Many NHL super-stars are shining bright once again. Following the recent lockout, many players have migrated to European hockey leagues to make use of their talents.
The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), founded in 2008 and based in Russia, has attracted a multitude of star NHL players in lieu of the lockout. Constant updates on league news and player signings are posted to the league’s twitter account, @khl_eng.
A Swiss hockey league, the National League A (NLA) was founded in 1999 and also has garnered a lot of attention from locked out NHL players.
Many players who have signed within these leagues are returning to hometown teams that they have played on before, while others are joining for the first time. Regardless of the player’s prior experience, there are many differences to get used to including the rink size, league format, and season lengths, all of which varies from the common NHL standards.
Certain star players have adjusted quite well to their new surroundings.
NLA team HC Davos signed Rick Nash, the Rangers’ left wing as well as San Jose’s center, Joe Thornton. In their debut NLA appearance, on Sept. 22 versus the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers, the duo proved their worth. Nash got a hat-trick and Thornton posted four points.
Both of these former NHL forwards played for HC Davos during the 2004-2005 lockout, helping their team to win the NLA league championship.
Over in the KHL, Alexander Ovechkin seems to have settled in just fine with his team, Dynamo Moscow. Thus far, Ovi has played in three games, recording two assists and one goal in a shootout.
During a match on Sept. 26, Dynamo won 3-2 over Ak Bars Kazan, the current leaders of the KHL Eastern Conference.
Former Penguin Evegny Malkin scored a goal and had two assists in his first game in the KHL. Malkin’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk won 6-1 over Lev Prague, the current leaders of the KHL Western Conference.
Many hardcore NHL supporters believe that there is a possibility that the lockout will end sometime mid-season, but some players may not want to leave their current situations overseas.
Along with their contracts, players in the NLA are provided with vehicles and a place to stay, as reported by online sports forum, www.sbnation.com. Many players have taken the lockout as a chance to return home, while some players are simply enjoying the change of scenery.
Others fear the changes that will be made to the NHL in order to pass a collective bargaining agreement, such as cuts in salaries across the league.
As reported by Greg Wyshynski, Alexander Ovechkin told Russian news agency RIA Novosti, “If our contracts get slashed, I will have to think whether to return there or not. I won’t rule out staying in the KHL, even past this season.”
