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MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has declared an all-out war on the National Hockey League (NHL), accusing the North Americans of stealing its best players.
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"We can't just sit around and do nothing while the NHL takes our best players," Tretyak told local media. But the NHL said it would not negotiate compensation packages with any Russian club after the European nation refused to sign a transfer agreement with the North American league. Russia remains the only major hockey power not to join the deal, approved by the International Ice Hockey Federation in 2005.
Under the agreement Metallurg would have received a basic $200,000 fee for Malkin. The Russian club reportedly wanted at least 10 times more. Tretyak said the Malkin case was the main reason behind their decision not to sign the agreement while the Metallurg boss slammed the offer as "disgraceful."
Malkin has faxed a letter to Metallurg, asking them to annul his contract, which he said he had signed under pressure. Velichkin denying putting any pressure on Malkin.
"He talks about pressure. What pressure?" Velichkin said. You can ask militia (Russian police) about pressure. Pressure is when they bang your head against a wall radiator.
"As far as the letter he faxed to us, it wasn't written by Malkin so I think it's a pure fabrication. I just threw it in the garbage can." Asked about the sum he was seeking for Malkin, Velichkin said: "Before his disappearance I was asking for $2 million from Pittsburgh but now I want more, a lot more."
