Former Langnau forward, Martin Kariya, has inked a contract with KHL club Dinamo Riga. The deal has been rumored since May. Kariya had a solid 2008-09 season in the Swiss NLA with 54 points in 50 games. The 27-year-old will be working in his 5th different country since leaving North America.
Archive for category Russia
29-year-old Montrealer Ramzi Abid has found a new employer in KHL club Traktor Tscheljabinsk. Cut loose by SC Bern of the Swiss NLA, the former 3rd round NHL draft pick opted for the big cash offered by the Russian league.
Clubs in the Russian Kontinental Hockey League are cutting back next season due to the world financial crisis. Champions Hockey League sponsor Gazprom withdrew their support effectively putting the one-year-old experiment on ice. Now the trickle down effect is being felt. The upper and lower salary caps will be reduced by 17 percent for 2009-10. Each team will be limited to 5 import players. In other developments, the financially strapped club Khimik Woskresensk is dropping out of the league and will be replaced by Avtomobilist Jekaterinberg. In a new format, the league will have eastern and western conferences and a similar play-off format to the NHL.
