The IIHF’s website has become a de-facto promotional arm for the KHL, a European league whose ever-politically-motivated rivalry with the NHL may or may not have caused them to bake their radar guns a bit to ensure that Denis Kulyash broke Zdeno Chara’s fastest shot-ever record at the KHL’s All-Star Game. Today, IIHF.com’s Denis Gibbons allows KHL president and SKA St. Petersburg president Alexander Medvedev to suggest that the KHL’s new junior league, the MHL, isn’t just an attempt to prevent junior-aged players from ever earning the opportunity to play in whatever league they want to by linking their rights to KHL teams until 16-to-21-year-olds turn 28--instead, of course, the MHL is a bastion of sanity which protects young Russian players from the predatory tactics of those evil, exploitative meat grinder that is Major Junior Hockey:
Alexander Medvedev, president of the KHL, said Russian player agents, who are sending young players to North America, are making a big mistake.
“Of the 150 players who left Russia to play junior and in the minor leagues, only five per cent managed to stay in hockey at all,” he said. “Many agents are just hunting for some quick bucks. We should take a lesson from U.S. college hockey, where agent activity is forbidden.”
Sure, because it’s totally not about the KHL’s bottom line...and Sergei Fedorov of all people goes so far as to suggest that the MHL protects players from being “forced” to turn pro early thanks to its up-to-21 age limit. Fedorov in fact suggests that the KHL’s de-facto AHL should expand its age limit:
Continue reading "‘KHL is Best NHL,’ epoisode 2: KHL’s junior league promotes ‘good of the game’"
Original Story:
http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php...
