Alex Ovechkin has struck a deal with Moscow Dynamo of the KHL. As of today, Ovie is practicing with his new team after signing a deal worth around $5.7M. This lockout sure is brutal for these poor players, and guess what – it’s TAX FREE. According to KHL rules, all NHL players coming over can make up to 65% of their NHL salary. Ovechkin made a deal that will pay him more, according to Steve Whyno of the Washington TImes.
As an avid Washington Capitals fan, I am hurt by this lockout, as most fans of hockey are. The NHL and NHLPA can potentially rob us of a season again – and for what? Money? A few percetage points?
Courtesy: Pavel Lysenkov
35 players have signed overseas so far in the past week since the NHL closed its doors and pocketbooks. Evgeni Malkin, Sergei Gonchar, Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Datsyuk and future rookie Nail Yakupov all signed in the KHL, Joe Thornton and Rick Nash signed with HC Davos in the Swiss League, Pekka Rinne is signing in Finland, Jason Spezza signed in Switzlerland, and so on. As one anonymus GM said, “Let ‘em go. The players think they are threatening the owners by signing contracts in Europe. In fact, what they’re showing is they don’t have a lot of stomach to remain together in this fight. And that’s what we expected.”
It’s what I expected, too – especially from Ovechkin. The players are being babies about this whole thing. Mind you, I hate the owners, too, and I’ll believe when I see it when they say they give a crap about the fans and the game. The players, however, are shooting themselves in the foot by signing these huge contracts to play a few games (hopefully only a few) in the KHL or any other elite league and then complaining that they aren’t making enough money over here. I don’t know about you, but I’m alittle tired of all this hypocrasy.
JUST PLAY HOCKEY. It’s a (expletive) SPORT!
As I was researching Ovie’s sacrafice, I came across Puck Daddy, Steve Wyshynski’s article and found some light. There is a good story in all this, one that’s inspriational and deserves the spotlight in my opinon. Patrik Berglund of the St. Louis Blues has signed a contract with Västerås of the Swedish Allsvenskan League – and he signed for FREE.
Berglund grew up playing youth hockey for Västerås IK and played for Västerås for three years before joining the Blues in 2008. In honor of his time there, and to re-pay them for all he learned and experienced, he isn’t accepting a dime. I think that’s amazing. That’s what sports is all about and I hope all the youngsters over there look up to Berglund instead of somemone like Ovechkin.
The CBA still isn’t close to being completed, or even started, but I guess that doesn’t matter for someone like Ovechkin who looks like he’s jumped ship for now. In the next few days, we’ll see more players heading over to Europe to get ready for the KHL, Swedish Elite, Finnish League, and other Euro leagues’ season to start and the NHL will just go right along as planned with empty seats.
