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UPD: KHL independent from IIHF, season finish on May 31: impact on hockey

vorky said:
It's fascinating how European hockey officials are helping the KHL and Russian hockey. Either they are stupid or Russian agents. :D The KHL has not been successful to do this move since 2008-2009. Now, they did it with a huge help from European partners.

You need to understand what is happening now. That is not so easy as it seems to be. Even Tardif just said: "No comment." Finally he got it. Sadly for him, it is too late.
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They are stupid of course, like everyone who is not on your side as usual.

Tell me however, so now Russia is playing their playoffs in May. So what? What is supposed to be this big deal over which Tardif should cry in his pillow? How is that a problem for him?
 
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Caser said:
Salaries in the Kazakhstan league are about the same as in the VHL while the level is a bit lower, it's very hard for me to imagine that a simple political "magic wand" decision can instantly fix that to make KHL-level players want to stay there.
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It's just a question of paying the players relevant to the national team enough so that they are always available for the national team which is evidently a priority as far as their sports investment goes. Elevating the level of the league as a whole is just a bonus and does not need to mean anything more for the general wage level of the competition. Although overall the league could very well be a medium-sized one not far behind the likes of Slovakia or Austria.
 
Kshahdoo said:
Barys will finish its season 1.5 months before WHC starts not 2.5 months, that's the only impact. As to other players, I doubt a lot of them will get to Gagarin Cup finals.
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I still think their goal will be making the playoffs (otherwise what's the point in even playing in the KHL) and with that kind of schedule the KHL playoffs will start in April (just in case, the WC start on 10th of May). And not only the Gagarin Cup finals will be still played by then, but also the Conference finals.
 
Caser said:
I still think their goal will be making the playoffs (otherwise what's the point in even playing in the KHL)
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Even if so, making playoffs is a terrible goal itself (even purely from math standpoint when only 7 out of 23 teams doesn't make the playoffs), but we all know that Astana (and Minsk) just makes up the numbers and are not realistically fighting for anything.
 
vorky said:
It's fascinating how European hockey officials are helping the KHL and Russian hockey. Either they are stupid or Russian agents. :D The KHL has not been successful to do this move since 2008-2009. Now, they did it with a huge help from European partners.
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Do you even care to explain what this means to Russian hockey or KHL. Okay, they will now play in May? What sort of a success even is this in your eyes? What tangible benefit for whom is there. Top 4 Russian team players will have shorter vacation? Anything else?
 
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xyzed said:
the difference is, Russians would die to play WCH again
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Who are these Russians who told you that?

No, seriously, Russian players obviously like to represent the Team Russia, but just look at the last Russian rosters, I mean you seriously think someone "would die" to play with Timkin, Shvets-Rogovoy and Bocharov?
 
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Caser said:
Who are these Russians who told you that?
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Let's face it, top brass of the Russian sports would since WHC, the way it functions, it's still an opportunity for them to flex their status as [once] great power. Still looks good on the mantel.

And with most, if not all, soft power projects like VTB league ir KHL more or less busting as far as their intended purpose goes, those opportunities are getting more and more scarce.
 
Caser said:
Who are these Russians who told you that?

No, seriously, Russian players obviously like to represent the Team Russia, but just look at the last Russian rosters, I mean you seriously think someone "would die" to play with Timkin, Shvets-Rogovoy and Bocharov?
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To my eye.. it felt like the top Russians always showed. I was always jealous. Caps would be eliminated and Ovy flew in next day.
 
SoundAndFury said:
Let's face it, top brass of the Russian sports would since WHC, the way it functions, it's still an opportunity for them to flex their status as [once] great power. Still looks good on the mantel.

And with most, if not all, soft power projects like VTB league ir KHL more or less busting as far as their intended purpose goes, those opportunities are getting more and more scarce.
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After the Tretiak era for these guys it is just business and noone in their sane mind would be desperate about the business - I mean, look at Rotenbergs, who are in charge, do they look like someone who "would die" for that? If Tretiak was still in charge - yeah, I'd say it would be still a big thing for him, as he is from the old school passionate guys, but these times are long gone.

Czechboy said:
To my eye.. it felt like the top Russians always showed. I was always jealous. Caps would be eliminated and Ovy flew in next day.
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They did in general, as I mentioned, Russian players really like to represent the NT, but noone made a big deal if they weren't invited, at least in the recent years. Compare that to the roster omissions on the 2010 and 2014 Olympics when it really was a huge deal or even to the top player omissions on the World Junior roster or to the Bykov's times when he would ignore Bryzgalov - a different caliber stuff.
 
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The Rotenbergs would only escalate further and leave the IIHF altogether if it improved their own standing.
 
Albatros said:
The Rotenbergs would only escalate further and leave the IIHF altogether if it improved their own standing.
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Maybe, but in this particular situation it is not profitable for them, so they are against that, but there are other powers too (hence this KHL decision).
 
What the mere mortals in this thread who are foolishly dismissing this with a "who cares" are failing to comprehend is that while the rest of the hockey world aimlessly spuddles away, the KHL has just brilliantly executed another important step in fulfilling its' destiny as a Pan-European league and a legit peer to the NHL.

All hail the KHL!
 
vorky said:
It's fascinating how European hockey officials are helping the KHL and Russian hockey. Either they are stupid or Russian agents. :D The KHL has not been successful to do this move since 2008-2009. Now, they did it with a huge help from European partners.

You need to understand what is happening now. That is not so easy as it seems to be. Even Tardif just said: "No comment." Finally he got it. Sadly for him, it is too late.
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Weird, for some reason you seem salty for something you are so happy about.
 
Not at all! For Canada and the USA it doesn't matter anyway. The best Finns and Swedes outside of NHL/AHL play in Switzerland, Sweden and Finland. Best Czechs outside NHL in SHL, NLA, Extraliga, Liiga. The best Swiss outside the big pond in NLA. Best Germans outside NA in Germany and NLA etc.. Russia is closed indefinitely anyway. What's the point of panic? :nod:
 
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Lambo said:
Not at all! For Canada and the USA it doesn't matter anyway. The best Finns and Swedes outside of NHL/AHL play in Switzerland, Sweden and Finland. Best Czechs outside NHL in SHL, NLA, Extraliga, Liiga. The best Swiss outside the big pond in NLA. Best Germans outside NA in Germany and NLA etc.. Russia is closed indefinitely anyway. What's the point of panic? :nod:
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As I already mentioned earlier, there is Kazakhstan, also Slovaks definitely have quite some players in the KHL (no idea what's their current position on the KHL players though, as I saw some debates on twitter, but didn't fully understood those), also some from Germany, France and Slovenia. Also there are players from Czechia, Sweden and even Finland, but in those cases their position is quite clear (although they also would be among the best players outside the NA).
 
Caser said:
As I already mentioned earlier, there is Kazakhstan, also Slovaks definitely have quite some players in the KHL (no idea what's their current position on the KHL players though, as I saw some debates on twitter, but didn't fully understood those), also some from Germany, France and Slovenia. Also there are players from Czechia, Sweden and even Finland, but in those cases their position is quite clear (although they also would be among the best players outside the NA).
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Pulkkinen couldn't make Team Finland over mediocre Liiga players even when he wasn't excluded.
 
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Albatros said:
Pulkkinen couldn't make Team Finland over mediocre Liiga players even when he wasn't excluded.
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Yes, to be fair I shouldn't have included him, however he is still relevant to the "Russia is closed indefinitely anyway" argument.
 
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