KHL, NHL, Russian Prospects and Team Russia

After Evgeny Grachev, also Vyacheslav Voinov won't be freed up by his NHL team for the upcoming 2010 World Junior Championship. The young defenseman, property of the Los Angeles Kings, is playing in the AHL for the Manchester Monarchs.

According to Sport Express, the Russian Hockey Federation received today a fax which explained that both Grachev and Voinov can't skate in the WJC as they will be busy with their North American clubs. Team's head coach Vladimir Plyuschev added that the IIHF can't have a role in the matter.

On the other hand team Russia, which is having a training camp in Novogorsk, has been joined by North American based Dmitry Kostromitin and Anton Klementyev.

2010 NHL Entry Draft Eligible Maxim Kitsyn scored four goals in six matches in the 2009 Subway Superseries. He talked about his performances in this challenge, his impressions of Canada and about his chances in the upcoming WJC in an interview with Sport Novokuznetsk.

RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation.

The rebirth of the European Champions Cup was discussed at a conference with IIHF leaders and the seven biggest European hockey nations in Stockholm, Sweden. Russia has been represented by Russian Hockey Federation’s president Vladislav Tretiak.

One of the most important decisions that have been taken has been the termination of the agreement with the marketing company Ovation, which run Champions’ League’s inaugural season. The new partner will be the Infront company, which has been organizing World Championships for 20 years. Probably now we can really talk about CHL’s revival. In the two months that separate us from the Olympics in Vancouver Infront, IIHF and the national federations will have to develop the cup’s project and business model.

According to Sport-Express, the new formula will differ from the CHL’s first and last edition. The new project should abandon the home-away match series, all the games would be played in St. Petersburg – which already hosted the European Champions Cup some years ago – during one week. The new tournament will see a clash between the champions of the top European six leagues.

IIHF plans to increase the number of participants by two. Russia, Sweden, Czech Republic, Finland, Slovakia and Switzerland will send there the national champions, while the other two teams will be the top two seeded from the Continental Cup, the annual tournament which showcases champions from nations being not in the Europe’s top six. ECC’s future edition will feature two stages. In the group stage the eight participants will be split into two groups of four and they will play one match against the group opposition teams, and the top seeded team from the two groups will face each other in the European Champions Cup finals.

Viktor Tikhonov, loaned to Severstal Cherepovets of KHL by the Phoenix Coyotes of NHL, gave an interview to the official KHL site.

He talked about the reasons behind his decision to leave for Russia, his converstaions with Gretzky in Phoenix and the fact that he can spend only one year in Russia after which he will have to return to America.

RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation.

Dynamo Moscow players had to use Moscow underground to reach the Luzhniki arena in time for a game against Ak Bars Kazan.

Most of Dynamo players were driving to the game in a club's bus but due to a traffic jam they had to leave the bus and use metro. Only the players who used their cars got to the arena beforehand and skated in the pre-game warm-up. They players who used metro joined their partners in the locker room after the warm-up.

"All of our players are in the locker room right now, preparing for the game," said Dynamo coach Igor Zhilinskiy to Gazeta.ru minutes before the game.

The game start wasn't delayed.

"As usual, we left our base for the game 3 hours before the starting whistle. Normally it would take us 40-45 minutes to get to the arena. But this time we had to leave the bus one hour before the game and use metro due to heavy traffic jams. I accompanied the players in metro and looked after the Finns, Swedes and Czechs so that they wouldn't get lost, " said Zhilinskiy in an interview to Sport channel after the first period.

Dynamo defeated Ak Bars 4:2, two goals were scored by Linus Omark, who prefered the KHL to the NHL past summer. Former Red Wings forward Jiri Hudler amassed 2 assits.

"Should we always get to the games by metro from now on? We should think it over. Today was the first time the Swedes saw the metro. And they liked it," said Dynamo head coach Andrei Khomutov in an interview to Sport channel after the game.

It is not the first time when players in Moscow have to use metro to get to the game in time. In 2006 Spartak Moscow football players used underground too.

In the interview posted on KHL official site, SKA St. Petersburg's Sergei Zubov talks about the differences between the NHL and the KHL, gives his opinion on personal awards and compares veterans' and youngsters' contribution to a team's success.

RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation of the interview.

Viktor Tikhonov, who was loaned to Severstal of the KHL by the Phoenix Coyotes, scored two goals in his debut game.

Tikhonov spent on ice 17:56, had 7 shots on goal and a +2 rating. His Severstal faced HC MVD and won 5:3.

"I missed Russia and our hockey very much," said Tikhonov after the game. "Two goals in a debut is a great start, as for me. I'll try to keep up the pace. Of course I wanted to score but I didn't have to try hard because it's easy to score with such partners as mine. It didn't take me long to adjust to the game as the team's roster is almost the same as it was when I left for the North America. My grandfather (famous coach Viktor Vasilievich Tikhonov) was at the game today so I dedicate these goals to him! I will find out if they took the puck for me and then I'll give it to my grandfather."

After being a healthy scratch in the last few games with Dynamo Moscow, former Phoenix Coyotes, Calgary Flames, Ottawa Senators and CSKA Moscow player Oleg Saprykin has been traded to SKA St. Petersburg for hot prospect Igor Makarov.

Makarov was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round of the 2006 NHL Draft as 33rd overall pick. The quick winger participied to the Hawks' training camp a couple of seasons ago, but decided to get back to Russia after he failed securing a roster spot within the main team and apparently refusing to play in the AHL.

This year Makarov's role has diminished a bit because of SKA's depth and thus he scored only three goals in twenty-five matches. Saprykin's season has been disappointing as well, with only four markers in twenty-one regular seasons clashes.

Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals took part in a photo shoot for Men's Journal.

The photo shoot took place last September in New York.

The photo will appear in the December-January issue of Men's Journal.

Below is a video of the shoot:

Not wearing his Capitals jersey Ovechkin nevertheless looks nice in a suit. But then again, is there anything Ovechkin doesn't look good in?

21-year-old Russian defenceman, Vladimir Zharkov of the New Jersey Devils scored his first NHL point.

On 4 December, 2009, in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning Zharkov assisted to Niclas Bergfors to give the Devils a 2-1 lead.

So far in the 2009-10 season Zharkov played 3 games having average 13 minutes TOI, 1 assist, 2 PIM, 6 SOG.

Video of Zharkov's assist:

In this exclusive RussianHockeyFans.com interview, New York Rangers' prospect, 19 years old Evgeny Grachev confirms that he won't go to the WJC, talks about his AHL experience and hints that he isn't going to follow Nikita Filatov's route and bolt back to the KHL.

Alexander Ovechkin gave an interview to Anna Nasekina of Sovetskiy Sport in Montreal where his Capitals faced the Canadiens. Ovechkin talked about being a caveman, not caring about what others think of him, the Olympics, girls, and a lot of other funny stuff.

RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation.