Zaripov hangs ‘em up, O’Dell returns

One of the KHL’s greatest players marked the end of his career with a spectacular farewell last week, while a long-serving import agreed a return for an eighth season. Elsewhere, we heard from one of the newest foreign players on his arrival in Yaroslavl before Salavat Yulaev and Kunlun Red Star collected the prizes at pre-season tournaments.

Glittering farewell for Zaripov

With 1,324 games in Russia’s top division, not to mention five Gagarin Cups (plus a Russian Superleague), and a place on possibly the best attacking line seen here in the 21^st century, Danis Zaripov enjoyed a spectacular career. After announcing his retirement, it was only fitting that Ak Bars, where he played for so many years, gave him a spectacular send-off. Last week’s farewell game saw Zaripov’s #25 jersey raised to the rafter of the Tatneft Arena – the only player in Kazan hockey history to enjoy such an honor. An assembly of stars – including Alexei Morozov and Sergei Zinovyev, Danis’s partners on the epic title-winning Ak Bars line of the 2000s – gathered to play in his final appearance. Global megastars such as Alexander Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Datsyuk and Evgeny Kuznetsov played their part, while Zaripov also got to play on a line with his son Artur and his brother Marat in an emotional farewell. Fittingly, the great forward signed off with a hat-trick as a sell-out crowd enjoyed making one last round of memories with their hero.

Saying farewell to a hockey legend

Gernat settles at Lokomotiv

After a season with no imports, Lokomotiv added Slovak defenseman Martin Gernat to the roster this summer. The 30-year-old, who helped his country win Olympic bronze in 2022, told KHL.ru why he wanted to come to Yaroslavl. 

“I heard recommendations from players who were here before,” he said. “Also the head coach, Igor Nikitin, was an important factor. I heard a lot of good things about him. I’m really happy to be with one of the KHL’s top organizations. I’m excited about the future here.”

Gernat is the only foreigner on the team, but he’s settling in well. “The guys have been good to me,” he added. “A lot of Lokomotiv’s players speak English, more than half the team. There’s no problem communicating with the staff either, the coaches also know English. Nikitin told me that Slovak is similar to Russian, I already understand quite a few Russian words. Right now it’s easier for me to speak English but I think in a couple of months I could do an interview in Russian!”

Salavat Yulaev wins thrilling home tournament

In Ufa, the Republic of Bashkortostan Cup proved hard fought. Going into the final day’s play, all four teams were deadlocked on one victory apiece. On the Sunday, Metallurg ended Dynamo Moscow’s hopes with a crushing 7-2 victory and would have won the cup if Avtomobilist defeated host club Salavat Yulaev. It all looked good for Andrei Razin’s team when the Motormen were up 3-1 with five to play. However, Viktor Kozlov gambled, withdrew his goalie and saw Salavat Yulaev score three times in the closing moments to snatch victory in both the game and the tournament.

Salavat Yulaev snatches trophy with late rush

Dragons win first trophy

Kunlun Red Star won the first trophy of its short history, clinching the Lada Cup with a day to spare. The Togliatti tournament saw Lada announce itself back in the KHL, but the host club suffered a rough start when it allowed two goals to Kunlun in the first 90 seconds of the opening game. The Dragons went on to win 3-2, then thrashed Neftekhimik 6-1 to guarantee top spot. A final day loss, 2-5 to VHL champion Khimik, changed nothing: Viktors Ignatjevs and his team left Togliatti with the honors.

Dragons win Lada Cup

Another import center for Metallurg

While Magnitka was in action in Ufa, the club’s management was confirming the arrival of another forward. Jean-Sebastien Dea, a Quebecois center, joins American Luke Johnson on the Steelmen’s roster. The 29-year-old has 37 career NHL appearances, most of them for the Devils, but played the bulk of his games in the AHL (341 points in 517 games). Last season he had 50 (23+27) points in 67 games for the Tucson Roadrunners, and also played four times for the Coyotes in the NHL.

O’Dell does deal with Dynamo

One of the summer’s more protracted sagas came to an end with Eric O’Dell agreeing a new contract at Dynamo Moscow. The Canadian signed up for another year in the capital after he had 38 (21+17) points in 41 games last season. O’Dell is a beneficiary of Brennan Menell’s decision to take Russian citizenship, freeing up an import spot on Dynamo’s roster. The coming campaign will be his third in Blue-and-White and his eighth in the KHL. Previously he played for Sochi, Metallurg and Sibir.

Women’s schedule unveiled

The Women’s Hockey League released its biggest ever regular season schedule ahead of the 2023-2024 campaign. This time, the eight competing teams will play 42 games each. Moreover, the new set-up means fewer gaps between fixtures, with most gamedays coming less than a week apart. In the playoffs, the first two rounds will be best-of-five series, with the final played as a best-of-seven contest. Again, this is longer than in previous seasons. The regular season starts on Sep. 17 when defending champion Agidel takes on last year’s runner-up, Dynamo Neva. March 1 brings the end of the regular season, then the playoffs get underway on March 6. The final series is due to begin on April 2 and could run until April 14 if the series goes the distance.

Coming up

On Monday, Ak Bars takes on Traktor in the gold-medal game at the TANECO Cup in Kazan. Lokomotiv and Barys will play for bronze on the same day. Much of the week is dominated by warm-up games, including defending champion CSKA taking to the ice for the first time on Saturday at Dinamo Minsk. On Sunday, Omsk hosts the opening games of the new Blinov Cup, a five-team tournament featuring Avangard, Barys, Lokomotiv, Neftekhimik and Salavat Yulaev.