The International Ice Hockey Federation has levied sanctions against Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov, KHL club CSKA Moskva, and the Russian Ice Hockey Federation for disregarding Fedotov’s 2022 entry-level contract, shares Jonathan Bailey of Philadelphia Hockey Now. Fedotov signed the deal in May of 2022, attempting to join the Flyers ahead of the 2022-23 season. But he was detained by Russian authorities when trying to leave the country, and forced to serve one calendar year of military service. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reported that this service came on an aircraft carrier in the Murmansk region, far from the front lines.
He went on to sign a two-year KHL contract with CSKA this season, warranting the sanctions. The official punishments, per an IIHF statement, are as follows:
- Ivan Fedotov is suspended from playing in any IIHF competitions, including the Olympic Games, for the next three years.
- Ivan Fedotov will receive a six-month suspension from playing at the club level, should he leave the Flyers to play for an international club.
- CSKA will be banned from making international transfers for two years, beginning on August 11, 2024 and ending on August 10, 2026.
- The Russian Ice Hockey Federation has been assessed a fine of $1MM Swiss Francs.
In search of any silver lining, Fedotov can at least be happy with his closing performance in Russia. He recorded 21 wins and a .914 save percentage across 44 games, adding a .916 in five postseason appearances. CSKA terminated his deal following the end of the season, allowing him to move to Philadelphia one year early. Fedotov made that move just before the end of the Flyers season, slotting into the first three NHL games of his career and saving 43 of the 53 shots he faced.
Fedotov stamped his spot in Russian hockey during the 2021-22 season, leading CSKA to the Gagarin Cup and Team Russia to a Silver Medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics. He posted dazzling stats throughout, setting a .919 save percentage in 26 KHL games and a .943 in six Olympic appearances. While a future Russian Olympics roster would likely turn towards NHL stars Andrei Vasilevskiy or Igor Shesterkin, Fedotov would undoubtedly be on the shortlist of final options.
Martyred again.
You really make no sense ever. I assume from watching Fox News all day
Thanks for making it political buddy. That was really needed.
Think it was just a low hanging fruit joke that was as alluding to you being a simpleton. We can all do better :)
It goes to show how they have no clue what Ivan went through if they assumed your comment was pro Russia in any way.
Yep. No love lost between me and Russia. I could care less about CSKA, the ROC or the country as a whole. But Ivan’s here now. That should have been the end of it.
Would they have been more lenient if he had served on the front lines? Don’t understand why his placement is important to this article unless it had changed the outcome of IHFs decision. How does the Russian league decide how the 1 million is paid? Are fines also levied against the club?
It’s important to the story because it was what caused him to stay in Russia, since he got detained when attempting to leave to join the Flyers initially.
Detained and serving military time would have sufficed. Saying he was on a carrier far from enemy lines isn’t pertinent. In fact it casts a negative, cowardly even, shadow on his character. Doesn’t seem relevant.
There goes Fedotov’s fall back option, lol!
He will never leave the U.S. and the Flyers will love this kid.
Seems a bit harsh on the player side of things, I’m sure if he was able to leave Russia and honor the original contract he would have, not like he said “oh sorry I don’t want to leave anymore” he was quite literally forced into military service. Perhaps there’s more to it but who knows.
He was forced into military service, and then when it ended, he chose to sign a contract with another team, instead of honouring the one he signed first. Then there was an investigation about it, in which he said “I will honour whatever the iihf decides” and then when the IIHF said that the Flyers contract was to be honoured, since it was assigned first, he ignored that decision, and played out his KHL contract.
The Rusophobia in professional sports is ridiculous. This is purely political and has nothing to do with hockey. If an American player did the same thing, there would be zero consequence. Finns have mandatory military service as well.
If an American player signed a contract without an out clause, and then said screw it, and signed another contract with a rival league, it would be just as bad.
An American player would never be seized and detained before boarding a plane without legal cause to do so; nor would an American player be then forced into military service; nor would an American player, at the end of forced service, be strong armed and have his government apply pressure, both literal and metaphorical, so that in fear for his safety and the safety of his loved ones he “signed a new contract” with a team, and in a league, that happened to have a multitude of political ties
It’s not “Rusophobia”…whatever the hell that is, by the way….
It’s a general reaction of disapproval, of disappointment, from a Federation and from media in countries that have the fortune to live in free democratic states. It’s people in all levels of hockey, and the sport’s fans, recognizing an obvious case of a person’s free will being interfered with by a government long known to induce fear in individuals as they use them for political gain
Either you are Russian, and feel the need to stick up for your country
-or-
you are an avid consumer of certain news channels and look at things from a very narrow p.o.v.
Because when it comes to empathy and critical thinking & discussion, this isn’t your lane buddy.
The IIHF is a joke. You’re gonna penalize a player cause he did what he absolutely had to do? Nuts.