Double Olympic ice hockey champion Vyacheslav Fetisov answered the question of the correspondent of “”, under what conditions Togliatti “Lada” in the KHL will be able to repeat the sensational success of “Vegas” in the NHL.
The Vegas Golden Knights entered the NHL in 2017 and this week the Nevada team won their first Stanley Cup. This year, the Lada returns to the KHL.
– “Vegas” owner Bill Foley, who joins the NHL, made a statement: “We have to win the Stanley Cup in six years.” And the Golden Knights did. Can such a story suit us? The same “Lada” is able to win the Gagarin Cup in six years?
— This will be possible in our realities if we accept the principle that sport is an equal opportunity for us. Then “Admiral” (Vladivostok) will win and “Metallurg” (Novokuznetsk). But for this you need to remove unnecessary ambitions and make this principle the most important.
The most interesting thing is that this principle makes it possible to win. And you remember when NHL clubs came into the league in the early 90s, they paid about $50 million in fees. How much did Vegas pay to join the NHL? $450 million! Moreover, “Seattle” has already paid 650 million dollars. Now they are discussing a new club, they are talking about a sum of around a billion. In other words, people know how to count money. They have invested a lot, but they will do it, give it back and win from above. There is a sporting principle, equal opportunities, fantastic competition. All this allows the sports business to develop.
I think it’s time for our hockey to consider all these points. And especially in this situation in which we find ourselves. And the regions will have the opportunity to compete with Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Just for us, the principles of the National Hockey League in these conditions can be very correct. We have to return the draft – so that we cannot train a hockey player who played in another team. What is the basis of the NHL, which today continues to progress rapidly. When I came to America, the hockey league was in the top ten in terms of popularity, commerce on the continent. And now the NHL is number one or two. That says a lot, – said Fetisov in an interview with .
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
