Lokomotiv Attempts to Closer NHL for Former Players
Lokomotiv Hockey Club of Yaroslavl addressed the Court of New York in an effort to close NHL for its former strikers, Andrey Taratukhin and Alexey Mikhnov. But the chances that the court will uphold Lokomotiv are very slim, the analysts speculate.
Strikers Andrey Taratukhin and Alexey Mikhnov left Lokomotiv late summer following the pattern generally used by hockey players to withdraw from the clubs in Russia. Never minding the current contracts, Taratukhin and Mikhnov wrote letters of resignation and headed for North America.
Quite soon, Alexey Mikhnov sealed a contract with Edmonton Oilers and Andrey Taratukhin started playing for Calgary Flames. Lokomotiv rebuffed in no time. To begin with, it addressed the Hockey Federation of Russia, seeking disqualification for the players, and was predictably upheld there.
But Russia’s disqualification is hardly means a lot to Alexey Mikhnov or Andrey Taratukhin or to their clubs in NHL. The thing is that NHL doesn’t recognize the contracts of Russia.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Oct. 19, 2006
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