World Legends Hockey League

[RP-29]

Pavel Bure hyping international veteran's hockey league - NHL - SI.com

Hall of Famer Pavel Bure is spearheading the premier season of the World Legends Hockey League. The six-team circuit boasts franchises from Finland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Germany. To participate, players must be at least 45 years old and have appeared in IIHF-sanctioned games representing their country.

The league will kick off in November with a game between Finland and Sweden at Kisapuisto Arena in Lappeenranta, Finland. Playoffs are set for January at the VTB Ice Palace Arena in Moscow.

There are no Canadian or American teams this season, but it’s expected that several players from both nations will be invited to take part in an All-Star kick-off event that will feature Russia against the best of the rest of the world in October.

 

[forty_three]

Jagr is... too young?

 

[RP-29]

Jagr is... too young?

Yeah, they'll probably drop the age to 40 after Jagr officially retires. I'm sure they don't want him to join their league while he's still NHL-capable.

Another thing I found interesting is that Canada and US are not invited. I'm sure there are a lot of factors at play, but I'd be willing to bet that blackballing guys like Claude Lemieux are towards the top of the list.

 

[forty_three]

Andrew Cassells and Freddie Modin still live and coach around here, and I have seen them in Beer League games. Even now, they are leaps and bounds ahead of even the guys you'd consider "really good". You can tell they let up a LOT and still just flat out dance around everyone.

I'd love to see a whole game of these guys. Would probably be a blast. I hope it comes to this side of the pond.

 

[dash]

I want to see a Canada - Sweden game featuring Cam Neely and Ulf Samuelsson.

 

[RP-29]

Andrew Cassells and Freddie Modin still live and coach around here, and I have seen them in Beer League games. Even now, they are leaps and bounds ahead of even the guys you'd consider "really good". You can tell they let up a LOT and still just flat out dance around everyone.

I'd love to see a whole game of these guys. Would probably be a blast. I hope it comes to this side of the pond.

Agreed. Maybe if the WLHL has any success, the NHL will end up creating a senior league?

 

[Nasty_Magician]

One thing I've noticed about the older guys is that they can still rip it. Even if the skating goes they can still shoot harder than anybody else on the ice.

 

[DragonfromTO]

One thing I've noticed about the older guys is that they can still rip it. Even if the skating goes they can still shoot harder than anybody else on the ice.

It's not even so much about the physical skills, it's basically a lesson in puck possession. Watch an NHL alumni team play sometime and see how they play. If a guy brings the puck through the neutral zone and there's nothing happening they don't chip it in and pat themselves on the back for a job well done, they turn around and pass it back, to someone getting off the bench, to a defenseman, even to the goalie. Then they start over.

 

[Comeds]

Sounds to me like Pavel wants to launder some money for his Russian mob friends.