Proposed European NHL Announced

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Le Golie

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Jul 4, 2002
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Shaky is right. With the way the globalization is sweeping the world, it's only a matter of time - but this isn't the right time. The NHL itself needs to focus on rebounding in North America before it can look at being part of developing a European version.

If this story had legs it would be much bigger than a blurb on a Russian hockey site. Canadian media would be all over it.
 

gialloneri

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Aug 4, 2005
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Seems to me like it's some form of bluff or posturing caused by the IIHF disagreement, as the proposal itself, while an interesting idea, looks to be full of holes.
 

KRM

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Jun 9, 2005
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Gothenburg
I didn't read the whole article but it will never work. Some teams could have a good financial situation but there's no big attendace. If they want a european NHL they need Finland, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Chezch Rep, Slovakia in there too.
 

Mogo

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Jun 26, 2002
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I hear they have/will write a contract about NHL stanley cup winner vs european tournament winner game. Atleast the rights to broadcast the game in Finland have been sold even tho nothing is solid yet :biglaugh:
 

TORRUS

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May 31, 2004
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Beli
It sounds nice and might happen one day but I think that Fetisov should actually try to improve the situation in the federation and not dream about a league that would include teams from China and Korea... :shakehead

RHF desperately needs Fetisov and Larionov to lead the way!

What I think would be great and what would help european hockey a lot is a champions league just like in football! I would use the same system like in football. European champions cup in this form sucks big time!
 

sveiglar

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
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The thread title is misleading. Unless I'm reading the article wrong, this is much more of a WHA thing (ie rival league) than an NHL-endorsed Euro league. The Russians are trying to build a new league that will encompass all the old-Soviet countries and perhaps eventually more of Europe and Asia. They say they want to be equal to the NHL, but clearly they'd rather be the bigger player.

This will need way more money than just Roman Abramovich's piggy bank to get off the ground.
 

Kimi

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Jun 24, 2004
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Newcastle upon Tyne
This league is nothing do do with the NHL. It's a league being set up by the Russians to try and build some compertison to the NHL, trying to even up the gaps in money and there for talent.

If this thing gets going, there will be other teams signing up. There would be teams from the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweeden and other places jumping on. Threre is a better market here for hockey then un America, so I think it can do no worse that the failing NHL teams. All it needs is a few big money teams to come in and draw other investers into the league and I feel it really could compeat with the NHL.

I'm wanting this to happen so much. I think one of the key points is "the NHL started out with just 4 teams from Canada". This isn't going to just jump out and say 'Hi, were just as good as you.' or anything. It's going to take time. It's getting my vote 100%.
 

roryb

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Jul 20, 2005
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I don't see any way that this would get off the ground successfully by next year, or the year after, but it will happen somewhere down the road.

With the salary cap now, European clubs can pay more for the top end guys. Now, I doubt you'll see Canadian or American guys going over, but guys like a Jagr, a Datsyuk, Yashin etc. would be able to make more money at home.

Also, the second tier guys that will get paid 3-4 million would probably get a bit more in Europe.

Again, I don't think it'll be a success soon at all, but somewhere down the road a NHL rival league or and NHL-friendly league will open up in Europe, as there is definitely a market there.

Maybe that will be the legacy of our next Commissioner?

As for now, they have to be worried about rebuilding in the U.S. though.
 

kdb209

Registered User
Jan 26, 2005
14,870
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roryb said:
I don't see any way that this would get off the ground successfully by next year, or the year after, but it will happen somewhere down the road.

With the salary cap now, European clubs can pay more for the top end guys. Now, I doubt you'll see Canadian or American guys going over, but guys like a Jagr, a Datsyuk, Yashin etc. would be able to make more money at home.

Also, the second tier guys that will get paid 3-4 million would probably get a bit more in Europe.

Again, I don't think it'll be a success soon at all, but somewhere down the road a NHL rival league or and NHL-friendly league will open up in Europe, as there is definitely a market there.

Maybe that will be the legacy of our next Commissioner?

As for now, they have to be worried about rebuilding in the U.S. though.

Currently a few Euro (only Russian really) may be able to outbid the NHL due to cap constraints - particularly on ELS players and up and coming, but not established players like Datsyuk.

But Russia is not immune from great disparity in budgets (which was the basic cause on the NHL lockout), and the new proposed league will have, gasp, a salary cap.

The deep financial crisis that ravaged Lada not that long ago actually propelled the owners of Superleague teams to come to realize that a new hockey league would serve as a remedy from the problems that are slowing down the development of hockey in Russia. Another Fetisov’s interview appeared in Soviet Sport on October 14th. He was asked questions about the EAHL (Euro-Asian Hockey League) project again. He said that Lada crisis was provoked by the so-called budget race in Russian Superleague and there would be more bankrupt teams in future. He said there would be financial stability in the new league and a higher level of organization. Fetisov informed the newspaper there would also be a salary cap which would be determined by the team owners.

...

President of the Spartak supporting fund Igor Shabdurasulov provided his comments on the project in Soviet Sport. He explained the mechanisms of the economic success of the new league, which would include inviting new international and transcontinental sponsors by adding CIS teams to the league, effective management of television rights, precise legal mechanism and equality with the NHL in terms of contracts and player transfers, creating a professional and legally accurate regulation system to avoid problems with referees and escapes of players from one team to another, a salary cap which would put an end to the ‘budget race’ which kills financial stability in the league and finally, the draft system.

Can a PA and a lockout be far behind :)
 
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