When Hannes Björninen beat Ivan Fedotov early in the third period of the gold-medal match for Olympic hockey in Beijing, Fedotov probably had hoped he might get a shot at redemption soon. Björninen was having a strong debut season with Jokerit, while Fedotov was continuing his dominance with CSKA in the KHL.
Their teams were seeded number two and three, respectively, and looked destined to meet in the second round of the playoffs. Just days later, Jokerit would forfeit its series with Spartak and permanently depart the KHL. This summer, Fedotov — who would go on to win the Gagarin Cup with CSKA — returned to headlines for reasons many had thought ended shortly after Alexander Mogilny.
Plenty of stories have been told, and it would be very easy to write a book about the many intrigues of Russian hockey. In the Soviet days, pretty much all of the elite players were tied to the army. It is what ratcheted up tensions on the ice and led to some off-ice escapades that could have been from a Le Carré novel. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Russian hockey took some strange turns. In 1992 in Albertville, the Unified Team (for which Russian athletes played) carried on the tradition of greatness. The nineties were chaotic in Russia, but the new century saw some progress. That applies to the ice and off of it. Players exited en masse to play in the NHL. It was great for hockey as a whole, but not as much for the Russian system.
The impact of the 2004-05 NHL lockout on European hockey might be underrated. Players scattered to various leagues. It impacted the caliber and the fan interest. This was especially the case in Russia. Some of the country’s big stars had returned. Other NHL players joined them as well. At that time, the local pro entity was still known as the Russian Super League, and it finally had superstars.
When it rebranded to the KHL in 2008, it was partially an attempt to further legitimize the league. Yet, it would take more than just a name and new logos to do that. It was obvious that European hockey was growing in popularity, and players throughout Europe were proving they were as good as Canadians. Naturally, Russia wanted to prove that it was the king of the continent. When it landed Jaromir Jagr in 2008, it was comparable to when the NHL finally lured Viacheslav Fetisov and Mogilny over. The league’s legitimacy was entrenched.
Over the years, it has kept attracting plenty of North Americans, ranging from overlooked talents to former NHL stars. Just as importantly, it kept trying to incorporate other countries. In its 14-year existence, it has iced teams not only in Russia but also in Czechia, Slovakia, Croatia, China, Latvia, Finland, Belarus and Ukraine. For various reasons, teams have come and gone. The collective peaked at 29 organizations. The KHL has always been fluid.
When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, it changed a lot of things. Certainly, many more important things have been impacted. However, the hockey world was not left unscathed. For starters, one of its renowned participants was suddenly toxic. Russia’s national teams were banned from tournaments, and the scheduled world junior tournament was relocated. Yet, European hockey also will be disrupted.
Jokerit and Dynamo Riga immediately withdrew from the KHL. Their home countries of Finland and Latvia have had their own tiffs with Russia over the years. So, theirs was an easy choice to side with their peers in the European Union and NATO. Dynamo was rarely a threat in the league, but Jokerit consistently was one of the top teams. For one of its top players, former Yale standout Brian O’Neill, reality changed quickly. O’Neill had just finished his own attempts at a medal in Beijing. He was a new father. Now, he was going to need a new home.
“When I got back from the Olympics, I had three practices, and then it was canceled. It kind of happened all of a sudden for me,” O’Neill, now 34, said.
It was not the first time Jokerit had pulled itself out of the KHL playoffs. As COVID was shutting the world down, the KHL decided to power through and finish its postseason. Jokerit skipped. However, it was quickly clear this time would be different. After six stellar seasons in the Finnish capital, O’Neill became an unexpected free agent.
“Once a couple weeks pass, you get that sense that it was going to be the last time Jokerit would be in the KHL. I think that’s where it started to set in. It’s kind of a delayed grieving period,” he said.
The players got little say in the affair. Among many other reasons, on an immediate level, the owners of their home arena were two Russian oligarchs. Sponsors backed out, leaving the team without an arena. O’Neill admitted he wouldn’t play for a different team in Finland, and playing for Jokerit next season is not an option. While the team hopes to rejoin the Finnish Liiga for 2023-24, it won’t be able to jump in right away. The team still has to sort out its arena situation. Beyond that, some lingering resentment that Jokerit ditched the league a few years ago might compel some owners to hassle any attempt to rejoin.
Ultimately, O’Neill has taken his game to Switzerland, where he signed with Zug. That is a league that might benefit from the black mark on the KHL. The Russian league might get the slight vote as best league outside of the NHL, but the NLA is in the conversation, too. If the quality of competition is a touch lower, the quality of life sure isn’t. Many players aspire to Switzerland given its beautiful landscape, the easy travel, the good living for them and potentially their families. Conveniently (and before the Ukrainian war), the NLA had decided to increase the number of “imports” allowed on rosters. Starting this fall, that number will now be seven.
From that Jokerit team alone, four players have signed in Switzerland. Most of the others have stayed closer to home in either the Finnish Liiga or the Swedish SHL. That is the first ripple effect. Without a reputable option in their home country, players from Dynamo Riga (mostly Latvians) won’t have such a convenient option. They have scattered a bit more widely. Of course, some teams will be happy to welcome some experienced, high-end talent. Yet, it has made European hockey a buyer’s market.
A LOOK AHEAD: Here are 6 things to watch in boys prep hockey in 2022-23
Former New Haven Nighthawk and New York Ranger Bill Lochead spent a long time playing in Europe and now works as an agent and advisor for players over there. He doesn’t feel the shakeup will be as strong as it could have been. For one, teams often delay signings.
“They’ll keep a card open or a couple cards open. For two reasons: one, they want to see what the roster looks like, and two, some guys that fall through the cracks at NHL training camps become available. A really good player they can get in October, November which would not have been the case in the middle of the summer. Every team’s got their own strategy.”
So far, Lochead appears correct. Sweden and Finland announced that any players who continue to play in Russia will be ineligible to represent them at international events. This compelled many to depart. That is a major blow, as numerous top players in the league hailed from those two countries. However, not every skater was scared off by the threat.
Canada and America haven’t made a similar threat, although it is likely implied. Regardless, it would have carried more weight pre-Olympics. At this point, it really affects only a player’s chance to play in the world championships. For most guys, that is slim anyway, as the rosters are mostly laden with NHL players. Multiple Canadians and Americans who are signed for next season have decided to take the gamble.
Even prior to this season, NHL and KHL relations made it risky to draft some Russians. Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild has made headlines lately as well. He was a late-round pick. Part of the reason he fell so low was no one expected he would come quickly to North America (and he didn’t). The Fedotov drama (he had wanted to come over here and compete for a spot with the Flyers) indicates that Russia — either the KHL or the government — might not make it easy for players to emigrate. Some thought it might impact the NHL draft. Apparently, teams were not intimidated. Six Russians were taken in the first two rounds, indicating that the uncertainty hasn’t scared everyone yet.
While freedom of movement worries haven’t seemed to set in, Lochead believes the economic situation is always worth monitoring. Unlike soccer, oligarchs aren’t as abundant in hockey ownership, but Jokerit proved there is some of it. More relevantly, sponsorships are a key part of league revenues. Not that many utilized them, but it’s pretty much a guarantee no Russian companies will be seen on the boards of European rinks. Yet, external factors could enter the equation. How will winter impact the European economy? COVID shut down the EIHL in the UK for a year because it wouldn’t be financially viable. It’s tough to imagine that again, but smaller-scale ramifications could happen.
“Right now, things are stable,” Lochead noted. “The teams, they have their sponsors all lined up. Their budgets are set for ’22-23. That means the salaries are, to a certain degree, guaranteed. If there are some issues with the economy, it’s going to more affect the ’23-24 season.”
RINKWISE PODCAST: Quincy College coaches detail growth of new program
It’s tough to imagine Russian payments can be called guaranteed. Even before recent events and the isolation of the ruble, there have been reports of occasional issues on that front. Clearly, the league is still offering good money, though. In Lochead’s opinion, players should be careful signing there.
“I’ve always been skeptical of the countries where there is not a very clear black and white legal jurisdiction. You need to have a Russian agent to sign with a team over there. In Central Europe … I can rely directly on the legal jurisdiction and the courts to be satisfied that if the contract is written up properly then it’s as good as a contract in North America. In Russia, I’d be advising a player to get a good chunk of the money up front.”
Hockey in Europe always carries a degree of unpredictability. Teams fold. Relegation or elevation is part of the reality in a lot of places. Long-term deals like ones seen in the NHL are a rarity. So, on some level, playing over there carries a degree of risk. As long as the war in Ukraine rages, the risk will be a little different. So far, many players still seem motivated by the reward.
