According to reports from Russian news sites, a hockey player who recently signed with the Philadelphia Flyers was jailed in his home country on suspicion that he plotted to avoid performing military service.
Ivan Fedotov, a goalkeeper who is 6-foot-7, joined the Flyers on May 7. He was anticipated to contend for a roster place in training camp in the autumn. At the Winter Olympics in Beijing this year, he participated in the Russian Olympic Committee and helped the team earn a silver medal.
A spokesman for the National Hockey League said the league was aware of the situation but wouldn’t comment. Chuck Fletcher, Philadelphia’s president of hockey operations and general manager, said in a statement that the Flyers “are aware of the reports and are investigating the situation.”
Fedotov was detained on Friday, the same day that Brittney Griner’s Russian trial started. Griner has been in Russia since she was seized at a Moscow airport in February for having what Russian authorities claimed were vape cartridges with traces of hash oil in her luggage. According to Griner’s fans, the Russian government is using her as a negotiating tool with the United States, which has backed Ukraine during Russia’s invasion of that nation.
Fedotov, 25, was raised in Russia but was born in Finland. He spent last year’s season with the Russian army’s official soccer club, CSKA Moscow. It is also a prominent club squad in the K.H.L, the top-tier hockey league in Russia. Fedotov was detained at a hockey rink in St. Petersburg, according to reports on Friday, and was then escorted to an army recruitment center. Russian law mandates a year of military duty for all young men.
In recent years, Russian goalies, led by players like Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Igor Shesterkin of the Rangers, and Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers, have emerged as the top goalies in the N.H.L. Though Fedotov’s arrest may cause some to worry about the future of that pipeline, many N.H.L. teams are anxious to locate the next great Russian goaltender.
With 2.00 goals against average this season, Fedotov was widely regarded as the league’s top goalie and helped CSKA Moscow win the Gagarin Cup, the K.H.L title. Fletcher acknowledged his recent performance and development since the team selected him on the day the Flyers signed him.
“Ivan is a player we have followed closely and are very pleased with his development,” Fletcher said at the time. “He’s put a number of strong seasons together in the K.H.L., culminating this year when he captured an Olympic silver medal and a K.H.L. Championship.”
Source: New York Times
Ivan Fedotov, a goalkeeper who is 6-foot-7, joined the Flyers on May 7. He was anticipated to contend for a roster place in training camp in the autumn. At the Winter Olympics in Beijing this year, he participated in the Russian Olympic Committee and helped the team earn a silver medal.
A spokesman for the National Hockey League said the league was aware of the situation but wouldn’t comment. Chuck Fletcher, Philadelphia’s president of hockey operations and general manager, said in a statement that the Flyers “are aware of the reports and are investigating the situation.”
Fedotov was detained on Friday, the same day that Brittney Griner’s Russian trial started. Griner has been in Russia since she was seized at a Moscow airport in February for having what Russian authorities claimed were vape cartridges with traces of hash oil in her luggage. According to Griner’s fans, the Russian government is using her as a negotiating tool with the United States, which has backed Ukraine during Russia’s invasion of that nation.
Fedotov, 25, was raised in Russia but was born in Finland. He spent last year’s season with the Russian army’s official soccer club, CSKA Moscow. It is also a prominent club squad in the K.H.L, the top-tier hockey league in Russia. Fedotov was detained at a hockey rink in St. Petersburg, according to reports on Friday, and was then escorted to an army recruitment center. Russian law mandates a year of military duty for all young men.
In recent years, Russian goalies, led by players like Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Igor Shesterkin of the Rangers, and Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers, have emerged as the top goalies in the N.H.L. Though Fedotov’s arrest may cause some to worry about the future of that pipeline, many N.H.L. teams are anxious to locate the next great Russian goaltender.
With 2.00 goals against average this season, Fedotov was widely regarded as the league’s top goalie and helped CSKA Moscow win the Gagarin Cup, the K.H.L title. Fletcher acknowledged his recent performance and development since the team selected him on the day the Flyers signed him.
“Ivan is a player we have followed closely and are very pleased with his development,” Fletcher said at the time. “He’s put a number of strong seasons together in the K.H.L., culminating this year when he captured an Olympic silver medal and a K.H.L. Championship.”
Source: New York Times
