January 18, Sport-Express (roughly translated): As it became known to Sport-Express, well-known Russian hockey player Igor Larionov has given his preliminary consent to become one of heads of the new Open hockey league which will start since a following season.
Today Larionov arrives to Russia from Northern America to take part in four [exhibition games] with participation of veterans which will take place in St.-Petersburg and Moscow from January, 18 till January, 22nd. And, probably, today in Northern capital, Larionov's meeting with the vice-president of board " Gazprom " and one of the founders of new league Alexander Medvedev takes place-- both will play on the same team for the exhibition match "Gazprom Export" vs. " Stars of the world."
Larionov has suggested that the "Open League" should make a significant break from the Superleague in terms of governance, but he's not quite willing to make the Open League his primary focus.
There are several idiomatic expressions that online translators fail to register, so this next article might seem quite garbled. The point of all the gab? Larionov danced around the subject of moving back to Russia to become a full-time executive:
January 19, Sport-Express (roughly translated): Question: How much of Medvedev's offer in occasion of work in League can influence your decision to more densely to occupy yourself in this project?
Larionov: Mr. Medvedev has undertaken this business [creating a new hockey league] and does not recede from it, and this already in itself he's shown that he is not indifferent to affairs of Russian hockey. Yes, behind him there is a big corporation (Medvedev is the vice-president of board of the natural gas company "Gazprom". - Sport-Express note). But the main thing - he loves our hockey and wishes to make it better. Such undertakings I certainly support. He involves very interesting experts who are really capable to help with the business of creation of [our new] league. I think, at correct statement of process with him, all will [go his way].
Question: What, in your opinion, it is necessary to change from the present Russian superleague?
Larionov: Everything! To talk about this in more detail, I am afraid, [because it will take too long]. Using "might" and "may" there are conversations that, in terms of the quality of our game, we want to be the second-best league in the world after the NHL, but I don't see it. How the money enclosed in our hockey system now works, that too is absolutely wrong.
Question: As it has been declared at press this conference, the basis of your doubts are connected by the work that a new league can demand [from you] 24 hours a day, and your family lives in the USA. It turns out, moving of your relatives to Russia is impossible?
Larionov: Anyway, it is very difficult - even because my children were born in North America. And the answer [for a while] I don't have yet.
Question: Whether you are going to take this question on family council?
Larionov Yes, we shall discuss [doing so].
Question: In what does the main task of the Open Russian league, in your opinion, consist?
Larionov: [The main task is to make] our hockey become more organized. That relations between players and clubs have been constructed properly. And after that it will be possible to return to conversations on [quality/strength] of our hockey. While we have the right to speak only about greater money. And how to correctly use it, we haven't learned yet. It would be desirable to achieve, and to make sure that the youth in three-to-four years is ready not only to play for more money, but also to play for their country.
Note: The form of participation that Larionov will take in the operating body of the ORHL will be discussed with him in the near future, Medvedev has told Sport-Express corespondent Sergei Tsimmeranom.
Larionov has previously stated that he hopes the ORHL's sphere of influence will include re-organizing Russian hockey's developmental system--to use the money that's poured into the Superleague to more effectively develop Russian players.
He's very serious about the concept that the ORHL must get off "on the right foot" as both a profit-making enterprise and an entity dedicated to making Russian hockey "better" from the bottom up.
