Based on a wide number of conversations with import players who’ve spent considerable time in the league, we’ve found a number of common themes (both good and bad ones) that players have gone through during their time playing in the K.
By far, the biggest factor that impacts a players experience and happiness overseas in Russia is the quality (or lack thereof) of the organization where the player is.
If the organization is run professionally, has good facilities (rink, living setup, etc), and treats their players/staff well…there’s a good chance players who play there will have a positive experience playing there.
If on the other hand, the organization is poorly run and the club doesn’t look after players/staff enough…then it’s likely players will have a bad experience playing there.
In Russia, the good vs bad pendulum swings quite far both ways.
One team may give players the full 5-star treatment while another cuts corners, gets stingy on pay when times get tough, and treats players as if they’re serving an in-season prison sentence (figuratively speaking).
Below, we’ll cover...the good, bad, and the inevitable.
Important note: As we dig into what it’s like playing here, we’ll be sharing a few more actual quotes from KHL players. Out of respect for them (a couple whom are still playing today), we won’t include their names…just their quotes.
The Good
Players we spoke with who played for top clubs in the KHL for the most part had good experiences.
A couple even said that playing there surprisingly exceeded their expectations.
These players not only continued to play hockey at a high level, but they also brought home some serious dough at the tail end of their careers before hanging up the skates.
One of the biggest draws for players (especially imports) to play in the KHL is the money.
The other is the adventure!
“I had spent a few years in the National (NHL) and was producing well in the American League as a veteran. One day, I got an offer to play in Russia that was hard to refuse. My wife and I were a bit nervous as we had a young family and one kid. I’d heard some stories from hockey friends years back. After some deep conversations, we gave it a shot and are glad we did. Not only did the organization treat my family and I well during our stay there, but I think we became closer as a family because of that shared experience. The travel schedule and training is pretty draining with two a days and long flights, but our team going above and beyond let us mostly just focus on playing the game. You’d still see things all the time that remind you that you’re in Russia like the owners random friends in the locker room or a trainer smoking a dart, but if you keep an open mind and roll with it, it’s fun.”
Where Do KHL Players Live In-Season?
For teams in larger cities, KHL teams generally put import players up in a nice flat (apartment) that’s centrally located near shops, grocery stores, parks, and schools. If they're not in a bustling downtown, they might even have a house.
If a player flies over to Russia with their family (wife/kids), that is most certainly taken into account when arranging their living arrangement.
Local players may live in the housing the team provides as well, but it all depends on the team.
Say the player lives 5 minutes away in town, they may just opt to live at home (flat, house, etc).
In recent years, a couple of KHL teams have gone as far as building out entire compounds for their players to live and work while they play there in season.
Picture a luxury apartment building with a gym, pool, saunas/spas, and all the amenities one would need.
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“I had heard all the stories. When I arrived in Yaroslavl, I knew it was going to be a fit. A rep from the team picked me up at the airport in this fancy car and drove me to this compound building, a Russian Baza (in the good sense). From the week I arrived, I literally lived there all season long. The setups out of a movie for someone that loves hockey and training as much as me. From my apartment, I could walk right over to the practice facility, gym, and saunas. Just for fun, I’d dial for room service.”
The Bad
For players on clubs either in the middle of the pack and at the bottom of the standings, players experiences were quite mixed.
This is not to say that if a team isn’t as strong in the standings, they don’t treat players well. It just makes it a little more likely to be the case.
Several players we talked with on the phone for this piece talked at length about Russian Bazas.
Russian Baza
In short, a Russia baza is a place (usually a generic Eastern Bloc type of building) where players will train and sleep the night prior to game days.
If the team isn’t performing well, they may stay here longer. To this day, many KHL teams still have players stay in Bazas in preparation for big games.
Fortunately, some clubs now do it in a way where it’s much more modern (somewhat comfortable, amenities). A number of clubs in the league still enforce this practice to the extreme and have players stay in the baza routinely throughout the season.
Here’s what one player had to say about it….
“Looking back, I created some memories in Russia that’ll last a lifetime. One thing I will not miss is staying in the team Baza. I was over there with my girlfriend at the time where it was hard enough just acclimating to living over in Russia. The night before games, management would pack us all in the bus and make us stay in this baza. It reminded me of those old buildings you see in classic WW2 type films. The room felt grey and depressing. You had a bed, tv, and bathroom but that was about it room wise. The team believed this kept us focused and out of trouble before games, but it did nothing but make me depressed and look forward to being back in my apartment.”
As we mentioned in the previous chapter, the KHL has a minimum salary floor. This safeguard is intended to be in place to ensure that teams across the league are financially compensating players at this bar or above it.
This is Russia though. Let’s repeat that together one more time…
This is Russia!!!
The owners of a number of these teams literally run the show and call the shots around town.
The world where they live is their literal playground and to some extent, they play by their own rules. If they want to skirt around rules (or even pay a player way more under the table), they might.
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If the club wants to force a player out of a contract (due to performance or something unrelated), they’ll find a way to make it happen.
From teams physically intimidating players to sign their way out of contracts all the way to just making their lives miserable if they plan to stay, we’ve heard our fair share of KHL horror stories.
It’s not right, but unfortunately was the real situation a couple players and coaches we spoke with mentioned.
In the section above, we’ve sure hit on some extreme instances and stories to help paint a candid picture so that it helps you grasp the extreme ends.
Below as we wrap up this chapter, we’ll touch on the inevitable.
These are all of the aspects that every player in the league deals with (to some extent) regardless of which organization they play for.
Intense Travel
It’s a fact of life that if you play in the KHL, flight durations and the travel schedule on the road can be pretty grueling.
Russia has the largest land mass of any country in the world and from one end of the country to the other, you go through 11 time zones.
If you play for a team in Asia or Siberia, it’s the most extreme.
For this reason, a number of these clubs have extended home stays as well as road trips throughout the season to maintain such a travel schedule.
One player told us their team plane would literally make pit stops for the longest journeys in season to fuel up the plane.
Culture
If you want to improve your hockey experience away from the rink playing in Russia (or anywhere else for that matter), you’d better try to acknowledge their culture a little bit.
You don’t need to be walking around with a Russian dictionary memorizing stuff, but it greatly helps to learn a few basic phrases (Hi, thank you, etc) and cultural customs.
In Russia, one of the biggest social customs for those of age is drinking…and not just drinking anything…drinking Vodka (водка).
Here’s what one player share with us on this norm…
“If you’d go out with the boys (teammates) after a big game, it would be expected you drink with them. Not doing so would literally upset them to their core. They had this one ritual where you look each other in the eye when you have a drink (shot). The bars stay open til the morning when the suns up. I’d always mix in waters and look for a window to dip out before it got too late and crazy.”
This might seem a bit excessive, but even if you’re to dine at a local family’s house here, it’s likely sipping Vodka will take place throughout.
Best not turn down the countries cherished beverage if/when you’re offered it.
Smoking
From team owners ripping darts on planes to a trainer nonchalantly lighting one up in between periods, you’ll absolutely see this throughout the country.
For import players seeing this for the first time, they’re usually a bit in shock (laughing).
To locals, they don’t think much of it. It's completely normal to them.
Attractive Women
Spend any length of time in Russia and you'll find no shortage of extremely attractive women.
We've found this to be the case in many regions of Europe....but it's quite noticeable in Russia as well.
It's not uncommon to walk throughout any city for 10-15 minutes and see a handful of women who could be super models. Russia has a deep array of ethnicities from Europe to Asia which certainly might add to why there's so many stunning females throughout.
That or maybe there's something special in the water....who knows. We don't see anyone complaining...especially men/women who live there.
Reason we mention this is that many import players we've worked with who have played hockey overseas have happily met their eventual partners while playing hockey.
Europe is probably one of the best places in the entire world to meet attractive people.
HEY......your mind is wondering. Get your mind back on HOCKEY!!
There's plenty more for us to dig into...
Militaristic Level Fitness Training
Russians are known to have some of the most intense off-ice hockey training regimens in the world.
From unorthodox training methodologies that began during the earlier Soviet Red Army hockey era....much of that has been ingrained into the fabric of Russian hockey training to this day.
We’ll spend the entire next chapter on this alone as we take you through a full KHL season...
