The Kontinental Hockey League, which could have beat the New York Islanders to the punch by playing professional hockey games in the spankin’-new Barclays Center, is no longer Brooklyn bound.
The Russian league announced Friday that its North American showcase games, set for Jan. 19 and 20, between the elite SKA St. Petersburg and Dynamo Moscow, will instead be a home-and-home in Russia.
So, no, even if the NHL is still locked out, Alex Ovechkin and Ilya Kovalchuk will not be playing in New York City.
The decision was made “in deference to the wishes of many thousands of Russian hockey fans,” the KHL announced, “and the lack of certainty as to the timing of the duration of the lockout in the National Hockey League.”
That said, other theories for the cancellation have surfaced:
According to insiders, earlier this month there was an attempt to remove Medvedev from KHL presidency, replace him w/ Putin crony Rotenberg — Slava Malamud (@SlavaMalamud) October 26, 2012
According to insiders, earlier this month there was an attempt to remove Medvedev from KHL presidency, replace him w/ Putin crony Rotenberg
— Slava Malamud (@SlavaMalamud) October 26, 2012
Powers that be often interfere w/ Medvedev’s KHL business model, afraid it’ll hurt national team in Sochi. Bklyn trip was unpopular w/ them — Slava Malamud (@SlavaMalamud) October 26, 2012
Powers that be often interfere w/ Medvedev’s KHL business model, afraid it’ll hurt national team in Sochi. Bklyn trip was unpopular w/ them
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mikhail Grabovski scored his fourth KHL goal Thursday, set up by none other than Pavel Datsyuk.
CSKA Moscow’s Grabovsky (he spells it with a “y” over there) now has seven points in 11 games, as he helped his club hand Lev Prague its seventh consecutive loss:
Minnesota Wild centre Mikko Koivu made his TPS Turku homecoming on Thursday, logging a whopping 25:07 in his first match with the Finnish Elite League club since he left TPS after the 2003-04 season.
Koivu’s transition? Pretty seamless. He had a three-point night:
Congrats to Mikko Koivu on his 2-goal, +1, 5-shot debut in TPS’ 5-3 win over Ilves. #mnwild capt. has a future once the #NHL is destroyed. — Michael Russo (@Russostrib) October 25, 2012
Congrats to Mikko Koivu on his 2-goal, +1, 5-shot debut in TPS’ 5-3 win over Ilves. #mnwild capt. has a future once the #NHL is destroyed.
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) October 25, 2012
First Alexander Radulov and now Denis Platonov: Another KHL suspension has been doled out for shoving an official.
During Wednesday’s game in Donetsk between Donbass and Metallurg Magnitogorsk, a frustrated Platonov handles linesman Yury Ivanov (below) following a multi-player scuffle around the goal.
The Magnitogorsk captain was kicked out that game, and on Thursday was banned for an additional two. According to KHL disciplinary rules, Platonov could’ve received as many as five games for his actions: