We’re headed back to the Kontinental Hockey League for this week’s fight. A fight between Mirasty and Gillies was featured at the end of October.

Luckily for us and our Friday features, they met again. Sans bad mohawk.

» Continue reading “Friday Fisticuffs: Jon Mirasty vs. Trevor Gillies”

Our Thursday morning features aren’t just about stunning good looks. you know. We can appreciate a hockey player with impressive skill and other qualities. This is our monthly salute to these men for those other qualities, even if they may not be the best looking in the bunch.

This week we’re doing things a little differently. Pavel Datsyuk is the award winner, but you can’t convey his skill through photos. To truly appreciate the insane magic he creates when he touches the puck, you need to see it for yourself.

» Continue reading “The Hawt Trophy: Mr. Congeniality Pavel Datsyuk”

The lockout’s impact is even being felt here on Friday Fisticuffs. There have been no new NHL fights since May. This can’t sit well with devotees of the pugilistic arts. What are we to do?

Make like NHL players and head to the AHL, ECHL, and KHL of course!

» Continue reading “Friday Fisticuffs: Lockout Special”

This week’s Hawt Trophy is going to a player that we’re sad to see heading off to Europe. Sami Lepisto most recently played for the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2011-12 season. He announced on his Twitter that he’s headed to play for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the coming year. While we’re sad to see him go, we can’t help but be proud that he is going to play a part in rebuilding Lokomotiv.

Enjoy!

» Continue reading “The Hawt Trophy: Sami Lepisto”

They’ve done it again! The Kontinental Hockey League has taken another gigantic step back in the development of it’s league that it claims it is trying to make the best in the world.  A new KHL rule states that unless a North American player has played at least 80-120 games in the NHL, they will be ineligible to play in the KHL.

This league isn’t a hockey league that is truly trying to challenge the NHL.  It has proved time and time again that it is merely trying to prove Russian superiority in the game of hockey.  There is already a rule in place that limits the number of non-Russians on each team to three.  The other 17 players on each team must be Russian citizens.

By limiting their intake of players, the KHL is only hindering the amount of talent it will provide.  They are allowing pride to get in the way of truly challenging the NHL and for the world to have a second great hockey league.  It is an “us against the world” mentality that is ultimately holding them back.

This new rule prevents the KHL from taking advantage of young talent that is given up on in North America.  It prevents them from deepening their teams with career AHLers who could never quite make the jump.  It only prevents them from taking the next step as a league.

If the KHL were to open it’s boarders, it could be a breakthrough.  Imagine the champion from the KHL playing the champion from the NHL in a World Series of Hockey.  The series could alternate between being held in the United States and Russia.  It could breed a new excitement to the game that, at the moment, we only truly get every four years with the Olympics.

But it’s only fun if the KHL can compete.  By putting nationality ahead of talent, they are only hurting themselves and their credibility as a professional sports league.