Ohhhhh snap. Looks like those pesky Russian hockey guys are getting the protective feeling that Hockey Canada got when they cut off the flow of top end European goalies to the CHL.
Yep, that move has worked out well hasn’t it? Ummmmmm incase the CHL didn’t notice there’s a kid in the NAHL that could have gone major junior who is a top end NHL pick named Matej Tomek . Good enough to be a fifth round KHL draft pick at 17, and heading to NCAA D-1 North Dakota at 18. Nahhhhhhh the CHL couldn’t use a kid like this.
But I digress……
So yeah, the Russian hockey leaders in all their infinite wisdom have decided to close off the top Russian junior league, the MHL, not only to non Russian teams, but now they wont have any non Russian players!
Yep. Stupid is as stupid does.
While the composition of the league has not been determined yet, the number of teams is set to shrink from the 39 teams it included last season. It’s also planned that only junior teams of KHL clubs will be allowed to play in the MHL, which means that several Russian teams may have to leave the top junior league as well. Among those fighting for survival is Sakhalinskie Akuly, the team that joined just one year ago from the Far East island of Sakhalin that is now also in danger of being cut off from the MHL map.
But hey, that may not be the end of it because a few KHL teams that are outside of Russia may go to Court over the issue. Yes, I said they may go to a Russian Court!!!! Ha Ha Ha
Lets all hope old President Putin doesn’t have an axe to grind with any of those teams or the missing persons reports filed may rise exponentially.
So yeah, for those that don’t remember how the Russian isolation policy effected them for a century, it didn’t work out so well. But hey, its only hockey right? I mean why allow free people, and free thinking people to have a choice where they play? I don’t think they would be taking this course if a ton of Canadian and American kids wanted to play junior hockey in Russia.
Ahhhhhh yes. That international love for the game. Ummmmmmm yeah, while your thinking about that can anyone pass me a rocket launcher?
*The Death Pool is a mix of comedy, and satire in connection with recent events. It is not an official report of current events although it may look as though the news is so accurate that it could one day happen or may be happening.
