Evgeny Kuznetsov Blasts Players Union for Not Sticking Up For Him
PUBLICATION
TJ Tucker
September 22, 2023 (2:37 PM)
It's not often you hear players badmouth their union publicly, but Evgeni Kuznetsov of the Washington Capitals is doing just that. Kuznetsov recently appeared on a Russian podcast where he discussed his suspension in 2019 after cocaine was found in his system at the World Championships. He told the hosts the NHL initially wanted to suspend him for 20 games. Kuznetsov said he expected the NHLPA to defend him during an intense meeting with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, but the union did nothing.
"We went in, sat down. Next to me sat these three c--ksuckers from the trade union. They told me they were gonna stick up for me. If Bettman says one word to us, we're gonna get involved and s--t. And then Bettman starts getting hot and heavy. He's going on and on and on and on and on. I'm sitting there, and I can't tell if he's serious or not. I apologized, said I came to you as a human being, alone, without an agent. Bettman said he respected that, thanked me. Sitting next to him was [Deputy Commissioner] Bill Daly. He said: 'I think you should be suspended for 20 games.' And I just started laughing. And those three people from the union don't say a word. I look at them, I don't understand, they should have stood up for me."
Kuznetsov said he sat for an hour while Bettman and Daly admonished him. He claims the union reps were completely silent.
"Ideally, people from the union should have stood up, started some kind of dialogue, somehow take my side. But as it turned out, I listened for an hour to how s---ty I was. It was over, I got in a cab and called my agent. Told him about the 20-game suspension, he laughed too. But when I imagined that I would get such a punishment, I got kind of depressed. Then the agent calls and says: 'Can we do three games of disqualification?' Two games is not enough, it's better to have three'. I said that it wasn't up to me. In the end we agreed to give only three games instead of 20 games of suspension."
Kuznetsov received a four-year ban from international competition from the IIHF. That ban has since ended, but it doesn't matter as Russia has been suspended from taking part in hockey tournaments on the world stage.
Source: Sport24.ru
POLL |
SEPTEMBRE 22 | 64 ANSWERS Evgeny Kuznetsov Blasts Players Union for Not Sticking Up For Him Was a three game suspension from the NHL a fair punishment for Kuznetsov |
Yes | 24 | 37.5 % |
No | 29 | 45.3 % |
Not sure | 11 | 17.2 % |
List of polls |
|
6 hours ago | By Tom Banks Jesse Puljujarvi Signs New Deal After Being Terminated By the Pittsburgh Penguins |
|
8 hours ago | By Tom Banks Controversial Former NHLer Takes Unnecessary Shot At Kendrick Lamar For Super Bowl Half-Time Performance |
|
10 hours ago | By Tom Banks Los Angeles Kings Defenseman Claimed By Western Conference Rival on Waivers |
|
11 hours ago | By Daniel Lucente NHL Players on Alert for Trades as Four Nations Face-Off Begins, Per Elliotte Friedman |
|
12 hours ago | By Graham Montgomery Carolina Hurricanes Reportedly Interested in Trading Mikko Rantanen Under One Condition |
|
14 hours ago | By Tom Banks Washington Capitals Prospect Cam Allen Arrested After Car Crash: Hockey Future in Doubt |
|
17 hours ago | By Tom Banks Hockey World Mourning as Former Washington Capitals First-Round Draft Pick Sadly Passes Away at 47 Years Old |
|
Feb 9 | By Graham Montgomery Minnesota Wild make heartwarming gesture to local high school team after they were victims of a crime |
Previously on Bladeofsteel