Quote:
Originally Posted by getbak
He was the first Soviet player in the NHL at all (there was a guy who defected some years earlier who played a few games, but Priakin was the first one who came over with permission). Priakin was with the team for the Cup win, but didn't get his name on the Cup because he didn't play enough games.
Makarov and the other big names came over starting the following season.
|
Huh. Neato. I've never heard of that but sure enough:
In addition, Viktor Nechaev, a marginal hockey player who left the Soviet Union, played three games for the Los Angeles Kings in 1983.
Here's an article from the New York Times! about Priakin coming to the Flames.
http://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/30/sp...-surprise.html
I wonder when the last time there was an article in the Times about the Flames. Probably when Jarome was on top of the world and there was constant talk of "sending" him to a team in a city with a large African American population in town because he was wasting away here in the sticks.