You may have heard that former Kings defenseman Slava Voynov had a hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court to get his record expunged so he can return to the NHL. What he wanted done was to erase that he pleaded no contest to beating his wife, eventually serving nearly two months in jail and foregoing any further discipline by returning to his native Russia. He won his case today and now the NHL needs to figure out how to handle this situation.
The NHL currently has no policy regarding players being convicted of or accused of domestic abuse.
Katie Strang wrote at length about Voynov’s case in an previously unlocked Athletic article. It’s a disheartening read but thorough, so read it if and when you can. Emily Kaplan also wrote up the main points and compared how he would be treated under other leagues domestic abuse policies.
There were rumors that Montreal was interested in gaining Voynov’s rights. It may have been gossip or it might have been a decision that was changed when the optics seemed bad.
On Slava Voynov. His rights are still owned by the Kings and reports that the Canadiens and the Kings had trade talks regarding him are not accurate, according to multiple sources. Conclusion: he’ll never play in Montreal.
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) June 28, 2018
Journalists are urging their local teams to stay away.
Slava Voynov is an available, talented, top-four, right-handed shot and the Blackhawks should stay far the hell away. Everyone should.
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) July 2, 2018
According to Kaplan’s article, the NHL never conducted an investigation into the incident, preferring instead to allow the legal stuff shake out. Now, with no record of the abuse or without a specific policy, Voynov could potentially be brought back into the NHL fold. We have to rely on the duo of Bill Daly and Gary Bettman to do the right thing.
Don’t let Slava Voynov back in the NHL. Don’t do it.
Does the NHL have enough of a “policy” that the expungement of Voynov’s record makes an actual difference?
I guess it all comes down to the team owners & GMs – if they think their ticket & jersey sales are going to suffer, they’ll stay away.
I know it would make a big difference for me — acquiring Zac Rinaldo pissed me off because he was a jackass, but one could mostly ignore it because he was merely a 4th liner, and not obviously a bad guy off-ice. Acquiring Voynov would be committing a lot of money, ice time & visibility to someone who is obviously scummy (in a league that is actively courting female fans!).
If any team signs him they will immediately become my most hated team, even the Bruins. While the League should obviously take a stand here, I have little faith they will. I think the fans will have to be vocal about this.
I agree.
I would hand in my Bruins Fan Card and not watch while he was on the team. Guy is a remorseless dick bag:
https://twitter.com/ryanclassic/status/1013839177199190018
Bosslady: “Joe, the air conditioning on the second and third floors isn’t working. Can you fix it?”
Me(after turning on a\c): ” It was stuck in the O-F-F mode, I’ll be down in the basement adding liquid (to myself while I’m chillin’). “
Bahahaha!
Going to Newport to see mom tomorrow. I like the idea of seeing mom, but that traffic!
I’ve done summer holiday visits there – it was never as bad (from the north) as I thought it would be until I got onto the Newport Bridge.
I can’t speak to what sort of horrors might be encountered on I-95 through CT. I always seem to get stalled for an hour going through Bridgeport.
We always avoid I95. It’s a parking lot. Yup, no troubles til Kingstown.
I loved living downtown. Park the car and just go anywhere, really. Living drunk and stumbly distance from so many great places. Sigh, I miss it.
Yeah, that traffic from the bridge is awful. That is the only real traffic anywhere on the island.
Fewest points – 21 by the 74-75 Caps. Only 8 wins that year. I’m hoping the Habnots can challenge that record!!!
Hi folks.
Not necessarily – if none of the GMs are interested those two won’t have to do anything.
I expect this issue is polarising people on Twitter (imagine that!). I can’t bring myself to read any comments about it.
So, the Flortheast is looking a pretty damn strong division next season, eh? Five teams in the playoffs looks likely at this point. I wonder how many points the Habs will score. What is the record low?
Hope you all have a good day tomorrow. Don’t forget suncream and drink plenty of water. Other liquids are available too, of course …
Morning all. Hope everyone has a good Fourth and you all are staying as cool as you can.
Hey Pals! (Not you, Slava)
If Slava was an ice cream, he would be pralines and dick.
Dip in the pool, then evening in the rink – that’s how to beat the heat! I might have to do some thorough pool cleaning today….. from the inside!!!
It’s hot! Damn hot!
Need some nice, hot coffee!!! And a wing that can score, and a second pair defenseman, and……