On Frozen Blog

A bit of a Cold War summit took place this week in Washington, with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman convening with his Russian counterpart, KHL President Alexander Medvedev. They chatted a bit about player contracts, as you might imagine. Dmitry Chesnokov had the opportunity to interview Medvedev mere moments after the meeting, and recounted the exchange today at Puck Daddy. One portion of it in particular caught my eye: 

Chesnokov: Is it a reality now that the Washington Capitals, for example, will travel to Russia now and will have a series of games against KHL clubs?

Medvedev: We talked about this topic as well. This is because the owner of the Capitals Ted Leonsis is interested in such a trip. And Bettman’s position is that if this progress in our relationships remains, nothing will be an obstacle for games between KHL and NHL clubs. I hope we will overcome our differences.

At the Capitals’ convention in September I asked Mr. Leonsis for his thoughts about the viability of such a trip, and then he dismissed the idea as a distraction from the organization’s immediate task at hand — winning the Stanley Cup. And so I thought it interesting to see the KHL President identify it among the topics on his mind while in D.C. this week. Mr. Medvedev also met with the Caps’ Russian standouts, Ovechkin, Semin and Varlamov.

While I understood Mr. Leonsis’ preference for discussing the 2009-10 season during September’s training camp, this week’s puck power summit has brought into fresh focus what ought to rank high for the Capitals’ organization as a milestone to accomplish while boasting the best hockey player in the world, who happens to be Russian. One day eventually the chilly relationship between the NHL and the KHL, and Russian hockey more generally, will warm, you have to believe. Imagine the promotional and goodwill opportunity attendant to a Caps’ tour of say Moscow and St. Petersburg in a few years’ time, with Ovechkin perhaps facing off against his old club, Dynamo. Imagine the pride Ovi would have in participating in such an event. We know of Mr. Leonsis’ long-standing interest in such a venture:

“My bet is that in the next 13 years that Alex [Ovechkin] is here, at some point we’ll get him back [to Russia],” he told Chesnokov not long after resigning Ovechkin early in 2008.

“In Washington, D.C., you want to be a global team, and I think it’s a reason that players like Alexander Ovechkin feel so comfortable here — it’s a very cosmopolitan city.

“We would want to show Russia some of the best players in the world, and celebrate the connection [between Russia and the NHL]. It’s not about money,” he said.

“Our team would be very popular in Russia, because of Ovechkin, Semin . . .,” he added.

The Caps touring Russia would be great for global hockey, and great for the organization, who’d certainly be additionally branded as a franchise with global appeal. It would also be quite good for me, as Chesnokov has pledged my use of his Moscow apartment for such a tour.