Translated material
With the name Gagarin
The organizers of the new hockey league have reached the finish line
A meeting of clubs participating in the new hockey league, the KHL, took place. There, the new regulations were read out to team representatives. If anyone has questions or complaints, they must send amendments three days in advance. The regulations must be approved on March 15.The mood of the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus, who is also the president of the Hockey Federation of his country, Vladimir Naumov, changed hourly. “I don’t think we are able to enter a team for the next championship,” he said. “It’s simply impossible in three or four months.” But we have no problems with money. We will find the required $10 million a year to pay the players.” After the meeting, the tone of the statements was already different. “In a week, I can already say for sure whether the Belarusian club will be in the KHL,” Naumov noted. “But I think there is a 90% chance that such a team will be announced.”
If for some reason the Belarusians were not worried about the problem with financing, then the Latvians who came to visit were embarrassed by the fact that the players of their team had to be paid at least 10 million. “We have the highest contract - 100 thousand euros,” complained Kirill Lipman, President of the Latvian Hockey Federation. “And for this money we can recruit a combat-ready team.” Let us not use the lower ceiling.” “We’d better help you with sponsors,” the head of Rossport, Vyacheslav Fetisov, did not support him. -- It would be wrong if your players receive less than elsewhere. In the future we are going to organize a general draft, and such distortions are completely unnecessary.”
Representatives of Russian clubs were happy with everything. “Personally, I don’t have any questions about the new league,” said Mikhail Golovkov, president of Dynamo HC. — I am ready to pay what the KHL requires. Ready to open a budget. I’m not going to motivate players with secret payments.”
Subsequently, only minor disagreements arose. “Our teams of different ages involve three or four people,” said the director of Traktor HC Isaac Valitsky. “Is it possible to make sure that they are not taken to commercial tournaments?” They didn’t meet him halfway. In general, in all matters regarding national teams, the KHL decided to meet the Russian Hockey Federation (RHF) halfway. Players will be allowed to participate in tournaments unconditionally, and clubs will begin to reward them for training such athletes.
In other matters, the new league is in complete discord with the FHR. The organizers of the new tournament are not going to include in the regulations a clause on a complete ban on foreign goalkeepers in the championship. And in two or three years all restrictions on foreigners will be lifted. FHR holds different views.
A meeting of the KHL Organizing Committee will take place next Saturday under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Naryshkin. And all the dots will be put there. By the way, no one is going to give up control over the management of the league to the FHR. Representatives of the federation will receive two votes when making decisions (seven people will vote in total). “I think that there will be no problems with Vladislav Tretyak,” says the head of Rossport, Vyacheslav Fetisov. “We are doing a great job, and we cannot put a spoke in the wheels of an organization that has support at the highest level.”
If the FHR takes a step back, then the division draw will take place in two weeks. All participants of the current super league plus Kazakhstan's Barys and Yekaterinburg's Avtomobilist will play in the new tournament. The clubs will be divided into four divisions, but each will face each other at least twice. Following the results of the regular season, the Gagarin Cup will be played. “Gagarin is a man of peace,” they explain their choice in the KHL. “And foreign clubs only welcome such a name.” But no one even wants to think about what will happen if the FHR stubbornly refuses to delegate the rights to host the tournament.