Viacheslav Fetisov’s effort to leave Russia to chase a Stanley Cup in the late 1980s was met with harsh resistance from the Soviet government, yet the great defenceman’s persistence proved instrumental in breaking the barrier that prevented Russians from joining the NHL.
Now Fetisov, the founder and chairman of the KHL’s board of directors, is proposing to restrict players in the Kontinental Hockey League from hopping to the NHL until they turn 28 years old, according to R-Sport.
The aim is to keep “our most talented guys, the ones who the people come to see,” Fetisov told the outlet (translated by the Associated Press).
Senator Fetisov’s comments arrive on the heels of KHLers Evgeni Medvedev, 32, and Aaron Palushaj, 25, signing with the Philadelphia Flyers this week and a report that Alexander Burmistrov, 23, plans to return to the NHL as well.
Before getting into politics, Fetisov, one of the greatest defencemen to play the game, played 13 seasons for CSKA Moscow. Although originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1978, he did not make his NHL debut until 1989, with the New Jersey Devils.
Fetisov, 57, won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings.
