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Champions Hockey League (KHL) officials this week gave the Czech Association permission to allow Lakers star Roman Cervenka to appear in the national team lineup 48 hours before the game, preventing him from appearing in the quarterfinal second leg in Vitkovice.
KHL Managing Director Martin Baumann said that this is a distortion of competition. But there was nothing he could do about this gross unsportsmanlike behavior – proof of how irrelevant his league remains even ten years later. Lack of audience interest, lack of financial sustainability, scheduling problems, a crowded program and, finally, a desperate attempt to create noise with bizarre rule changes: in fact, the rope should have been pulled a long time ago. The argument that international comparisons will bring additional sporting benefits is not quantifiable. For whom? And how much added value?
The fact that this scandal did not cause any noise also testifies to the illusory existence of this illustrious preparatory tournament. Or was it simply because the distortion of competition affected “only” the Lakers and not a giant like the ZSC Lions? Imagine if, in the same situation, the residents of Zurich were told that, for example, goalkeeper Simon Grubec was not allowed to play just because there was an international match on the calendar in 48 hours. Zurich CEO Peter Zaner would have turned the KHL headquarters in Zug into pandemonium.
A league is nothing if it cannot, through its rules, give participants certainty about expectations and protect them from distortions of competition. The Hockey Champions League has lost its credibility.
| team | JV | TD | PT | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adler Mannheim | 6 | 12 | 16 | |
| 2 | Vaxjo Lakers | 6 | 16 | 16 | |
| 3 | Lucco Rauma | 6 | 7 | 15 | |
| 4 | Färjestads BC | 6 | 15 | 14 | |
| 5 | Skelleftea AIK | 6 | 7 | 12 | |
| 6 | Ilves Tampere | 6 | 4 | 12 | |
| 7 | Geneve-Servette HC | 6 | eleven | eleven | |
| 8th place | Pelicans Lahti | 6 | 8th place | eleven | |
| 9 | HC Vitkovice | 6 | 5 | eleven | |
| 10 | EHC Red Bull Munich | 6 | 6 | 10 | |
| eleven | HC Pardubice | 6 | 6 | 10 | |
| 12 | HC Ochelari Trinets | 6 | 4 | 10 | |
| 13 | EHK Biel | 6 | 2 | 10 | |
| 14 | HC TVK Innsbruck | 6 | -8th place | 9 | |
| 15 | ERC Ingolstadt | 6 | -9 | 9 | |
| 16 | SK Rapperswil-Jona Lakers | 6 | -1 | 9 | |
| 17 | Belfast Giants | 6 | -3 | 8th place | |
| 18 | Tappara Tampere | 6 | 1 | 7 | |
| 19 | Rouen Dragons | 6 | -10 | 6 | |
| 20 | Red Bull Salzburg | 6 | -8th place | 4 | |
| 21 | Stavanger Oilers | 6 | -eleven | 4 | |
| 22 | HC Bolzano-Bozen Fox | 6 | -19 | 1 | |
| 23 | Aalborg pirates | 6 | -22 | 1 | |
| 24 | HC Kosice | 6 | -13 | 0 |
Source: Blick
I am David Miller, a highly experienced news reporter and author for 24 Instant News. I specialize in opinion pieces and have written extensively on current events, politics, social issues, and more. My writing has been featured in major publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and BBC News. I strive to be fair-minded while also producing thought-provoking content that encourages readers to engage with the topics I discuss.
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