Yardbarker: Alexei Yashin

The buyout effect

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:11:29 -0500

He hasn't played in the NHL since '07, but Alexei Yashin is still a drain on the Isles' payroll. The Hockey News looks at the buyout effect.

Save the Owners From Themselves. Again.

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:19:25 -0500

John Grigg has a great piece looking at how much teams are spending on buyouts. The most startling stat he reveals is that Alexei Yashin is the second-highest paid Islander, even though Yashin now plays in the KHL. It just serves as a reminder that the NHL, as well as other sports leagues, can either save [...] Related posts:Owners: ‘Save Us from Ourselves’NHL Owners: ‘We Complain About Contracts We Negotiate. Is That a Problem?’Owners: ‘24% Raises For Everyon...

Greatest hockey players in Ottawa history

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 12:32:12 -0500

Howdy from the nation's capital. Today I take a look at the 10 best players in Ottawa pro hockey history. This list includes both original and present-day players from Ottawa HC and the Senators. 10. - Jason Spezza - '02-'09 One of the most dynamic offensive players in Senators history, Spezza has earned a right to be considered one of the best ever. In six seasons with the Sens, Jason has amassed 418 points for 3rd all-time in club scoring. His 1.03-point per game averag...

NHL's Top 50: Jason Spezza (No. 34)

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:00:00 -0500

by Adam GretzFiled under: Senators, NHL Fans, NHL VideosFanHouse's Adam Gretz takes a look at his top 50 players in the NHL. No. 34 is Ottawa Senators forward Jason Spezza.Alexei Yashin's career in Ottawa may have been tumultuous and relatively disappointing, and he may be one of the most loathed figures associated with Ottawa sports, but he did give Senators fans this: it's because of him, and the maniacal dealings of a former New York Islanders general manager, that the Senators...

Oh Dany (Heatley) Boy

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 22:20:29 -0500

Alexei Yashin. That's the first thing that entered my mind when the new broke that Dany Heatley is seeking a trade from the Ottawa Senators. For those who have forgotten, Yashin held out for a new contract not once, not twice, but three times before the Senators were finally able...

KHL All-Star Game Goes Outdoors. NBC Universal to Broadcast

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:28:22 -0500

There is more hockey to be played on an outdoor rink from a historical site. Universal Sports presents live broadcast coverage of the first-ever Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) All-Star Game between Team Yashin and. Team Jagr, this Saturday at 8 a.m. ET from Red Square in Moscow. Team Yashin, featuring Russian-born players and led by former New York Islanders center Alexei Yashin, will take on Team Jagr, made up of players from the rest of the world and captained by former Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers star winger Jaromir Jagr."With the excitement of last weekend's Winter Classic still fresh, the idea of top international hockey stars playing under the stars in Red Square in Moscow is something that shouldn't be missed," said Universal Sports' David Michaels.COVERAGE ON UNIVERSAL SPORTS: Universal Sports, available in 30 million homes, will present a live broadcast on its 24-hour television network from 8:00? 10:30 a.m. ET and a same day encore presentation from 11:00 p.m. ? 1:30 a.m. ET. COVERAGE ON UNIVERSALSPORTS.COM: Universal Sports will offer a free, global live webcast on UniversalSports.com starting 8:00 a.m. ET. The game will be available for on-demand viewing. COMMENTATORS: John Ahlers (play-by-play), the television voice of Anaheim Ducks and Brent Severyn (color commentator), Ducks radio analyst, will call all the action from the Universal Sports studio in Los Angeles. MICHAELS ON THE BUZZ FACTOR: "This particular game is what Universal Sports is all about. This kind of exciting international event that in the past hasn't had a place to air. With the excitement of last weekend's Winter Classic still fresh, the idea of the top international hockey players playing under the stars in Red Square in Moscow is something that shouldn't be missed," said David Michaels, NBC Emmy Award-winning producer and head of Universal Sports production. Source: NBC Sports ? OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK Oakland A's Enter Partnership with Rakuten Baseball Inc. of Japan - The Biz of Baseball Brewers Enter Major Sponsorship Agreement with Casino - The Biz of Baseball MLB Network Reportedly Coming to Canada as "Baseball TV" - The Biz of Baseball Royals Report that Kaufmann Stadium Renovation on Schedule - The Biz of Baseball Finalist for Cubs Sale Could Be Selected Any Day - The Biz of Baseball Piling On Clemens - The Biz of BaseballFinal Bidder For Chicago Cubs Could Be Selected in 7 to 10 Days - The Biz of BaseballBowl Game Audiences Grow Eight Percent on ESPN and ESPN2 - The Biz of FootballNBC Sunday Night Football Sees Key Ratings Gains from Last Season - The Biz of Football ESPN to Air First College Football Game from New Cowboys Stadium - The Biz of Football 225 Million Fans Watched NFL on Television Games This Season - The Biz of Football A Detailed Look at the BCS System - The Biz of Football Super Bowl to Broadcast "Monsters v. Aliens" Commercial in 3D - The Biz of Football Chargers - Colts Wild Card Game Highest Rated WC Since 1999 - The Biz of Football NFLPA Pars List of Finalists for Exec. Director to Under 10 - The Biz of Football Monday Night Football: Most-Watched Series on Cable for 2008 - The Biz of Football Reebok Makes Statement with Shoes You Can Write On - The Biz of BasketballESPN Swaps Announcers for Pro and College Games - The Biz of Basketball NBA on TNT: Comments from Wizards/Cav and Blazers/Mavs Games - The Biz of Basketball NBA.com to Stream Entire NBA Development League Showcase Online - The Biz of BasketballUniversity of Oregon?s New Arena to be Named After Phil Knight?s Son - The Biz of Basketball NBA Signs Deal With Harlem Globetrotters - The Biz of Basketball SGN Releases iBasketball for iPhone - The Biz of Basketball Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer.Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Hockey site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see

Nashville's All-Star, sort of

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:12:05 -0500

Well, at least one Nashville Predator is leading the All-Star balloting; too bad it's for the KHL All-Star Gamea?? This from today's KHL press release: After one week of fan voting for the inaugural KHL All-Star Game to be held Saturday, January 10, 2009, outdoors in Red Square in Moscow, ...

WAG No. 236: Carol Alt

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:12:31 -0500

Eighties supermodel who refuses to hang up her skimpies

In the 1980s, Americans loved three things: big hair, Chevy Chase films and supermodel Carol Alt. The latter spent most of that decade married to New York Rangers star Ron Greschner, but has since shacked up with Alexei Yashin, a Russian ...

Wanna see some 47 year-old Carol Alt boobs?

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:20:41 -0500

Well step right the hell up then... because the one-time supermodel and serial hockey WAG (married and divorced former New York Rangers player Ron Greschner, currenly dating Russian hockey player Alexei Yashin) Carol Alt has taken it all off for that magazine run by that guy named Hugh something... While I know these have been airbrushed she still is a rather fetching lady for a 47 ...

The Islanders' Dilemma: The Bizarre Ownership History of Charles Wang

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 13:59:44 -0500

In the grand tradition of larger-than-life New York sports impresarios, Charles Wang is running his organization his way. He has never apologized for his approach to building a business. Whether in sports or in the computer world, Wang has gone about it in an unorthodox manner. Questionable decisions are nothing new for Wang's Islanders, as the New York press has deemed the team's front office as "The Long Island Lunacies." For years, Wang has employed Mike Milbury to run...

NY-area Teams Must Look Elsewhere w/ Souray Gone

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 23:00:28 -0500

The Rangers, who are near the salary cap, have been rumored to be attempting to free up space all week long in order to add Souray. As of this morning Carolina and New York newspapers have been reporting a move which would send Matt Cullen back to Carolina in order to free up space as a near done deal. It will be interesting to see if a move is made now that the Oilers have grabbed the point-man. In addition to rumors of the Rangers attempting to move Cullen there has been speculation they will try to dump either Marek Malik or Paul Mara as well. They are still looking for an impact blue-liner. The Islanders viewed Sheldon Souray as a missing piece to getting back to the playoffs. A task which could be out of reach since their retooling started with the buy-out of Alexei Yashin and since things have not exactly gone to plan. The Islanders lost offensive defenseman Tom Poti to Washington this summer and will need to replace his points. The Devils seemed to be the most obvious of the three as they need an impact blue-liner after unexpectedly losing Brian Rafalski to the Detroit Red Wings. Souray was drafted by the Devils in 1994 and played there for 3 years until he was traded for Vladimir Malakhov. The thought of bringing Souray back was attractive although he does not quite fit into their defensive system.

Are Isles Better or Worse?

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 16:26:36 -0500

The Islanders had their team picked apart during free agency. Ryan Smyth, Jason Blake, Viktor Kozlov, and Richard Zednik all left shortly after the team parted ways with Alexei Yashin for salary cap reasons. Between those 5 players the team lost a total of 126 goals. Despite what seems like a significant hit GM Garth Snow seems optimistic. 'If you look at our team now compared to what we had, the potential to get goals from our forwards is far greater than what it was last September,' He told Newsday. 'Quite honestly I think we're better.' The new players scored a total of 41 fewer goals than the players they are replacing.

2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs Signal the End of Hockey...and We Give You the New 4th Sport

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 04:41:25 -0500

It's official. America is now a three sport nation. The NHL was taken off of life support, evident by its 0.6 Television Rating for game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Anaheim Mighty Ducks (Led by Teemu Selanne and that Goldberg kid who farts a lot) and the Ottawa Senators (presumably still led by Alexei Yashin and Alexander Daigle...

Yashin's Exit Could Open Door for Smyth, Peca

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 16:28:50 -0500

According to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, league sources have indicated that impending free agent Ryan Smyth had let it be known that he "would not consider re-signing with the Islanders if [Alexei] Yashin remained with the team for even a portion of the remaining four years of his contract." So much for the theory that the buy-out was engineered to appease the fans. Brooks also reports that former Islanders captain Michael Peca could look to return to the Island and reunite with head coach Ted Nolan, for whom he played in Buffalo. Peca played last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and like Smyth, is an impending free agent this offseason. Peca, too, could be swayed by the buy-out of Yashin. The pair did not mesh well during their tenure together.

Fans Get Their Wish: Isles Buy-Out Yashin

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 14:04:01 -0500

As recently as May 18th, GM Garth Snow backed Yashin, calling him "a vital part of the organization" despite the fact that Islanders fans had organized a petition and letter-writing campaign aimed at persuading owner Charles Wang to cut ties with the unpopular forward. Newsday columnist Mark Herrmann calls the move "the biggest victory in years" for Islanders fans, and praises Wang for listening to the pleas of his paying customers.