Plans for a new Russian hockey league continue to roll along with former Soviet stars Vladislav Tretiak and Slava Fetisov lending their support to the idea.
Tretiak, as president of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, has signed an agreement with billionaire businessman Alexander Medvedev “to create the rival league by April 15,” according to Bloomberg News.
Fetisov, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, was quoted on the Russiatoday website endorsing what will be called the Continental Hockey League and include teams outside of Russia.
“At the moment, the top players will continue playing in the NHL because they believe it’s the best league in the word,” Fetisov said. “But if our league gains the same status as our North American counterparts, the new Ovechkins, Kovalchuks and Datsyuks will stay here because they’ll be playing in a very competitive and financially competitive league.”
Fetisov said the new league will also stage a draft like the NHL.
“If we’re able to draft players from the various European leagues, Canadians added to our talent in Russia, we’ll definitely be a serious contender to the NHL. Also, thanks to the combined financial help of the state and businesses we’ll be able to create a very strong league, which will be no worse than our counterparts in North America.”
Medvedev has told the Russian media that the natural-gas exporting company Gazprom “and six other state-run companies plan to make an initial investment of $6 million each in the league.” Again, that’s an initial investment and with Gazprom valued at $304 billion, money doesn’t appear to be problem for Medvedev, who serves as the company’s deputy chairman.
Meanwhile, as the CHL moves ahead, the NHL continues to do nothing but wish the new circuit good luck. As for the NHL trying to hammer out a new player transfer agreement with the Russians, those talks remain colder than a Siberian winter.
