Jagr Speaks Out….

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Thanks to Shawn for the latest KHL happenings……

Jaromir Jagr: “I’m not going to terminate my contract with Omsk”

Avangard Omsk winger Jaromir Jagr gave the Czech paper Denik Sport his thoughts on the rumors that he was going to leave Avangard of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) to join the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers next season.

Despite the speculations during the last weeks of the KHL regular season and the Gagarin Cup playoffs that he was planning to return to the NHL, the player himself commits his future to Avangard, the team he is contracted with for another year – Denik Sport reports.

Nonetheless, the possibility of Jagr returning to the NHL wearing an Oilers jersey was actually real. The Oilers and Avangard had reportedly reached an agreement that if Avangard did not reach the Gagarin Cup playoffs or was swept in the first round by Salavat Yulaev, Jagr was cleared to report to Edmonton.

“Yes, such an opportunity really existed,” Jagr told Denik Sport. “The teams had discussed how that could be fulfilled. But it did not depend on me. Should Omsk ask me to join Edmonton, I’d do that. But that was not something I desired myself. After we made the playoffs, the whole thing ceased to be an issue”.

Jagr then confirmed that the same approach will be in effect next season.

“Will I voluntarily terminate my contract with Avangard and go to America? That definitely won’t happen. Only if the two hockey clubs reach an agreement. But I won’t do it by myself”, said Jagr who spent 17 seasons in the NHL with Pittsburgh, Washington and the Rangers.

For more news and information, including updates about the KHL’s Gagarin Cup, visit www.khl.ru.


Latest playoff news……

Dinamo Defeats Ak Bars 3-2 in OT; Metallurg takes Game 1 on the Road

Mattias Veynhadl scored the game winner for Dinamo Moscow in overtime tonight to even the capital city team’s series with second-seeded Ak Bars Kazan, 1-1.

Veynhadl put Dinamo on the board in the second minute of the game, while teammate Konstantin Kasyanchuk scored in the period’s closing minute to give Dinamo a 2-0 lead at the first intermission.

After almost 20 minutes of scoreless action, Alexei Morozov put Kazan on the board in the final minute of the second period. In the 3rd period, Kazan once again waited until the final minute to make things interesting as Danis Zaripov’s goal capped off an impressive comeback and forced the game into overtime.

Momentum meant little for the Snow Leopards in extra time, however, as Veynhadl netted the game winner, his second of the contest and sixth of the Gagarin Cup, in the 68th minute.

In the first semifinal game between Metallurg Magnitogorsk and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, Metallurg notched a 3-0 win over the home team. Jan Marek scored two goals (his 4th and 5th of the Gagarin Cup), Metallurg’s first of the game and an empty netter in the final minutewhile teammate Igor Mirnov scored a pretty goal on a give-and-go with Denis Platonov in the second period. Ilya Proskuryakov recorded the shutout between the pipes.

The second match of the Lokomotiv-Metallurg series will be played tomorrow, Saturday, March 21 in Yaroslavl, while Ak Bars and Dinamo return to action on Sunday, March 22 in Moscow for Game 3.


KHL Gagarin Cup Semifinals Schedule and Results


Series

G 1

G 2

G 3

G 4

G 5

G 6

G 7

(2) Ak Bars v.

(7) Dinamo Moscow

4-1

2-3 (OT)

3/22

3/23

TBA

TBA

TBA

(3) Lokomotiv v.

(6) Metallurg

0-3

3/21

3/23

3/24

TBA

TBA

TBA

The Gagarin Cup, the KHL’s post-season tournament, named for famed Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, features sixteen teams consisting of the KHL’s four division winners and 12 other teams with the best overall regular season records.

The first two rounds of the KHL’s Gagarin Cup are best-of-five games, while the semi-finals and finals are best-of-seven games. Game 7 of the finals will occur on April 12th, the anniversary of Gagarin’s mission into space.

About Chris Wassel

Simply I am a sports writer whose first loves will always be hockey and food. As we attempt to fix the site which has fallen into some disrepair (okay a lot), any and all help is always appreciated. For now, everything will channel through on a post by post basis. As always, let's have some fun!

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