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IIHF Talks Tough
by PuckStopsHere on 05/12/09 at 01:12 AM ET
www.kuklaskorner.com
The International Ice Hockey Federation announced what appear to be tough new rules to deal with players who are under contract in one league and jump to another league.
They have announced the played would be banned from playing for four to six months, the player would be banned from international competition for one to three years and the offending club would be banned from the transfer market for three to 24 months.
These rules do not come into place for over a year (June 1st, 2010) which is after the 2010 Olympics.
That means that these rules will not be in effect this summer - meaning there may be disputed player transfers this summer as there were last summer. These rules also seem unenforceable.
The IIHF was unable to do anything when Alexander Radulov jumped from the Nashville Predators of the NHL to Ufa Salavat Yulayev in the KHL. They were unable to prevent him from playing. Why do they think they can prevent players like him starting in 2010?
If they cannot actually prevent players from playing, they cannot keep teams out of the transfer market either. A team that is not allowed by the IIHF to have any player transfers can sign an international player and have him play for them and nothing can be done about it at all.
The only part of these rules that might have teeth is keeping a player out of international tournaments. This might not prevent any players from jumping contracts, but it is the only leverage that the IIHF actually has. It is leverage that they have not used in the past. Alexander Radulov was a part of the Russian team that just won the World Hockey Championships.
One potential problem with this ruling is that last summer the Russians challenged every player that left their leagues for North America as contract jumpers. There is no reason to believe that this practise won’t end. That could lead to players facing sanctions or drawn into long legal battles, when they did not actually jump contract.
The best hope for the IIHF is that they never have to enforce these rules. If, for example, the current economic trouble leads to Russia and the other European nations accepting a new transfer agreement, these rules will be outdated before the date they are supposed to begin.
The IIHF has little real power internationally. What little power they have comes as a governing body in international hockey tournaments.
This announcement of new rules for players who “illegally” jump contract is clearly unenforceable.
It is an announcement to sound tough that is pushed far enough to the future that it may never come into place. It does nothing to change things this summer at all.
Even when these rules are in place, I doubt it changes things much.
---
"Puck Stops Here" is a featured blogger on Paul Kukla's excellent site, which GMHockey members can access directly via the click through on the banner.
Interestingly enough, the International Ice Hockey Federation is currently investigating its own President, Rene Fasel, regarding allegations of kickbacks.
I've provided a link to the IIHF's site, with Fasel's official statement, for further reading.
http://www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship-oc09/home/news/news-singleview-world-championship-2009/article/statement-from-rene-fasel.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=2277&cHash=81ba480331
This article on the subject of the Fasel investigation by The Ottawa Citizen's Wayne Scanlan appeared in The National Post in yesterday's edition:
IIHF to investigate its own president
Rene Fasel; Alleged to have profited from kickback scheme
Wayne Scanlan, Canwest News Service May 11, 2009
The IIHF says it will investigate allegations president IIHF Rene Fasel prospered from a kickback scheme involving marketing contracts for the IIHF world hockey championship.
At the closing news conference of the 2009 world hockey championship, a conference scheduled to congratulate the Swiss for their job organizing the event, Fasel used the platform to deny the newspaper allegations. More or less.
"We are a transparent organization,'' Fasel said, then refused to answer questions after his statement on the issue.
"I have never received any commissions or bonuses from these contracts,'' Fasel said. "There is [not], and has never been, a consulting agreement between me and Infront.''
On the day of the worlds' gold-medal game, a front-page story in the Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung reported that Fasel indirectly benefited from a $400,000 per year consulting contract to a long-time friend referred to as "Y. S.''
The story suggests that Y. S. was running a company called Proc Ag, since dissolved.
In the story, a rival company said it had failed to win contracts with Infront Sports even though Proc Ag had little experience in the winter sports market.
The alleged payout from Infront, the IIHF's exclusive marketing partner, was for 400,000 Swiss francs per year (slightly more than $400,000) over a seven-year period, a total of roughly $2.8-million.
Fasel denied having any direct contracts with Infront, but admitted helping his pal.
"I have, however, helped an old time friend by offering [his] services to Infront and have privately supported him,'' Fasel said.
That includes, Fasel added, helping him get access to the Asian sports market.
The chairman of the IIHF's legal committee, Fred Meredith, said the report is being investigated.
"We had a full council meeting this morning, and with the encouragement of the president, we will be appointing a small committee to fully investigate the allegations that have been made against him,'' Meredith said.
Fasel, who is also a member of the IOC's executive board, has a connection to the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. He is chairman of the co-ordinating commission for the Vancouver Games.
If the IIHF had its way, Canada would play host to every world junior tournament.
It's getting closer to that day. Hockey Canada and the IIHF announced yesterday that Canada will play host to four additional world junior championships (2015, 2017, 2019, 2021) and three world women's hockey championships (2013, 2016, 2020) through 2021.
Canada already has the 2010 world juniors in Saskatchewan and 2012 juniors in Alberta.
The IIHF loves having these events in Canada because the crowds are always strong, resulting in big revenues.
The proposal includes a profit-sharing plan involving Hockey Canada, the IIHF and the IIHF member countries that will help grow hockey all over the world.
Hockey Canada will announce details of a bidding process for host communities at a later date.
The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to meet the European champions in a Victoria Cup game in Switzerland next September.
The game between the Blackhawks and Zurich Lions will take place in Zurich. It's the second annual Victoria Cup. In the inaugural game, the New York Rangers defeated Metallurg Magnitogorsk of Russia, 4-3 in a game played in Bern last October.
The second event is scheduled for Sept. 29 at the Hallenstadion Arena in Zurich.
The Blackhawks will then travel to Helsinki, to open the NHL season against the Florida Panthers with a two-game series Oct. 3-4.
---
On a related note, some of you may know I am planning to travel to Europe to see the Blackhawks play this fall; and have my ticket for a match against the Panthers in Helsinki. I may try to see them in Zurich as well if possible.
Should be fun.
As many of you are well informed about players and prospects abroad--and the news that the IIHF is looking to hold more international tournaments here can only be good news--looking forward as always to all of your thoughts on the articles and subjects posted here.
by PuckStopsHere on 05/12/09 at 01:12 AM ET
www.kuklaskorner.com
The International Ice Hockey Federation announced what appear to be tough new rules to deal with players who are under contract in one league and jump to another league.
They have announced the played would be banned from playing for four to six months, the player would be banned from international competition for one to three years and the offending club would be banned from the transfer market for three to 24 months.
These rules do not come into place for over a year (June 1st, 2010) which is after the 2010 Olympics.
That means that these rules will not be in effect this summer - meaning there may be disputed player transfers this summer as there were last summer. These rules also seem unenforceable.
The IIHF was unable to do anything when Alexander Radulov jumped from the Nashville Predators of the NHL to Ufa Salavat Yulayev in the KHL. They were unable to prevent him from playing. Why do they think they can prevent players like him starting in 2010?
If they cannot actually prevent players from playing, they cannot keep teams out of the transfer market either. A team that is not allowed by the IIHF to have any player transfers can sign an international player and have him play for them and nothing can be done about it at all.
The only part of these rules that might have teeth is keeping a player out of international tournaments. This might not prevent any players from jumping contracts, but it is the only leverage that the IIHF actually has. It is leverage that they have not used in the past. Alexander Radulov was a part of the Russian team that just won the World Hockey Championships.
One potential problem with this ruling is that last summer the Russians challenged every player that left their leagues for North America as contract jumpers. There is no reason to believe that this practise won’t end. That could lead to players facing sanctions or drawn into long legal battles, when they did not actually jump contract.
The best hope for the IIHF is that they never have to enforce these rules. If, for example, the current economic trouble leads to Russia and the other European nations accepting a new transfer agreement, these rules will be outdated before the date they are supposed to begin.
The IIHF has little real power internationally. What little power they have comes as a governing body in international hockey tournaments.
This announcement of new rules for players who “illegally” jump contract is clearly unenforceable.
It is an announcement to sound tough that is pushed far enough to the future that it may never come into place. It does nothing to change things this summer at all.
Even when these rules are in place, I doubt it changes things much.
---
"Puck Stops Here" is a featured blogger on Paul Kukla's excellent site, which GMHockey members can access directly via the click through on the banner.
Interestingly enough, the International Ice Hockey Federation is currently investigating its own President, Rene Fasel, regarding allegations of kickbacks.
I've provided a link to the IIHF's site, with Fasel's official statement, for further reading.
http://www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship-oc09/home/news/news-singleview-world-championship-2009/article/statement-from-rene-fasel.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=2277&cHash=81ba480331
This article on the subject of the Fasel investigation by The Ottawa Citizen's Wayne Scanlan appeared in The National Post in yesterday's edition:
IIHF to investigate its own president
Rene Fasel; Alleged to have profited from kickback scheme
Wayne Scanlan, Canwest News Service May 11, 2009
The IIHF says it will investigate allegations president IIHF Rene Fasel prospered from a kickback scheme involving marketing contracts for the IIHF world hockey championship.
At the closing news conference of the 2009 world hockey championship, a conference scheduled to congratulate the Swiss for their job organizing the event, Fasel used the platform to deny the newspaper allegations. More or less.
"We are a transparent organization,'' Fasel said, then refused to answer questions after his statement on the issue.
"I have never received any commissions or bonuses from these contracts,'' Fasel said. "There is [not], and has never been, a consulting agreement between me and Infront.''
On the day of the worlds' gold-medal game, a front-page story in the Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung reported that Fasel indirectly benefited from a $400,000 per year consulting contract to a long-time friend referred to as "Y. S.''
The story suggests that Y. S. was running a company called Proc Ag, since dissolved.
In the story, a rival company said it had failed to win contracts with Infront Sports even though Proc Ag had little experience in the winter sports market.
The alleged payout from Infront, the IIHF's exclusive marketing partner, was for 400,000 Swiss francs per year (slightly more than $400,000) over a seven-year period, a total of roughly $2.8-million.
Fasel denied having any direct contracts with Infront, but admitted helping his pal.
"I have, however, helped an old time friend by offering [his] services to Infront and have privately supported him,'' Fasel said.
That includes, Fasel added, helping him get access to the Asian sports market.
The chairman of the IIHF's legal committee, Fred Meredith, said the report is being investigated.
"We had a full council meeting this morning, and with the encouragement of the president, we will be appointing a small committee to fully investigate the allegations that have been made against him,'' Meredith said.
Fasel, who is also a member of the IOC's executive board, has a connection to the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. He is chairman of the co-ordinating commission for the Vancouver Games.
If the IIHF had its way, Canada would play host to every world junior tournament.
It's getting closer to that day. Hockey Canada and the IIHF announced yesterday that Canada will play host to four additional world junior championships (2015, 2017, 2019, 2021) and three world women's hockey championships (2013, 2016, 2020) through 2021.
Canada already has the 2010 world juniors in Saskatchewan and 2012 juniors in Alberta.
The IIHF loves having these events in Canada because the crowds are always strong, resulting in big revenues.
The proposal includes a profit-sharing plan involving Hockey Canada, the IIHF and the IIHF member countries that will help grow hockey all over the world.
Hockey Canada will announce details of a bidding process for host communities at a later date.
The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to meet the European champions in a Victoria Cup game in Switzerland next September.
The game between the Blackhawks and Zurich Lions will take place in Zurich. It's the second annual Victoria Cup. In the inaugural game, the New York Rangers defeated Metallurg Magnitogorsk of Russia, 4-3 in a game played in Bern last October.
The second event is scheduled for Sept. 29 at the Hallenstadion Arena in Zurich.
The Blackhawks will then travel to Helsinki, to open the NHL season against the Florida Panthers with a two-game series Oct. 3-4.
---
On a related note, some of you may know I am planning to travel to Europe to see the Blackhawks play this fall; and have my ticket for a match against the Panthers in Helsinki. I may try to see them in Zurich as well if possible.
Should be fun.
As many of you are well informed about players and prospects abroad--and the news that the IIHF is looking to hold more international tournaments here can only be good news--looking forward as always to all of your thoughts on the articles and subjects posted here.
