Whatever Happened to Alexei Yashin
According to the New York Times, he’s still married to the former Mrs. Ron Greschner, (trading down from a Ranger to an Islander? Things are tough all over, I guess.) but instead of playing for her hometown Islanders, he’s now starring for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv in the Russian Superliga.
The article suggests that the Superliga is emerging as a competitor to the NHL for top hockey talent. As seems standard for the Times these days, though, the headline assertion isn’t supported by much evidence. The Superliga’s talent raid on the NHL appears to consist of an over-the-hill Yashin and assorted journeymen, making it more of a competitor to the AHL, or possibly the ECAC.
And even that level of competition is supported mainly by money flowing from the global commodities boom, rather than sustainable economic growth and the emergence of a bona fide middle class. The subtext is one of renewed nationalism, with former Red Wing and Stanley Cup winner (and 1980 Bronze medalist, snicker) Slava Fetisov grousing about the NHL “stealing” Russian players. But $100/barrel oil and a proto-fascist regime in Moscow waving the bloody shirt may be as good as it gets for the Superliga. The oil boom and Putinism will one day fade, and the NHL will continue to offer a brighter future to the world’s best hockey players, Russian or otherwise.
Plus, can you imagine a crappier team name than “Lokomotiv?” So 19th-century. It would be like calling Detroit’s team the “Horseless Carriage.” Clearly, the scars of Communism will remain with Russia for years to come.