. Thank you for your contributions, Soviet Union. Much appreciated!

[Mitico12]

$1 dollar roasted corn and $2 beers is good for me though....

[RowdyFan42]

For the record, I don't necessarily think the North American leagues should be limited to North Americans only, I just wanted to present that as a point of discussion. I merely picked on Grapes because that sounds like the sort of thing he'd say in a fit of xenophobia. I was thinking more along the lines of what ohms law was saying; fewer spots taken by Euros and Russians means more spots for Americans and Canadians who are currently being forced to either play overseas to stay in the game or retire early. Then again, if the money truly is the drawing point of the KHL, how many guys would take the money over a chance to keep playing relatively close to home?

[ohms law]

Yea, I don't want to sound xenophobic myself. There's definitely no room for a "North America for the North Americans!" attitude, these days.

Oh yea, I'd looooove $2 beers. Unfortunately, the idiots have ruined that (see Philly ) more than anything else.

Edited by ohms law, 09 January 2012 - 07:47 PM.