Some people really have to calm down.
KHL never will be able to compete for players or market share with the NHL. That's for sure. And I also think it's not their aim.
The KHL already competes for players. Of course it's not even a close thing now, but as soon as the NHL fails in soem way there is a KHL gain. Without the KHL Kovalchuk, Radulov, Jagr or even Sobotka plaing in Russia wasn't an option.
The KHL and the NHL cover completely unconnected markets. There will never be a competition there.
What about arrogance? The arrogance the Russians and the KHL show towards the other European hockey leagues is far worse than anything that comes from the NHL towards KHL.
Words. No evidence. Where is that "arrogance"? I can't see it. Europeans always fear Russia and they never can live with the fact Russia is strong in any way. That's the true root of it. That's where all the russophobia and lies about Russsia come from. The problem lies with the Europeans. There is no wrong attitude on the russian side whatsoever.
If Russians wouldn't completely overpay regular players and throw out millions of dollars every year for a product not much better than the rest of Europe offers, nobody would even talk about that league outside of Russia and Belarus.
Are you a marxist? That's capitalism. If a russian league is able and willing to through whatever money they want at players, they are free to do so.
The product is not much better? The players think diffrent. Yes, they are all payed by Putin personally to say so, right?
Whether you like it or not, to put it plain an simple, in all those years the DEL for example wasn't able to create a watchable product. The level of hockey I know fairly well is just bad. I wouldn't watch it. Don't tell me it's comparable to the KHL. It's not.
former Soviet occupied areas .
That's pretty telling. Hate on.