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Post by Eric - Washington GM on Aug 7, 2006 14:36:00 GMT -5
Evgeni Malkin made it official today, signing a 1-year deal with Crap-Face RSL team. Thus sliming the chance that Malkin may never play in Pittsburgh, if the team were to move. Russia sucks (even the people who had no involvment with the issue). www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=173542&hubname=Also, Arthukin...? I'm on a roll...
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Post by scruffy on Aug 8, 2006 15:05:13 GMT -5
Crap-Face RSL team.. good one. I don't see the logic behind claiming "Russia sucks" .. It makes perfect sense for them to keep their top players playing in their leagues. And if you think the Russian league sucks, you're way off bud.
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Post by ianintheam on Aug 8, 2006 20:51:32 GMT -5
russian leagues don't suck...it's the entire country that sucks.
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Post by Eric - Washington GM on Aug 8, 2006 22:31:05 GMT -5
My main problem with the situation (and yes I know it's much more complicated) is that Russian teams want to keep individuals from persuing their career further. That is what I find highly annoying.
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Post by scruffy on Aug 10, 2006 16:30:14 GMT -5
These players shouldnt be signing long term contracts with professional teams then. If they want to "persue their career further" (by that I'm assuming you mean the NHL), they should be making that decision at a young age and playing in the North American junior systems.
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Post by Eric - Washington GM on Aug 10, 2006 17:48:06 GMT -5
I'm sure if it were that easy, it would be done. And instances of these contract negotiations have been there for years and years. Federov (is the only name I know for certain), tverdovsky and possibly a few others have all experience pressure from the league and mob when playing over in the NHL due to the way the RSL reacts to players wanting to be in the NHL. I can't remember the whole story, but there was a piece on the issue in ESPN the magazine a while, while back. I'm sure its not that easy, otherwise a lot more players would do it.
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Post by scruffy on Aug 10, 2006 18:09:59 GMT -5
The reason a lot of players don't do it is because it's a MAJOR change. I'm talking about a 16 year old Russian coming over to play in the CHL. The kid wouldnt see his family for a good 8 months or so, and would be thrown into a completely different way of life where everyone speaks complete jibberish to him. There are a few kids that do it, but it's rare because it's such a culture shock to a young little lad.
My main point is that you cannot blame a Russian team for not wanting to let Malkin go. We're talking about letting the best player in the league leave your team for something like 200K? They'll make more off of vodka sales at a single hockey game with Malkin playing then having him leave for that pitty price.
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Post by Eric - Washington GM on Aug 11, 2006 18:48:02 GMT -5
I understand your point completely, but the RSL should grow up, and start acting like football (soccer) clubs do when they lose star players and just accept that it's a part of the game. Although it happens a lot more in football, and there are way more leagues. It's been happening for a while, they should get used to it.
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Post by scruffy on Aug 11, 2006 22:17:09 GMT -5
Errr.. be more like soccer? I hope that was a joke. Soccer works way differently. They don't have drafts or trade players... they sell and buy players. I believe it was Andriy Shevchenko that was sold for something over 20M dollars not too long ago. Russian hockey is actually using soccer as an example for the compensation they should be receiving for their players.
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Post by ianintheam on Aug 12, 2006 16:37:31 GMT -5
HAVE YOU SEEN ME?$200,000 Reward for anyone with information on his wherabouts. Last seen carrying a passport and 2 bags of hockey equipment out of a hockey rink in Sweeden. Please return our baby to us. And if you are in the Russian mafia, please don't kill him or his family. Thank You
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Post by scruffy on Aug 12, 2006 16:53:44 GMT -5
LOL. This is too funny.
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Post by edmontongm on Aug 13, 2006 0:24:14 GMT -5
I posted this to a similar conversation in another league...
Here's the thing. The top Russian hockey clubs are owned by individuals that have money to spend on sport (Russian Army, Roman Abramovich, Lada/Porsche, etc...) Russian teams view transfers differently then the rest of the major European hockey federations. The other Euro hockey federations do not pay their players near what the Russians pay (and that's not near what the NHL pays). Russian clubs can pay mid-tier guys like Fred Brathwaite as much or more than they make here. So some guys have no incentive to leave. With the Russian Federation also wanting comparable funds to soccer transfers (Shevchenko's club - Dynamo Kiev - got roughly 25 million for a transfer...players of similar calibre like Evgeni Malkin would demand similar money in a similar transfer scenario) and the Russians view it as a financial boon to trade money. Malkin's club under the NHL structure gets like 300k. What benefit is there for the Russian club to give up, when he's under contract, and when the time comes...what benefit will there be to Malkin if his Russian club is willing to pay 4 million or 5 million US to keep him? He can stay at home, be the star of the league, and make the same money. Yes, it's not the best league in the world, but it is the 2nd best. And sometimes that's all that matters.
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Post by ianintheam on Aug 13, 2006 7:33:02 GMT -5
I think my favorite part of the story is the fact that he has opened one restaurant in Magnitogorsk designed to resemble a russian jail, complete with bars on windows, aluminum forks, waitresses in striped prison uniforms, and portraits of soviet dictators. He has said he would like to open similar restaurants in other russian cities. I sure hope someone is following Malkin with a video camera, filming a reality series. This shit is stranger than fiction, and funny as hell. I work at the Pittsburgh International Airport, I'll let you guys know if I see him
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Post by Eric - Washington GM on Aug 14, 2006 3:46:17 GMT -5
The reason a lot of players don't do it is because it's a MAJOR change. I'm talking about a 16 year old Russian coming over to play in the CHL. The kid wouldnt see his family for a good 8 months or so, and would be thrown into a completely different way of life where everyone speaks complete jibberish to him. There are a few kids that do it, but it's rare because it's such a culture shock to a young little lad. My main point is that you cannot blame a Russian team for not wanting to let Malkin go. We're talking about letting the best player in the league leave your team for something like 200K? They'll make more off of vodka sales at a single hockey game with Malkin playing then having him leave for that pitty price. On 2nd thought, didn't you just re-iterrate my point on how hard it is for young foriegners to want to play in the North American system to get a better grasp on the culture for their begining of their potential NHL Career? Anywho, I'd much rather them see adopt a soccer-style transfer agreement, even though it would mess up the current CBA. I think teams deserve to get compensated fully, Malkin is worth $20+ million and should be paid for that provided he leaves prior to contract. I don't think teams should hold onto players that want to leave, which is what is happening here. And in the NHL's case, the RSL wants to opperate under soccer-style transfers which doesn't bode well for many NHL teams. Oh well, be careful of who you draft. This is one example of both transfer systems not really being able to work, since both teams can't agree. Metallurg looks like they'll sue the Penguins, and I can't blame them. I would in their shoes. But at the same time, the RSL needs to realize that many players don't want to stay there. Otherwise there wouldn't be as many of them in the NHL-system. Amount of rebuttals to my first joke in this thread as being taken seriously, 5. and counting... Amount of twists this story has taken, 6. and counting... $1 says he plays in the NHL this year.
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Post by ianintheam on Aug 15, 2006 22:50:03 GMT -5
Do you think that they are keeping Malkin safe in the same bunker that they kept Dick Cheney in for months after 9/11?
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Post by scruffy on Aug 16, 2006 2:05:04 GMT -5
Someone is going to get rich off of this story in a few years when they make a movie of it.. hahaha
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