Defining The Right Thing

The Nashville Predators have suspended Alexander Radulov (above) and Andrei Kostitsyn for Game 3 on Wednesday night against the Phoenix Coyotes for violating team rules.
MARK HUMPHREY/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Suspending Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn for Game 3 was a painful decision for Nashville GM David Poile and head coach Barry Trotz.

But the next one will be even harder.

Let's say the Preds get their act together at home on Wednesday and get their first victory in this series over the Phoenix Coyotes.

Then what? Put the talented truants back in for Game 4? Leave them out and risk being pushed right to the brink without them?

And what if Phoenix wins Game 3? Would Borat I and II then return to try and jumpstart an improbable come-from-behind effort?

Tricky questions indeed that lie ahead. This is not to say that suspending the two dummies for the third game was an error. It was certainly the morally correct move, and its easy to sense that while breaking curfew was the violation, it underscored a larger concern that Radulov and Kostitsyn weren't exactly laying their hearts and souls on the line in this playoff series.

Radulov, of course, is a slippery fellow who walked out on a signed contract with Nashville before. You simply cannot count on him beyond today, and Poile and the Nashville franchise had to hold their noses to bring him back this season, particularly while knowing he has only returned to finish the final portion of his entry level contract and possibly strike it rich this summer.

Kostitsyn, brought it at the trade deadline, was dogged for years in Montreal by suggestions he was, well, a dog. Lots of tools, no toolbox.

Did bringing them in infect the Predators dressing room? Sure didn't seem that way at all in the first round while Nashville was handling Detroit. 

But even in today's NHL when players routinely play the tail wagging the dog, it seems unthinkable what they pulled the other night.

So they sit. But then what? And what, beyond this story, does this contribute to the future of Russian players and players from former Soviet republics (Kostitsyn is from Belarus) in the NHL at a time when their North American value has already dropped drastically in recent years?

Columbus got burned by Nikolai Zherdev and Nikita Filatov, or at least the Blue Jackets investment in those players did not yield substantial dividends. We all remember the Alexei Yashin soap opera in Ottawa and massive buy-out in Long Island. The KHL pilfered Radulov and is pushing hard to get other young Russians to stay home, using the NHL's entry level contract structure against it. Washington's 19-year-old blue-chip prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov, reports say, has decided to stay with Chelyabinsk for two more years. There's been chatter Winnipeg's Alexander Burmistrov might be on the KHL's radar. Alexander Ovechkin has gone from Washington superstar to headache, a player who declined to participate in the all-star game, and on Monday night played the lowest minutes he's ever played for the Caps without being injured or kicked out of a game. New Jersey went out on a limb to sign Ilya Kovalchuk, and while he was a better player this season, he hasn't come close to giving value for the dollars he has received. Oddly, the Devils were dominant Tuesday night without Kovalchuk in winning Game 2 against Philly.

At the other end of the spectrum, Evgeny Malkin might win the Hart Trophy and Nail Yakupov (an ethnic Tatar) and Mikhail Grigorenko (born in Khabarovsk, near the Chinese border) are highly touted youngsters for the June draft. It would seem completely unfair to tarnish their reputations because of what Radulov and Kostitsyn did. That would be like suggesting Canadian players are all head shot artists because Raffi Torres was suspended for 25 games.

So should NHL teams generalize about Russians, or Belarussians and Kazakhs and Tatars, or is that both short-sighted and bigoted? Can teams "risk" taking Russians in the draft because of the KHL threat, knowing they may not see them until age 21 or even later? 

These are complex issues that probably defy a one-size-fits-all resolution, and the market pressures here are unique to Russian players. That said, it would be foolish to suggest there are no subtleties at play here, no cultural misunderstandings that sometimes get in the way of the business of hockey.

From the day more than two decades ago the Soviets started allowing their stars to go to the NHL, it has always been thus. Its not likely to change. All that's in question here is how much and how often NHL will want to invest.

Comments

[Friar Puck]

The LAST thing I'd want on my team in the Stanley Cup playoffs is somebody who'd rather be paid handsomely by the Russian Ice Hockey Federation to play for Mother Russia in the World IIHF Championship ... (i.e. I'll gladly take some Canadian boys any time ...)

[Ron]

A lot of great talents from that area but it does appear that in general their heads and hearts are not into what is required to get the job done. The KHL has completely changed the landscape. I think these guys would rather be playing for the World Championship than the Stanley Cup. With the two boneheads from Nashville TSN showed some clips of them totally dogging it in the second game. Gee maybe now we know why. I don't think I would be wasting a high round pick.

[leefan]

At the risk of further generalisation, most North American hockey players probably dream of playing for the Stanley Cup above all else. For the players born outside of North America, it may be less than the Holy Grail. A lot of European players rush back to Europe as soon as the season is over, and for some of them you can't help but feel that that can't come soon enough, Stanley Cup or not. Why take a pounding for another 3 months when you could be home with family and friends?

[William Coombs]

Why would a Canadian NHL team take a chance on a Russian hockey player when there are so many great Canadian or N. American players available this year. Seems to me the fastest way for a GM to lose his job would be to pick one of these players, particularly a high draft pick, then have the player disappear off the radar for two or three years in Europe or Russia. Draft picks allow fans to get excited about the future, not worry about no-shows. Besides, watch the playoffs where desire and team play trumps all else. You've got to want the Cup and be prepared to pay the price; Canadian kids want the Cup so bad they can taste it!

[80s Leafs]

That Nashville lineup will come alive with Tootoo back in there. Sign him in the off-season, Brian Burke.

[Braco]

Very noble gentleman is David Poile,1 game to players who are late and full praise for Webber after he intended to break Zettebergs neck!Very moral and caring GM!So impressive!

[A13276]

Poile gambled and lost - Suter will now leave as a free agent and Weber will follow, will Burkie be interested?

[Wade]

I think it is bigoted to generalize about their nationality and indeed unfair to good pros like Malkin, Datsyuk, Grabovski, Antropov, Kulikov, Volchenkov, Anisimov, Babchuk etc. Would we find it okay for Russians to generalize about the 26 Canadians in the KHL if a couple were suspended for some reason? The KHL threat, on the other hand, is a separate and interesting issue. If it continues to grow and especially if it develops into a European Super League the conversation may just as much about keeping North American players at home as it is about keeping Russians and other Europeans from playing in or closer to their homes. Personally I think this is a good thing. The 1975 Montreal vs. CSKA game is still the greatest ever played and I think many hockey fans want the NHL to be part of a more global game. I've watched Swedish and Czech league games and they aren't that far behind the NHL.

[ron in south carolina]

Damien, are you calling the heart and dedication of Russian players into question? Have you been secretly consulting with Grapes? Will there a be a backlash against you for making comments like these?

[Conn Smythe]

'I've watched Swedish and Czech league games and they aren't that far behind the NHL.' I've also had the chance to watch some Swedish, Czech, Finn and KHL games. It is laughable to suggest that they 'aren't that far behind the NHL'. They are behind the AHL in North America. I did hope that the KHL would be a realistic threat to the NHL and would maybe lead to a global league, but I think that is far, far away.

[Sanj]

Before the anti Russian comments come out in full force. May I direct your attention to good ole Canadian boyz

1. Mat Cooke
2. Sean Avery

And look at how much Rick Nash is getting paid. What the heck has he done for the Blue Jackets lately?

Any why is Ovie a headache? Hunter is using a system that limits the ice time for all the Capital players. Has Ovie raised a stink about it? No. He has been buying into the program and supporting the team.

There is a definite bias towards Russian and European players in the NHL.

[JohnnyK]

Tough call by the Preds but the right call. No one is above the team and that message had to be sent. Had Poile not benched them they would have been cancer in the room. How can their teammates respect these guys for doing what they did with a game later the same day? IMO this will galvanize the sluggish Preds and I expect them to win tonight.
Radulov's expected big payday might not be as big as thought, other teams are watching and may not like what they see.

[vanrejn]

It was stupid. Again NHL apply same standard to russians as to canadian born players. Nashville management doesn't understand russian mentality. They are different. Work hard, party hard. If they allowed russians to play today, Nashville would have won. They should have punished them in different way. Unfortunately, series been lost and not because of russians but because of stubbornness of Nashville manager and coach. You wanted to to teach russians a lesson, you screwed yourselves.

[bri]

Bigotry towards Russian players? You don't know the meaning of the word. Stereotype is the correct term to use when you generalize about a group of people. And many times the stereotype fits.