Thursday, March 28Every Day Is A Great Day For Hockey

KHL News and Interviews

KHL video highlights: Week 13

KHL video highlights: Week 13

KHL News and Interviews
KHL video highlights: Week 13 (Photo © khl.ru) Best moments of the Week 13 in the KHL, brought to you by RT.com. Includes goals by Alexander Avtsin, Mikhail Anisin, Maksim Sushinskiy and Vyacheslav Fetisov's comeback. In case you wonder who is this small player in a dark-blue #22 jersey -- it's Mikhail Anisin of Sibir Novosibirsk.
David Ling: “KHL is in between AHL and NHL”

David Ling: “KHL is in between AHL and NHL”

KHL News and Interviews
David Ling: "KHL is in between AHL and NHL" (Photo © hcamur.ru) During an interview with Nova Scotia newspaper The Chronicle Herald, Canadian player David Ling, who's playing for Amur Khabarovsk, was asked about the difference in the level between NHL and KHL. Ling: "[The KHL] is in between the AHL and NHL. Many good players, though. Just a different game." He also stressed the difficulties of playing on a team whose nearest competitor is more than 3,000 kilometers away. Ling: "The travel is crazy where I am. The closest team is a six-hour flight. It feels like we are always on the road, even when at home, because we’re battling jet lag. It’s hardest being away from family. They are most important to me. It’s lonely here. I am either at the rink or at my apartment." David Ling is curr...
KHL Marketing vice president: “CHL lacked professionalism”

KHL Marketing vice president: “CHL lacked professionalism”

KHL News and Interviews
KHL Marketing vice president: "CHL lacked professionalism" (Photo © IIHF) On November 25th, the official KHL-TV program "Ledoviy Kontinent" examined the reasons behind Champions Hockey League's failure through an interview to KHL Marketing department vice-president Ilya Kochevrin, who claimed that the main problem was the lack of professionalism. He also stated that he still hopes to work on a joint solution with the IIHF to resurrect the competition. RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation: Dmitri Derunets: We are now going to talk about the Champions’ league prospects. What’s your opinion about the project? Ilya Kochevrin: This is a complicated question. There is a part of the question which is prerogative of KHL president, but as one of the persons who contributed to the CHL’s f...
Martin Gerber’s injury not so serious

Martin Gerber’s injury not so serious

KHL News and Interviews
Martin Gerber's injury not so serious (Photo © boeboda.ru) Swiss goalie Martin Gerber, who was hospitalized yesterday with a neck injury, underwent advanced examination Monday morning. Fortunately it didn't confirm the preliminary diagnosis "compression fracture of the fourth cervical vertebra". According to the new information Gerber has spinal contusion and recovering will take weeks, not months. "When Gerber was delivered to the Podolsk hospital he underwent examination that didn't show any fractures. Monday morning computed tomography confirmed there was no fracture but rather a spinal contusion," said Atlant's doctor Andrei Bagdasaryan to Sovetskiy Sport. "According to the doctors, Gerber's recovering will take weeks and not months. Thus there is no need in searching for a new goalie...
Martin Gerber hospitalized with a serious neck injury

Martin Gerber hospitalized with a serious neck injury

KHL News and Interviews
Martin Gerber hospitalized with a serious neck injury (Photo © khl.ru) Swiss goalie Martin Gerber, who past summer left the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL to play for Atlant Mytischi of the KHL, was hospitalized after suffering a serious neck injury in a game against Vityaz Chekhov on December 13. According to Russian site lifesports.ru during the second period a Vityaz forward ran into Gerber. As a result Gerber ended up lying on the ice. After being tested by the team's doctors Gerber was put on a wheel stretcher and taken off the ice. He was sent to a Podolsk municipal hospital where he was diagnosed with a compression fracture of the third cervical vertebra. "The injury is very serious, Martin can forget about hockey for the next 6 months," said one of the hospital's doctors, ...
Vyacheslav Fetisov: “I think that one game is enough”

Vyacheslav Fetisov: “I think that one game is enough”

KHL News and Interviews
Vyacheslav Fetisov: "I think that one game is enough" (Photo © Sportbox.ru) Vyacheslav Fetisov's sensational comeback didn’t save CSKA from a home defeat against SKA St. Petersburg in a game that saw Maxim Sushinsky score his 300th goal. RussianHockeyFans offers you a translation of what Fetisov said after the game to the Russian TV channel “Sport”. “I feel really good. It was a bit sentimental, starting with the hymn and going on. I’m a happy man today. I’d like to thank all the fans that attended the game, all the persons and the guys that I played with today. This was an unforgettable game for me. Thank you all! The game was good, the guys showed a good character in the third period, we came a little short… I wish I could drop about 15 years, to be of more help to the team. The feelin...
KHL » 51-year-old Vyacheslav Fetisov to play for CSKA in KHL

KHL » 51-year-old Vyacheslav Fetisov to play for CSKA in KHL

KHL News and Interviews
51-year-old Vyacheslav Fetisov to play for CSKA in KHL (Photo © khl.ru) Yes, it's not a joke. CSKA Moscow is having problems as a lot of it's players are injured. Yesterday, after the game against Atlant CSKA's head coach Sergei Nemchinov said that he had offered CSKA president Vyacheslav Fetisov to help the team. They gave Fetisov one day to think it over and apparently he agreed. This is what the team's press attache Natalia Masyakina had to say to RIA Novosti (in Russian): Fetisov agreed to play for CSKA. Now we are working on the documents and if there are no problems he will be able to play on Friday against SKA. Nothing can be said about the length of his contract at this moment. News is also confirmed on the official KHL site (in Russian). CSKA has provided all required document...
IIHF alleged to replace Champions League with European Champions Cup

IIHF alleged to replace Champions League with European Champions Cup

KHL News and Interviews
IIHF alleged to replace Champions League with European Champions Cup (Photo © IIHF) 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 develo...
KHL » Viktor Tikhonov: “I will have to return to America next year”

KHL » Viktor Tikhonov: “I will have to return to America next year”

KHL News and Interviews
Viktor Tikhonov: "I will have to return to America next year" (Photo © khl.ru) 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. - Why did you decide to return to Russia? - One of the reasons is my contract with the Coyotes. There is a clause that if I get sent to the AHL during the first two years, I have a right to play in Russia on a loan basis. After two months in the farm-team I decided to use this right because I think that hockey level in the KHL...
KHL » Dynamo Moscow players used metro to get to game in time

KHL » Dynamo Moscow players used metro to get to game in time

KHL News and Interviews
Dynamo Moscow players used metro to get to game in time (Photo © khl.ru) 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...