Nikita Jevpalovs will not be on many fans’ radar on June 22.  That is because the young Latvian was not even ranked in the NHL scouting report until January, when he made a big splash at the IIHF World Junior Championships.

Not even 18 years old, he is one of the youngest ranked players in this year’s draft.  But don’t let that fool you.  His rise up the list of top-ranked European prospects for this year’s NHL Draft is the result of a quickly maturing young man.  He has skill, drive and hockey sense well beyond his years — something that has not gone unnoticed by scouts.

Jevpalovs first began to turn heads in this year’s World Junior Hockey Championships where, despite being the youngest player on Latvia’s squad, he was the team’s captain and leading point getter.  Scoring at crucial times — such as the game-winning overtime goal against Denmark to keep Latvia’s position as a top-tier country in the World Junior ranks — he proved he can not only rise to such challenges, but thrives on them.  He has a nose for the net, yet is known as a solid two-way player, playing what many would consider “North American style” hockey.

In spite of his recent success, he is skeptical he will be drafted this year.

“I really, really hope I do,” he said eagerly.  He was quick to add that he knows not playing in North America is something of a disadvantage.  Playing far from the eyes of most scouts, he has not had the exposure many others have gotten.

Perhaps it is not his time — yet.  Already a big boy, chances are he is still growing.  Already 6’0″ and 181 lbs, he almost certainly would come into the 2013 draft bigger still.

Those worried about the “Russian factor” can relax.  It is not an issue for Jevpalovs.  Born and raised in Riga, Latvia, he is part of a new wave of talented Latvians who are far more European than Soviet.  Although he speaks both Russian and Latvian, he is also fluent in English, picking up the language quickly during the year he spent in Toronto where he played for the South Muskoka Shield of the GMHL (Greater Metro Jr. A Hockey League).

Though he returned to Latvia to play in the MHL, the Kontinental Hockey League’s Junior development league, he said the move was a practical one — giving him the best opportunity to develop his skills.   But back in Riga, North America was constantly on his mind — especially Toronto, which he called his “favorite place in the world.”  He said he has no desire to play in the KHL, as Russia is as foreign to him as it is to most North Americans.

He stressed that while he knows he isn’t ranked as high as many other Europeans, he holds out hope that he will be drafted so he can return to North America and live his dream of one day playing in the NHL.

Given his age, Jevpalovs is the best of both worlds.  He has the finesse of a European skater and the tenacity of a North American.  He already possesses an amazing amount of leadership ability and talent and has only just begun his development.  Combine that with a humble, positive and eager outlook, Jevpalovs just may be one of the draft’s dark horses.

Photograph:  Courtesy of Nikita Jevpalovs

Former NHLer and Hockey Goddesses fave Yan Stastny has signed with the Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Based in Nuremberg, Germany, the Ice Tigers were Stastny’s first professional squad. As we reported last week, Stastny recently parted ways with his former club, CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League.

In Nuremberg he joins a few other ex-NHLers Ryan Bayda (Carolina Hurricanes), Eric Chouinard (Philadelphia Flyers, Minnesota Wild) and Sven Butenschön (Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks).

Photograph: From the official website of the Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers.

It’s been a bit slow around hockeygoddesses.com lately, but we’ve been busy readying an exciting new project, which will be launching shortly. However, today I come to discuss some dismal news: The horrible crash that took the lives of all but one member of the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team.

The loss of these players has been especially tough for this goddess, for I consider Russia to be my home away from home.  I can only imagine what people in that country are going through right now.

Since the incident, I have been following news reports and listening to some of my favorite shows on XM Radio’s Home Ice channel.  Personally, I am a bit shocked and disturbed at what I am hearing.

Let’s put the cause aside.  Everyone knows the situation with Russian aviation and the more recent advent of charter flying.  Pointing fingers, surprisingly and thankfully, hasn’t been a focal point.

However, it is the reaction and presumption about what should happen next that is troublesome.  As of yesterday, it was suggested that the team would rebuild and play this season.  Some of the hockey gurus at XM/Home Ice spent the day discussing this, proclaiming that this simply was not “right.”

Oh how easy it is to sit in your comfortable radio studio in North America and say what some other business in some other country should do.  And yes, I realize that’s why these “gurus” get paid.  Still, when a country has experienced a tragedy, it takes a lot of naïve audacity to make a moral judgment on how an entire country should mourn.  Do they know the history of Yaroslavl?  Have they ever been there?  Do they understand what this venerable team means to the community?  To the league?  To Russia?  What about the morale of the people?  What do they need to heal?

At the risk of sounding callous, let’s put people’s feelings aside.  Life is hard in many parts of Russia. People struggle.  Jobs are scarce.  What happens if an entire organization suspends operations, even for a year?  Many people in Yaroslavl earn a living through the operation of the team and the venue.  The local economy depends on the team, and the people who earn money from the organization.  Take that away and you take away people’s livelihoods; people with families to support, people who are already struggling.

The people of Yaroslavl, like all of Russia, have faced many tragedies that have taken many lives, from the seemingly endless wars to the gulags to modern terrorism within their own borders.  Their spirit — more often than not — tells them to mourn those that are lost and move forward.  They have no choice.  And it’s not for us to judge.

Photograph: From The Associated Press via DayLife.

[Editor's note: Our KHL correspondent based in Russia checks in with some thoughts on the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl tragedy.]

It was one the best teams in Russia. It was one of the most respected teams in Russia. It was team number one in Yaroslavl. This city breathes hockey. I have been there three times to see Lokomotiv play, it was unforgettable. I wanted to go there this season. I can’t imagine why an elite professional team would fly on a really prehistoric airplane. What a horrible tragedy.

As far as I’ve learned, no one survived. We have lost some of the best players of Russia and Europe, as well as the Canadian coach Brad McCrimmon. I cannot believe that.

All my prayers to friends and families. RIP Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, you will always be remembered.

Pre-season video

Russian media from the place of tragedy

Photograph: Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team picture from the KHL.

38-year-old forward Alex Kovalev returns to Russia after 18 seasons in the NHL. He has signed a two-year contract with the Gagarin Cup finalist “Atlant”. As Canadian press marks, it’s not surprising, because Kovalev, who signed a $10-million contract with the Senators in 2009, never came close to fulfilling expectations. Nevertheless, Alex was a real star in the NHL – during his long career he scored 428 goals and 596 assists in 1,302 regular season games and had another 45 goals and 55 assists in 123 playoff games.

CEO “Atlant” Andrew Ropes said he had called Alex, as soon as he learned about his intention to return to Russia. “The conversation went very businesslike. I immediately outlined his role in our young and ambitious team, which desperately needed leaders – experienced and respected players. He knew right away I became interested. He was attracted by the figure of a new head coach “Atlant” Gustafsson”, – marked Ropes.

He added that Alex would join his new team in the coming days. “He himself can not wait to begin preparations for the season”, – said Ropes (according to “Atlant” official web-site).

The 2011 winner of Gagarin Cup is Salavat Yulaev from Ufa. They managed to finish the final series against Atlant (Mytischi — a suprising finalist, as no one expected they would play in the final) in five games. The head coaches of Salavat are from Russia’s national team: Vyacheslav Bykov and Igor Zakharkin. So I suppose quite a few of the champions will be present at the coming IIHF Worlds in Slovakia. Some fantastic photos can be found here — at one of the best Russian sports photographers: http://vladimir-pesnya.livejournal.com/644925.html

Here are some videos after the final game. The players share their joy and happiness, I think these are always the best moments of any big victory!

KHL All Star Game 2011 took place in Saint-Petersburg. As usual, teams were divided under Jaromir Jagr and Alexei Yashin’s names. The show started with skills competitions, which was quite fun. Here’s the full list of winners according to the KHL official website.

Yashin 4-3 Jagr

Superskills competition

TEAM YASHIN 4
TEAM JAGR     3

Fastest skater
Team Yashin: Lauris Darzins, Leo Komarov, Maxim Afinogenov – 13.96 sec.
Team Jagr: Lukas Kaspar, Roman Cervenka, Evgeny Kuznetsov
1-0

Longest shot
Team Yashin: Denis Grebeshkov, Sandis Ozolins, Jozef Vasicek
Team Jagr: Janne Niskala, Konstantin Korneyev, Martin Skoula
1-1

Puck control relay
Team Yashin: Sergei Mozyakin, Maxim Sushinsky, Jozef Vasicek, Alexander Guskov, Matthias Weinhandl
Team Jagr: Lukas Kaspar, Patrick Thoresen, Alexei Morozov, Janne Niskala, Alexander Radulov
2-1

Shooting accuracy
Team Yashin: Sandis Ozolins, Chris Simon – 5 shots on 4 targets, Alexei Yashin
Team Jagr: Kevin Dallman, Sergei Fedorov, Jaromir Jagr
3-1

Hardest shot
Team Yashin: Maxim Solovyev, Alexander Guskov, Karel Rachunek
Team Jagr: Konstantin Korneyev, Ilya Nikulin, Denis Kulyash – 177.58 km/h
3-2

Shootout
Team Yashin: Sergei Mozyakin, Maxim Sushinsky and Matthias Weinhandl vs. Stefan Liv
Team Jagr: Roman Cervenka, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alexander Radulov vs. Dominik Hasek
3-3

Fastest skater team relay
Team Yashin: Konstantin Barulin, Denis Grebeshkov, Peter Podhradsky, Leo Komarov, Lauris Darzins, Maxim Afinogenov
Team Jagr: Mikhail Biryukov, Konstantin Korneyev, Kevin Dallman, Petri Kontiola, Lukas Kaspar, Alexei Morozov
4-3

The most awesome moment to my opinion was Evgeny Kuznetsov shootout with Hasek. BTW, Evgeny asks everyone to call him “Kuzya” :)

KHL All Star Game 2011 Evgeny Kuznetsov Breakaway Challenge Winner

KHL All Star Game 2011 Shots competition

KHL All Star Game 2011 Hardest Shot 110.3 mph Denis Kulyash

The game itself was rather fun, too. It ended with a new record 18:16, and Jagr once again beat Yashin. Here’re the highlights.

KHL All Star Game 2011 highlights

I just wanted to send out a genuine congratulations to Team Russia for winning the 2011 World Junior Hockey Championships.  If Team USA couldn’t win it, then Russia was my second pick.  As I discussed in my article about the future of Russian hockey, these kids have all the talent in the world and they showed that with the necessary drive to win a championship, the sky is the limit.

For those that didn’t get a chance to see it, Igor Bobkov came in and turned the game around after Russia got down 3-0.  He was simply amazing.  Vladimir Tarasenko gets the MVP in my eyes for being knocked out cold and barely able to get off the ice, even with the help of two trainers, yet somehow returning for the third period and leading his team to victory.  It also should be pointed out that the goddesses’ inaugural interviewee Maxim Kitsyn had an amazing tournament and will be moving to North America to play in the OHL this month.  We wish him the best of luck.

Of course, it the story wouldn’t be complete without some hooliganism from the Russian team.  Seems they got a bit drunk and unruly in their attempt to return home and were booted from their flight!  Kids these days.

Again, congrats Team Russia.  You earned it!

Photo: Team Russia from Reuters.

It’s that time of year — no, not the holidays, although that certainly has taken up most people’s resources lately.  It’s time for the World Junior Championships.  Unable to attend this year (the goddesses trip to Moscow is less than a month away) I’m relegated to watching this exciting event on TV.  As usual, however, I watch the Russian team with great interest.

The Russians have chosen an interesting approach this year.  Rather than select players with North American experience in the CHL or NHL, they have gone with an entire line-up (save for goalie Igor Bobkov of the OHL) of home grown players from the KHL or Russian junior league.  While this has allowed them to choose exceptional players such as Maxim Kitsyn and Vladamir Terasenko, it has also excluded talents such as 2011 draft prospect Vladislav Namestinkov and Washington Capitals prospect Stanislav Galiev.

What does any of this mean?   One could certainly say not much, as defense appears to be their weakness.  The physical play is certainly good — much better than we’ve seen from Russian players in the past and these kids are really working hard on the forecheck.  Yet the defense has been guilty of making poor decisions at inopportune times and has been unable to contain some good forechecking teams.

While the Russians as a team are still one of the more feared rivals of the Canadians and Americans, the TSN announcers pointed out that the number of Russians in the NHL are less than half of what they were in 2003 and, according to Pierre McGuire, those that are aren’t “as good.”  The insinuation is that despite the lure of the KHL, Russians just aren’t good enough to make the NHL anymore.

Clearly, this is a case of xenophobia by Mr. McGuire.  First, let’s look at the players that aren’t “as good” as the Russians of the 90′s and early 21^st century.  Ovechkin?  Datsuyk?  Malkin?   Really, Pierre?  I doubt anyone would say these players are less talented than Fedorov, Bure and Mogilny.    Last year, there were 3 Russians in the top 20 in points and 3 in the top 7 in goals.  Ovechkin won the Hart trophy (league MVP) an unprecedented 2 years in a row in ’08 and ‘09 and Pavel Datsyuk has taken 5 of the leagues top honors at the awards ceremony in the past 3 years.

So, let’s dismiss the premise that the Russians aren’t as talented anymore.  Then why aren’t Russian players choosing to play for the best league in the world?  Is it because of the advent of the KHL?  Perhaps.  Yet everyone by now has heard of the financial troubles teams are having.  Playing for certain teams is a risk:  You may or may not get your monthly paycheck.

I think one has to look deeper into the culture and socio-political history of Russia for the answer.  While hardly a first world country, communism is no longer a reality.  Before, players were lured by the opportunity of fame and fortune that North America could present them.  After the initial breakup of the Soviet Union, the streets were filled with virtual chaos and North America still provided a safe and stable alternative for talented hockey players.

Now?  Things are different.  Hockey players make decent salaries in a land of the have and have-nots.

In a cash based economy, the hockey players are certain part of the “haves.”  One can live a relatively luxurious existence without having to leave home.  Russian’s, after all, are just at ethnocentric as anyone else, despite what many consider an inferior standard of living in their country.  Most importantly, however, I feel the reason the kids aren’t coming to play is something that is universal with that generation — they can play in the KHL and not really have to try.

Yep, I’ve said it. The culture of entitlement reigns supreme in the under 30 crowd these days, regardless of ethnicity and country of origin.  They want it all without having to work for it.  The Russians of old must cringe at the lack of work ethic in many of these players.  This seems to permeate through the ranks of the KHL and the youth see no reason to try too hard to make the NHL.  Things get tough and you get sent down to the AHL?  No problem (a favorite saying among Russians.)  Just come back to the KHL and work half as hard for more money. Although there is clearly a large amount of talent in the league, there is almost no hitting and you won’t have to risk too much night in and night out.  What is the incentive to play for the best hockey league in the world when you may have to work hard in the minors for a few years to get there?  You can have it now in the KHL!  There are just enough NHL veterans and old school Russians with the talent there to keep the league afloat as a legitimate threat.

So, as I watch this talented group of under-20 Russians skate their hearts out up and down the ice I wonder where the breakdown is.  When do they decide to take the easy way out?  And will the Russian program eventually collapse, leaving the KHL without the experienced veterans and hard working youth, going back to a second rate European league with little sponsorship and support.  The Russian Hockey federation definitely has a challenge on their hands and only time will tell if they can maintain their position as one of the top hockey countries in the world.

Photos: Igor Bobkov by Elena Rusko (rusko.fishup.ru), Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved.  Nikita Filatov by Goddess Sasha, Copyright 2010.  All Rights Reserved.

One of the most famous Russian goalies Evgeni Nabokov has been released by his new team — SKA from Saint-Petersburg. On its official page the club informs that it happened because of “family circumstances,” but there are rumors that it was because of rather poor Nabby’s performance.

Evgeni’s agent Sergei Isakov gave an interview to Sovsport.Ru, in which he gave his version of what had happened. “Nothing special took place. Zhenya just had some unpredictable family circumstances. He phoned me on Sunday, and on Monday morning I came to Saint-Petersburg to talk to SKA leaders. Nabokov asked to break his 4-year contract. He had to do this because of the family. He has to fly to the North America. I will not tell you about what had happened in the family of my client,” Isakov said.

Nabby’s agent stressed that Evgeni was not going to end his career as he is still demanded both in the NHL and in Russia.

Photo: Evgeni Nabokov by Goddess Thorkhild. Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved.

As a longtime Washington Capitals fan, I’ve had the sometimes rough duty of sticking up for a certain player (Alexander Semin) who, incidentally, was the main reason I became a Caps fan back in 2003. My first Capitals game on the 12th of November 2003 gave me my first glimpse of him. I fell in love with his playing style immediately. His stick-handling skills were enchanting and, to this day, he still makes my jaw drop at some of the dekes he can pull rushing up the ice. His lone goal in the 7-1 shellacking of the Carolina Hurricanes during my inaugural game was a sneaky little deke around a veteran defenseman and a total undressing of the goalie. (Check it out for yourself.)

Semin joined the team at one of the most trying times for the Capitals organization. That year the team was dismantled at the trade deadline. Fans bid farewell to iconic winger Peter Bondra, as well as Robert Lang, Sergei Gonchar, and the man fans love to hate: Jaromir Jagr. At the end of the 2003-04 season, majority owner Ted Leonsis declared the team was going to rebuild from within. He started later that summer by selecting Alexander Ovechkin and Mike Green in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

By all accounts, Semin’s rookie season was anything but pleasant. Rumored dissension inside the Caps locker room did not create a healthy atmosphere for the young Russian, who was still trying to adjust to life in North America. And, his lack of English skills created a natural barrier between him and most of the team. Semin missed the final game of the regular season, oversleeping and missing the team flight out of Washington. When the season ended, he was sent to Portland, Maine to play for the Capitals’ American Hockey League farm team, the Pirates, to help with their unsuccessful Calder Cup run. Semin ended the season with 10 goals and 22 points in 52 games, playing mostly on the third and fourth lines.

The following season, the NHL lockout forced Semin to find work elsewhere. He signed a one-year deal with Lada Togliatti of the Russian Super League, opting not to report to the Hershey Bears (the Capitals’ new AHL affiliate). The Capitals subsequently suspended his contract for failing to report to Hershey. He finished the season Togliatti.

When the NHL labor dispute ended and the 2005-06 season was on the horizon, Semin was expected to return to the Capitals for the final year of his entry-level contract. However, Semin and his agent, Mark Gandler, were sued by the Capitals for more contract violations after he signed a 1-year extension with Lada. Gandler managed to have the suit nullified by claiming Semin’s contract with Lada was satisfying his two-year military obligation to the Russian Federation.

Whether it really was Russian military obligations or something else is unclear, but Lada gave him numerous incentives to stay. He was given a car, an apartment and a $2 million (USD) contract to play for the team. At just 21 years old, $2 million was much more than the chump change the Capitals were offering, and for that reason alone, I can’t blame him for wanting to stay in Russia where he also didn’t have to deal with a struggling team and language barrier.

Semin’s decision ultimately backfired as he fell victim to the unstable system in which the RSL governed itself by before the league revamped in 2007. Semin was let go by Lada a month into the season as the team salary was cut by 50 percent. The team avoided folding altogether by letting go of multiple players and loaning some out to other RSL teams.

At that time, Semin’s was the highest contract on the Lada roster. He was the first to be let go along with his car, apartment and contract. He didn’t stay unemployed for long as he signed with Khimik Mytischi, taking a pay cut. He finished the season with Khimik only notching 3 goals and 10 points in 26 games.

At the conclusion of his two-year stint back in Russia, Semin managed to mend fences with Capitals management and returned to Washington for the 2006-07 season, signing a 2-year deal.

Semin may have returned to Washington ready to get his NHL career back on track, but much of the Capitals’ fan base and media were more than a little annoyed by his antics. Critics saw Semin’s “military obligations” as a farce and Semin faced a backlash from fans who felt they had been spurned. He was labeled as the stereotypical “Mother Russia” player from then on out. His actions prior to rejoining the team reduced his popularity among the core Caps fans and heavily tarnished his reputation.  To this day he is still seen by many fans as a ticking (two-time) Russian defector.

Semin did his best to let his play do the talking where his still limited English could not. He amassed 38 goals and 73 points in the 2006-07 season. While his efforts were a step in the right direction, his reputation among fans was still fairly dismal. He was routinely criticized for his lazy style of play and his tendency to take costly penalties.

In 2007-08, Semin only notched 26 goals and 42 points in an injury-plagued year. The 2008-09 season saw Semin struggle yet again with injuries, but he finished with a career-high 79 points and a dramatic improvement in the plus/minus column at +25.

In 2009-10, Semin showed he was beginning to mature as a player, scoring a career-high 40 goals. Management took notice of Semin’s improved play and signed him to a 1-year contract extension that will expire when he becomes a free agent at the end of the 2010-11 season.

Most of the ill will from his controversial return to the Capitals has dissipated, but his faults in the eyes of fans have shifted to his poor performance in the playoffs. Much of the anger stems from the playoff embarrassment the Capitals suffered against the Montreal Canadiens last April. Semin ended the series scoreless, though he pounded 40 shots on goal. His lack of desire to talk to the North American media and his insistence on not saying three words in English (at least publicly), add fuel to the arguments of those who want Semin out of D.C.

Now we find ourselves nearly a quarter of the way into the 2010-11 season, and Semin is atop leaderboard, outplaying his fellow Russian teammate, Alex Ovechkin. He has already scored two hat tricks this season and shows no sign of letting up. This is, after all, a contract year for Semin and while his out-of-this-world play is beyond entertaining for Caps fans to watch, it is bittersweet. With his elevated level of play, will come elevated salary expectations — expectations the Capitals simply cannot afford with the current roster and the possibility of a lower salary cap.

In a recent interview with Russia’s Sport Express, Semin made a simple statement on his future in Washington that might put to rest the argument among Caps fans on Semin’s agenda:

“I don’t agree that Washington can not afford me. If I want to play here, we’ll resolve it.”

Since day one, I have said this kid could be the best player in the league if he gave half the effort most forth-line grinders give game-in and game-out. His pure talent, world-class stickhandling skills, pinpoint accuracy and superb skating, would put him among the top five players in the league should he stay healthy. He is a unique combination of smooth skating and raw, unrivaled skill that transforms NHL players into legends.

The fans who cheer for him, love him for his dazzling performances on the ice, as well as his flamboyant off-ice personality. We look forward to his zany, trademark facial expressions. We love to see what sort of remarkable outfit he’ll throw together (we can assume these wild designer looks cost him thousands of dollars, yet they also make us wonder if he got dressed in the dark or in the wrong house). Whether he’s streaking across the ice or cruising down the road in one of his many ultra-expensive sports cars, we can’t help but take notice of him.

Perhaps this season will finally put an end to the disagreement about Semin among Capitals fans, as we all fall in love with the quirky Russian.

Here’s my bold prediction.

Semin is in the best shape of his life and is entering the prime of his career. He will reach the 45 goal plateau and, if he stays on his current pace, will break 50. I expect him to sign with the Capitals for $6.5-$7 million a season for at least five years. If we are lucky and Semin truly wants to stay and play alongside Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin for the remainder of their decade-long contracts, he may take a hometown discount and sign for $6 million a season for a longer contract.

Bottom line: I don’t see Semin leaving the Capitals. Period.

Photos: Alexander Semin rookie year, and Semin and Alex Ovechkin from Getty Images; Semin with Lada Togliatti from The Associated Press; Semin with Khimik from the team’s official team site; Semin portrait by Kyle Christy Photgraphy.

Former NHLer and newly acquired CSKA Moscow forward Slava Kozlov says he hasn’t had any problems adapting to his Russian club.

- I had been preparing to my comeback to Russia.  When I played for Atlanta I already planned to try myself in the KHL. It turned out that in the end I got back to CSKA — to the club which I had left 18 years ago. So I don’t have any troubles with adaptation in Russia.

-I’m surprised by the new league. The KHL has a very high level of hockey. Organizational issues in the CSKA are OK, too. We have all the conditions to show our best game.

Photos and interview (c) official CSKA website.

On October, 4, SKA played against Carolina in the show game “KHL vs NHL”. It was a nice show, with lots of goals and fights. SKA won 5:3.

St. Petersburg coach Ivano Zanatta explains to IIHF.com:
“This meant a lot to the national hockey pride of Russians. The Olympics left a scar in the Russian hockey soul. What we did tonight was to start mending that scar a little bit,” said the Italo-Canadian who is entrusted with the monumental task of jelling this star ensemble into a cohesive group.

His counterpart was also quite happy with his team’s performance, but not with the way the SKA, according to Paul Maurice, took liberties with some of his star players.
“In the NHL when players have an issue they are allowed to solve it by themselves,” said the Hurricanes coach. “And then you continue to play. But this is not possible in international hockey, there is a different tradition.”

This is the second time that an NHL-team will face a KHL-club. In the inaugural Victoria Cup on October 1, 2008, the New York Rangers rallied from a 3-0 deficit to defeat European club champion Metallurg Magnitogorsk, 4-3, with Ryan Callahan netting the winner with 20 seconds remaining. The game was played in Bern, Switzerland, reminds the IIHF website.

Here are some photos, taken from championat.ru, sovsport.ru and other open sources

One of the most prominent Russians in the National Hockey League, Vyacheslav Kozlov, will play in the Kontinental Hockey League this year. The Russian press reports Slava has signed a one-year contract with CSKA Moscow.

Kozlov will swap his trademark No. 13 jersey for No. 72. He joins former NHLers Stephen Valiquette and Yan Stastny, and former Ottawa Senators prospect Ilya Zubov on the Red Army team.

A two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Detroit Red Wings, Kozlov was the last member of the vaunted “Russian Five” to play in the NHL. His signing with CSKA, however, reunites him with fellow Russian Fiver Viacheslav Fetisov, who is the club’s president.

Photo: Vyacheslav Kozlov by Goddess Kaatiya. Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved.

Russian hockey stars Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Ovechkin organized a charity game “With all the heart” in Moscow’s Sokolniki Arena. All the money will be sent to people who suffered from the recent forest and other fires in Russia. The original idea belonged to Ilya.

Many famous current and former players took part in the Ovie vs Kovy game including: Evgeni Malkin, Nikolai Zherdev, Slava Kozlov, Alexei Kasatonov, Slava Fetisov, Alexander Kharlamov, and Dominik Hasek. Many top Kremlin officials, KHL President Alexander Medvedev and various celebrities were in attendance.

Kovalchuk and Ovechkin invited their first coaches to participate in the game as managers.

After the game Kovalchuk admitted that it had been a pleasure for him to play at Sokolniki — at his home arena (where HC Spartak Moscow plays). He also said he and his family had suffered from the Moscow smog. For those who haven’t heard, the city of Moscow and its surrounding areas were recently blanketed in smoke from fires burning near the city, as the Russian capital endured extraordinarily high summer temperatures.

Ovechkin said that such charity activities should be developed in Russia. He added that he had been in the Moscow smog, too.

Former Atlanta Thrasher Slava Kozlov admitted he hadn’t defined his future career yet. He asked not to link his visit to Russia with contract talks — his purpose there was to visit his parents. Kozlov also said that the New Jersey Devils didn’t call him — only Kovalchuk asked him to join.

Here’s a video from the show which ended 13:13.

And here are photos from the Russian media and various open sources