Russian President Vladimir Putin’s love of the bravado and machismo of hockey is well known. He personally took in games at the 2014 Winter Olympics, glowering when the star-studded Russian team was bounced, and was in the locker room celebrating when Russia won the Ice Hockey World Championships in May. Putin often talks of turning Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, widely considered the second best league in the world behind the National Hockey League, into the world’s best.
Now, it’s Putin’s bravado and machismo that are threatening to destroy the KHL. In the past, he’s offered star players like Ilya Kovalchuk big …read more
Source: Foreign Policy
