The NHL careers of two notable players may have come to an end this past week, not by retirement but instead by playing in Europe next season.
Former NY Islanders captain Alexei Yashin signed Friday with Locomotiv Yaroslavl of the Russian Super League, while earlier in the week long time NHL veteran forward Petr Nedved signed with Sparta Prague of the Czech League.
Both players posted good offensive numbers during their respective NHL careers. Yashin had 337 goals and 781 points in 850 regular season games, while Nedved had 310 goals and 717 points in 982 regular season games.
Yashin was a key player in the Ottawa Senators' transformation in the late 1990s from perennial league doormat into one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. In the 1998 playoffs, he netted 8 points in 11 playoffs games and was a danger to score every time he was on the ice. He carried that performance over into 44-goal, 94 point 1998-99 season, earning a nomination for the Hart trophy in the process.
Sadly, however, his ill-advised attempt to break his existing contract with the Senators led to his missing the entire 1999-2000 season to a holdout, and while he posted impressive numbers upon his return in 2000-01 (40 goals, 88 points), he was now considered a pariah in Ottawa and throughout the hockey community.
That didn't prevent Islanders GM Mike Milbury from trading for Yashin, parting with a king's ransom in players to Ottawa (Zdeno Chara and the eventual rights to Jason Spezza) to land him and in salary (ten years, almost $90 million) to retain him.
Yashin responded with a strong campaign (75 points in 78 regular season games, 7 points in 7 playoff games) in 2001-02, but it would be all downhill after that. Injuries played a part in the decline, but there was a general feeling that management was catering too much to Yashin. It's been suggested that Peter Laviolette was fired as head coach and Mike Peca traded because of supposed conflict with him.
When he was bought out in June 2007, it was believed he might find employment with another NHL team, but his buyout resulted in what his agent described as "low ball" offers, as teams were unwilling to pay top dollar for a guy perceived as selfish, unmotivated and greedy.
It can be argued that Yashin is still a capable offensive player, but the same cannot be said of Nedved, whose performance has been noticeably on the decline since the lockout.
Nedved’s path to the NHL wasn’t as easy as Yashin’s, who was drafted by the Senators in 1992 and jumped to the Senators after two seasons with Moscow Dynamo in 1994.
Nedved was a first round pick of the Vancouver Canucks but he came to them by defecting from then-Communist ruled Czechoslovakia at 17 in 1989 after playing in an international tournament in Calgary. His early NHL career didn’t start off as quickly as Yashin’s but he did show steady improvement, blossoming into a 71-point player in 1992-93.
He wouldn’t stay with any one team for long. A contract dispute with the Canucks saw him sign with the St. Louis Blues for one season as a free agent. Dealt to the NY Rangers in 1994, he played only one season for them before he was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995 (some say, because then-captain Mark Messier was unhappy with Nedved’s performance).
It was with the Pens that Nedved enjoyed his best season, scoring 45 goals and 99 points in 80 games with a still-powerful Penguins team boasting Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Ron Francis.
He would never reach those heights again, and another contract holdout led to his trade back to the Rangers in 1998, where he would spend the next six seasons until getting dealt to the Edmonton Oilers in 2003-04 as part of the Rangers pre-lockout housecleaning.
Nedved’s strong performance in his limited time with the Oilers (15 points in 16 games) nearly propelled the team into the playoffs, but they were unable to re-sign him as an unrestricted free agent.
That might’ve sealed his fate, as he failed to regain his high-scoring form with Phoenix, Philadelphia and another return to Edmonton.
They were both very talented, yet their legacy will be of always
leaving their fans wanting more, that there always seemed to be
something lacking in the respective games.
Both were also notable for lengthy contract holdouts, which tarred them forever as selfish. It's a shame, because when both were motivated they were capable of being much more.
For these two, their NHL tenures will always be dogged by the question, "What if?"
Does anybody know what kind of money a typical player or a superstar makes in Russia. I'm not familiar with foreign leagues. The russian leauge is considered one of the best outside of the NHL, right? Maybe the Swiss and Swedish leagues might be up there too from what i've heard? Does anyone know how these leagues rank far as revenue and talent goes?
Last edited by WildGophers on July 21st at 8:28 AM.
Nhl superstars were signing in the various leagues for 600,000 during the lock out i believe. I never followed any of it though. Just remember hearing that #
As for Nedved If he wasn't so dense he could still be in the league. He revived himself on the oil and decided to leave and play on a less talented team resulting in another set back. He had a good thing offered to him and he decided to leave for greener pastures. The brass even brought him back to see if it could happen again. He's finished see you bye. As for the other guy what a waste of talent.
TKF that would more likely the most disapointing line of all time. With Nedved I was dumb enough to think that he might turn things around with every move.
As I've mentioned before in other threads, I didn't expect Yashin would sign with any NHL team. He's always had way more of a higher opinion of himself than most GMs (or anyone else, for that matter) have shared. Nedved was simply dismal last year, especially when you consider that the new rules should benefit a player with his skill set. I suppose we should give the GMs credit for not attempting to rekindle former glory and overpaying some underachieving name from the past, but it's a long season and I've no doubt the ever-present escape clauses and injuries might mean we haven't heard the last of these two yet. I think more damning to both of them is that in addition to their declining play, they just aren't guys to be counted out to lift the morale of the locker room. Fickle, tempermental, whiny..choose your adjective. It's even harder to take on a reclamation project when there isn't a good attitude coming with it.
With a salary cap in place it'll be much more difficult for players with histories of taking nights off to get long term contracts. Anson Carter. Is anyone going to sign this guy? I wonder if he'll even manage to get a million. He should've taken a pay cut to stay in Vancouver.
I have always rooted for Nedved, but I can't help but agree with everyones comments about him so far. When he came to play he could dominate a game, when he didn't you couldn't even tell if he was on the ice. As for Yashin....GOOD RIDDANCE CRYBABY!!!!! I hope his trophy wife leaves him and he winds up with the stereotypical unibrow Russian woman.
1)We will see more and more of this kind of thing. Eventually, other than the very best Euro's, most 2nd line or lesser will opt to stay at home where the money is becoming more competative with the NHL.
2) Many believe this is a Good thing for the NHL. Time wil tell.
It means that there's someone out there that can compete with the NHL, and since they're on the other side of the world the NHL won't be able to take them down like they took out the WHA, because the leagues over in Europe for the most part don't have to worry about many of their fans watching tons of NHL games.
It would give the NHL direction. They'd have to get their act together with their TV contract in America before they could do anything to those leagues over there. It might even force the NHL to change the size of their rinks, which would cost tons of money with the ammounts of seats that you'd have to take out, but it would allow all Canadians and Americans to become acustumed to the international rink size and in the end it would allow us to be better on the big ice.
Who really cares? These guys were making too much money for what they provided. Hell, Nedved had become so slow a turtle could beat him going through the neutral zone. I am glad those two bums are gone!
I was at the Flyers website looking at thier roster. Does anyone remember a team with more former 1st rounders? On paper they should be GREAT, let's just hope it translates to a winning season.
Good point about Carter. Just goes to show you how far his stock has fallen. The grass isn't always greener in the other province, or country for that matter.
As to the Flyers, you said it all..on paper they do look much improved, though that's not too hard considering last season's dismal performance. They still have some questions on the blueline, in my view. They are most assuredly better, and I'm high on Coburn, but they still seem a bit slow to me compared to the speedster teams that give them fits. They also will need more consistency out of Carter and Richards. At the least, the Atlantic should be interesting this season.
The Flyers will have to fight hard for their playoff spot. I really believe that. They'll have a great first line, their 2nd line(forwards) should be decent and past that things are looking a little shakey. I think they got a good goaltender... but most of their defensmen can't move the puck very well. They could very well suffer from the Edmonton Oiler syndrom next year. THANKS FOR PITKANIN!
Good luck with him Thadd. He's a darn good player, with a ton of upside as you know, but he is pretty much a corpse when it comes to team building or personality. I don't think it would have mattered had Hitch lasted the season or not, he would have been gone. The issue I think is if Edmonton is really a good environment for him either. I hardly think the pressure is off there, and I think that's what he needs. He could blow the doors off and boost his confidence problem to get a fatter contract for next season, sure, but he could just as likely get booed nightly by midseason. I think the Flyers have a good shot to win their division, and therefore they won't struggle as much as one might think, even if there are better teams out there in the East. The Devils and Islanders got worse, and the Rangers..it might work, it might not, they actually have a lot of the same issues that Philly has.
Comparing Lindros to Nedved or Yashin is moronic. First, Lindros was on another planet talent wise from those 2 guys. Second, Lindros was a max effort player. Something that maggot Clarke took advantage of when he made Lindros play with concussions when he was not over them.
Lindros contract wise was asking for what he deserved. Nedved was never worth anything so his contract demands were idiotic. Yashin got a new contract when he decided to hold out shortly after. There is no comparison.
The only problem Eric Lindros had the power to change was his agent. You don't hire your father to negotiate deals for you in the NHL. Vicarious lifestyle much? Otherwise, he was a great player who felt the wrath of another great player. Very different story compared to Yashin.
Yashin's always been one of "those" guys. He lacks personality, and comes off as selfish, arrogant, lazy and conceited. You could say the same for Nedved, but Nedved has a great personality. I can't help but like the guy, even if he's held out for bigger bucks.
I doubt the NHL will miss Yashin, but they ought to miss Nedved's personality.
Nedved had an all world wrist shot. He would play a medicore game for the Rangers then come out in the third with that wrist shot and make you wonder why it took him 42 minutes to shoot the puck. but the season he had dvork+hlavac clicking was fun to watch.
I heard his play deterioated when he had break up with that czech model Veronica Varekova. go figure.
Reeney Stinks is the man: Eric Lindros was the man, Bob Clarke just admitted last year before he walked out on the team that he hadn't been doing his job intentionally for the last 10 years. That explains why Lindros recieved zero help while he was here in Philly. He single handedly turned the franchise around. The only players he had was Brind amour and Recchi and they weren't brought in my Clarke. All Clarke did was recycle #### in and out from Karl Dykhuis to Ron Hextall. Mikeal Renberg and Brent Fedyk made super status temporarily and John LeClair was the next Kevin Stevens to Mario Lemieux. There was no goalie, no puck moving defensemen the whole lindros era since Mark Howe, No second line, No defensemen except Desjardins. It was all on Big E. They used and abused him like we do all our athletes and then spit them out. Schilling, Iverson,ETC who's next Utley? Instead of building a team around them we just blame them and throw them out.Management gets us to buy it and the people buy into it. Lindros had no goalie in NY either. Mike Dunham. Give me a break. Look at the Cup winners the last 15 years. most have Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, Tom Barrasso, JS Giguere, and 2 lines deep. Devils and Red wings teams all has a stud puck moving defensemen. Everybody blames Lindros for not playing for quebec. Gimme a break. He went out night after night and damaged his body and then changed the game forever now people take 6 people out annually in the playoffs by going after their heads which never happened pre lindros. This is the Eric Lindros effect.No one could stop him
To bad they decided to end Lidros career early by going after his head to end his career. Wonder if they did that to Tom Brady and Peyton Manning with helmet to helmet hits and some elbows how that would go over? HE IS THE GREATEST PLAYER TO PLAY EXCEPT FOR MARIO LEMIEUX. Was anyone knocking anyones head off back in the 80's with Gretzky, Bossy, or Messier? I don't think Gretzky was allowed to be touched. Lindros did it all and would have doubled his numbers.
Nedved had over 300 NHL goals. not a bad run, he was inconsistent but as a ranger fan I can't be too upset. He has much more character than Yashin and played in MSG with fans booing him constantly. He's stand up.
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
