Sports: Eastern exodus - New Russian hockey league draws Czech players and, very soon, whole teams

By František Bouc Staff Writer, The Prague Post November 5th, 2008 issue Jaromír Jágr's move to Siberia underscores the power Russia now wields to drain the local talent pool of its greatest players. Czech hockey league Extraliga agreed in late October on a new pact with five other European leagues meant to form a joint front in limiting the flight of players to wealthy North American teams, but the agreement was also meant to counter a newly assertive challenge from Russian clubs.Representatives of top-flight hockey leagues from the Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and Slovakia joined forces to fight off the hunt for players staged by powerhouse hockey organizations from the National Hockey League (NHL) and, newly, Russia’s Continental Hockey League (KHL). The European leagues fear that the American and... [read full story]