Whose ears didn't perk up when they heard Markus Naslund was coming out of retirement to play with Peter Forsberg for Modo in the Swedish Elite League? Both are even reportedly playing for free.
Not many fans wanted to see either return to the NHL, with both players past their primes. But there's something exciting about the two playing for Modo, matching up against a level of talent that isn't quite NHL caliber.
More and more players are leaving the NHL for Europe. Some, like Jaromir Jagr, left for money. Others, like Kevin Dallman, left because of a lack of NHL offers . And others, like Forsberg and Naslund, just want to play close to home.
The NHL has largely ignored this migration, assuming that the best players will always want to play in the NHL. Which is true. Most players wanting to prove their mastery of hockey are going to eventually try and break into the NHL.
But what about players who have already proven their worth? What about players who had some kind of NHL following but have left for one reason or another?
The NHL doesn't care about European hockey because it doesn't impact the bottom line or the league's ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Steven Ovadia
Does the NHL Have A Future In Europe?
November 17th, 2009 by Steven Ovadia Leave a reply »
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