Gare Joyce has a good article at Sportsnet.ca on Russian star Nikita Filatov, who led Team Russia to an 8-1 victory over Slovakia on Tuesday afternoon with a 3 goal, 1 assist performance.  In the article, Filatov talks about the influence his “best friend in hockey”, Ranger prospect Alexei Cherepanov, had on him:

“We played together on the team that won the under-18s in Tampere [in 2007] and he was the best player on the ice,” Filatov says. “We were a confident team and the confidence started with Alexei. He really helped me a lot with my game and my life. It was such a big honour for me to play with him on teams in international tournaments. He was such a good guy and such a good friend. Every aspect of his life … he always wanted to be the best at whatever he did and I think he was. A unique man.”

Filatov wouldn’t comment on allegations that a performance enhancing substance was found in Cherepanov’s blood, saying only “I don’t want to comment on these things.  Probably it can be true, probably it can’t be true. It doesn’t matter. There is no bringing him back. It’s just sad.”

At this year’s World Junior Championship, Filatov is paired with another Ranger prospect, Evgeni Grachev, on Russia’s top line.  Here’s what the Columbus Blue Jacket prospect had to say about his linemate:

“I played with Evgeni the last two years and I really liked it,” Filatov says. “We are a good fit together. We’ve got Andronov on the right wing–very tough, very powerful. Gratchev is a big guy with good hands and he’s good in both ends of the rink. The game is much better for me when I’m with the big guys because [the opponents' defence] have to pay attention to them and it gives me room. We’re a tough line to play against.”

Grachev has just one point in three games in the tournament thus far, but was on the ice for five of Russia’s eight goals against Slovakia on Tuesday.  He set up the Russians’ second goal by carrying the puck up ice and deep into the Slovakian zone before dishing it Maxim Chudinov, who fed Maxim Goncharov for the shot from the point.  And he drove the net hard all game, causing a distraction in the crease on two other Russian goals.

The full game is available online on demand from TSN for those who’d like to watch.

The Rangers only other prospect in this year’s tournament, defenseman Tomas Kundratek, has three assists in three games, playing on the Czech Republic’s top defense pairing.  He picked up two of those assists, and added five shots on goal, in Tuesday’s 6-0 victory over Germany.

The KHL has released a statement regarding the results of the investigation into the death of Ranger prospect Alexei Cherepanov. Their release includes further details regarding the Public Prosecutor’s statement yesterday which alleged that Cherepanov had used performance enhancing substances.

From the report it is unambiguously evident that Alexei Cherepanov for at least a year suffered from chronic myocarditis. The disease in question precludes the possibility of employment in professional sports. In the blood of the hockey player was found cordiamin (nikethamide), a medication which is used for stimulation and treatment of cardiovascular systems and respiratory organs.

It was determined that the cordiamin was introduced into the hockey player’s body three hours prior to the start of the match between Vityaz and Avangard on October 13, 2008. The medication in question is included on the banned list of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

The Disciplinary Committee of the KHL will meet on January 5th to review the prosecutor’s 1000+ page report and interview approximately 30 witnesses and specialists. The committee’s final verdict will be announced on January 15th.

In the meantime, the committee has rendered the decision that Avangard’s doctors be immediately removed from their posts. In addition, they have appealed to KHL President Alexander Medvedev to submit a request to Omsk regional governor and Avangard head Leonid Polezhaev that both team General Manager Anatoli Bardin and President Konstantin Potapov be asked to step aside until the conclusion of the committee’s investigation.

The Office of the Public Prosecutor of the Russian Federation has released the results of its investigation into the death of Ranger prospect Alexei Cherepanov.   Investigators concluded that Cherepanov suffered from a heart condition that should have precluded him from participating in professional sports, and that chemical analysis revealed evidence of performance enhancing substances (doping).  In addition, the investigatory committee concluded that the medical crew that responded to the arena committed a number of flagrant violations.

From their press release:

According to the conclusion of forensic doctors Alexei Cherepanov suffered from a disease of the heart — chronic myocarditis.  The duration of the disease could be dated back approximately one year. The disease in question precludes the possibility of employment in professional sports.  The direct cause of death is acute cardiovascular failure.  In blood and urine traces of alcohol and drugs were not found, but chemical analysis makes it possible to draw the conclusion that for several months Alexei Cherepanov took performance enhancing substances (doping).

During the investigatory inspection it was established that the crew rendering medical aid to A. Cherepanov had committed a number of flagrant violations: the first aid crew, having arrived at the call after 12 minutes, had with it a defibrillator with a discharged battery, and the squad doctor provided the incorrect diagnosis of “biological death”.

The results of their investigation regarding the competence of the Avangard medical staff have been forwarded to the Office of the Public Prosecutor in Omsk, while the materials concerning the medical crew that responded to the arena on October 13th have been send to the Public Prosecutor in Moscow.  No further information regarding possible criminal prosecution is available at this time, and neither the KHL or Avangard Omsk have commented yet.  The full report from the prosecutor’s office is expected after the new year.

Translation note: The term “doping” in Russian is used as both “doping” in the blood doping sense and as “performance enhancing substance”, so further clarification is required to understand exactly what they are alleging Cherepanov was involved in.  That should come when the full report is released in the new year.

It’s also worth noting that the Public Prosecutor’s conclusion is in conflict with what was reported in October by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, which is accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency and International Olympic Committee.

With the World Junior Championship set to get underway later this week, Kingston’s Whig Standard talked to Rangers draft pick Evgeny Grachev and Columbus Blue Jackets’ prospect Nikita Filatov about what the loss of Ranger first round draft pick Alexei Cherepanov means Team Russia following a team practice in Kingston on Saturday.

“He would probably be the best player on this team,” Filatov told the Standard. “Everybody here understands who Alexei was.”

“I think there will be a difficult moment during the championship,” Columbus’ sixth-overall draft pick in 2008 added, suggesting the team could have a meeting to discuss Cherepanov prior to the tournament.

“We will try not to think about it, but I think we will play for him, too,” said Grachev. “It was a really big loss for us. He would have been one of the leaders of this team and helped us with goal scoring and defensive play.”

As for his team’s chances, Grachev added “We have a really good team. We’ve got pretty good offensive players, defensive players and goalies and hopefully we will fight for a gold.”

Team Russia got their 2-game pre-tournament exhibition schedule underway yesterday with a 4-1 defeat of Kazakhstan in Oshawa. They face Team USA in another exhibition game in Kingston on Tuesday before opening the tournament against Latvia on Thursday.

UPDATE: The Russian Hockey Federation has finally updated their web site with (very few) details on last night’s exhibition game against Kazakhstan. Grachev picked up the third goal for the Russians in the 17th minute of the second period as they took a 3-0 lead after a scoreless first. Nikita Klukin, Sergei Ostapchuk, Grachev and Pavel Chernov scored for team Russia, while Alexander Kaznachaev scored for Kazakhstan. Andrei Yankov was in goal for Kazakhstan, while Sergei Gaiduchenko and Vadim Zhelobnyuk split the game in net for Russia.

The Russian Hockey Federation (FHR) has released a list of 30 players who have been invited to their 2009 World Junior Championship camp, to be held from December 7th through December 21st in Novogorsk. As expected, Ranger prospect Evgeny Grachev, the OHL’s Rookie of the Month, is included in the group. He’s joined by fellow Canadian Hockey League (CHL) juniors Andrei Loktionov, Dmitry Kurgashev, Sergei Korostin, and Sergei Ostapchuk. Nikita Filatov, Maxim Mayorov, and Vyatcheslav Voynov, all of whom are currently playing in the American Hockey League (AHL), are also expected to join the team, provided the federation is able to meet the insurance requirements set forth by their NHL clubs. Its unclear if any of the players currently playing in North America will be released in time to join the team for the camp, or if they will join the team when it arrives in Ottawa a week prior to the start of the tournament.

In addition, the team’s coaching staff, headed by former Ranger Sergei Nemchinov, has announced that Alexei Cherepanov’s number 7 will go unassigned in memory of the fallen winger, who was expected to star for Team Russia in this year’s tournament.

The 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship kick off in Ottawa, Canada on December 26th. On Tuesday the NHL Network announced that they will provide live, high definition coverage in the U.S. for all Team USA games, in addition to all games in the medal round.

Preliminary 2009 Russian Junior Roster

Goaltenders
Zhelobnyuk, Vadim
Gaiduchenko, Sergei
Alistratov, Daniel

Defensemen
Golovkov, Igor
Konev, Andrei
Goncharov, Maxim
Pashnin, Mikhail
Tokranov, Vasily
Khafizullin, Dinar
Vasiliev, Valery
Voinov, Vyacheslav
Chudinov, Maxim

Forwards
Kulikov, Konstantin
Klopov, Dmitry
Chernov, Pavel
Nikontsev, Anatoly
Karamnov, Vitaly
Komaristy, Alexander
Grachev, Evgeny
Andronov, Sergei
Loktionov, Andrei
Kugryshev, Dmitry
Klyukin, Nikita
Mayorov, Maxim
Korostin, Sergei
Ostapchuk, Sergei
Dadonov, Evgeny
Filatov, Nikita
Potapov, Alexei
Petrov, Kiril

As reported earlier today by numerous outlets in the North American press, the Public Prosecutor tasked with investigating the death of 19-year old Alexei Cherepanov has released a statement citing violations on the part of the Vityaz arena director and local municipality which prevented Cherepanov from getting “timely and skilled medical care” after he collapsed on the bench during a game in the Moscow suburb of Chekhov on October 13th.

According to a story in RIA Novosti, the investigation revealed that the director of the Vityaz Arena, Juri Afonkin, signed a certificate of readiness prior to the start of the game, certifying that all legal requirements for holding a sporting event — including the presence of the ambulance — had been met. However, investigators determined that there was no ambulance on-site at the arena at any point during the game.

Investigators also cited violations on the part of the local municipality for failing to supply an ambulance, despite one being requested in writing by Afonkin a month in advance.

It’s not clear whether criminal charges will be filed against the parties involved.  Afonkin and the director of the Vityaz hockey club, Mikhail Denisov, have already been removed from their posts.

According to a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office, on the evening of Cherepanov’s death, there were six local ambulance crews on duty. At the time the call was received from the arena, five were already out on other calls, and the sixth had been taken out of service due to “technical malfunctions”. As a result, the call for help was redirected to a regional trauma crew, which responded to the scene.

While the North American reports reiterate the initial diagnosis of chronic ischemia — a diagnosis which was reported within hours of Cherepanov’s death, and which doctors in both Russia and North America have since questioned — the RIA Novosti story describes the cause of death as “myocardiopathy” resulting in “accute cardiac arrest”.

The forensic investigation into the cause of Cherepanov’s death continues, “with the purpose of clarifying questions about how long the disease developed, whether it could have been diagnosed while he was alive, and whether oversight of the state of health of the athlete was correctly implemented by team doctors.”

A week ago today friends, family, teammates and fans marked forty days since the passing of Alexei Cherepanov with a somber memorial at the fallen forward’s grave site. Two days later, with the black mourning armbands they’ve worn since the his death removed — the “7″ patches remain prominently displayed on each player’s jersey, and will do so through the remainder of the season — the team halted a skid that had stretched to five games with a 3-2 shootout victory over Khimik Voskresensk.

Jaromir Jagr, who has only two assists through six games in the month of November, admitted that he continues to have difficulty dealing with Cherepanov’s death. “We still have not recovered from the tragedy,” Jagr shared. “I can’t escape the thought that I have lost a younger brother. Sometimes, you go to practice and remember how you remained on the ice with Lyoshka, worked on dekes, shots, passes. Or you sit on the bench during the game and your eyes search for a familiar number on a sweater, and you come upon continuous line of sevens.” Jagr’s not alone — the whole team is struggling through its grief. “Each of the guys is in a black, mournful frame [of mind]. You know, in the past when I read about the loss of close relatives in books, I didn’t comprehend the whole magnitude of the grief.”

A museum honoring Cherepanov is being planned for an area of the large foyer of Omsk Arena where fans filled a wall with phrases and poems of remembrance following his death. Cherepanov’s father, Andrei Cherepanov, who now works as a manger for the club, has been tasked with organizing the museum, which will contain a collection of jerseys, medals, gloves and photos of the young Russian star, as well as fan contributions including team scarves, Cherepanov autographs, and poems and songs penned in his memory.

Cherepanov’s mother, Margarita Cherepanova, spoke to reporters following the memorial about her growing frustration with the lack of answers she’s received about the cause of her son’s death. “Ms. Tarasova (the head of the department of public health services in Checkhov - ed.) declared to the whole world, that such a sick person couldn’t even participate in amateur sports,” she told Sport-Express. “What I want to ask — is Tarasova right or not? I understand that I will not find the truth. But somebody should experience at least a little bit of what I have. It’s not vengeance, but I’m a mother, and any mother will understand my feelings.” Cherepanova has been unable to get any information from investigators, instead having to rely on newspaper and TV reports. “Right now I’d don’t see the truth — I get all information from newspapers and TV screens. I call Moscow, the reply there — the investigation has been extended, everything is classified. From who? From his mother? I should know everything first, not the rest of the world. It all seems wrong somehow.”

The criminal investigation — which has been extended twice — is now expected to be concluded by the end of this month. Avangard President Konstantin Potapov has revealed that the results of medical tests performed on Cherepanov by the New York Rangers when he was in New York following the 2007 NHL Entry Draft have been of no assistance in the investigation. “Unfortunately, we expected a little more from the American tests [performed] by the Rangers,” Potapov told Sport-Express. “For the most part the examination was conducted in the form of “question and answer”. There was no in depth analysis there of how the heart works or of other internal organs. Yes, there is a cardiogram, but it concurs completely with the one that was done on Lesha by Omsk’s doctors,” he explained. “From that which has come to us, one can not draw conclusions on the reasons for the tragedy.”

After a 6-day break, Avangard return to the ice tomorrow to try to build on last weekend’s win when they face Amur Khabarovsk at home.

In a press conference held earlier today the KHL announced that the results of the public prosecutor’s inquiry into the cause of Alexei Cherepanov’s death — which were originally scheduled to be released today — have been delayed so that additional medical personnel can study the case.

“The Office of the Public Prosecutor believes that further investigation into the death of Alexei Cherepanov is necessary,” KHL Vice President Vladimir Shalaev explained during the press conference. “They were not satisfied with the conclusion of the forensic examination. Representatives from other branches of medicine, who will analyze this case deeply and thoroughly, will be added to this group.”

“Because of this it is currently impossible to name the cause of Alexei Cherepanov’s death with certainty,” Shalaev continued. “However, it has already been established that fault was not found in either the first aid squad or the personnel of Avangard. They acted correctly and did everything they could. The absence of the ambulance and necessary equipment were not found to be a direct causal effect of Alexei’s death.”

Shalaev added that punishment handed out to those who were found to be responsible for the lack of appropriate medical equipment — namely the director of the Vityaz hockey club and the director of the arena in Chekhov, both of whom have been removed from their positions and banned from future work with the league — would not be rescinded. “That does not mean that disciplinary penalties will be removed from the people who admitted negligence,” he concluded.

The full results of the investigation are now expected to be released at the end of the month.

UPDATE: An expanded version of the KHL’s press release was put out later in the day, including an English version which was sent to various media outlets in North America. See Yahoo! Sports for the AP’s write-up. That release also included details of the medical examinations performed on the 67 KHL players who are 19-years old and younger. Of note is Shalaev’s comment that “one or two young hockey players may have significant health concerns and may have to change their careers”, contradicting what a director at the center that performed the medical exams said earlier in the week.

Avangard Omsk lost to Novosibirsk Sibir on Thursday, an empty-netter capping off the scoring at 4-1. Jaromir Jagr was held scorless despite a strong performance.

Off the ice, Avangard president Konstantin Potapov contradicted comments made to ESPN by NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, in which Daly claimed that multiple requests for parental authorization to release Alexei Cherepanov’s medical records had been “ignored”. According to Potapov, the first contact the club or the family had received on the matter came only on Monday. “The request addressed to the Cherepanov family only came to the club on Monday morning,” Potapov told Soviet Sport. “We tried as quickly as possible to prepare Alexei’s father’s response with consent for disclosure of the results of the medical examination, had it certified by a notary public and last night [Tuesday] sent the letter to the NHL. Before Monday, no documents were received from overseas!”

It’s hard to believe a month has passed since Cherepanov collapsed and died in the Moscow suburb of Chekhov. Harder still to believe that the KHL and NHL can’t put aside their differences long enough to work together efficiently — and without posturing and finger-pointing — on this one particular issue.

The report on the investigation into Cherepanov’s death was originally scheduled for Friday. There’s been no indication to suggest the delay in getting Cherepanov’s medical records from North America would change that.

During the recent break in the KHL schedule, all players age 19 and younger were required to report to the Roszdrava Medical-Rehabilitation Center in Moscow, where they underwent comprehensive medical examinations said to be similar to those a Russian cosmonaut would be subjected to. As reported in the North American press, after the first three days of testing, 5 out of the 49 players examined were found to have heart problems. But, the director of the sports rehabilitation department at the center, Vladimir Preobrazhensky, explained that none of the issues detected up to that point were expected to be prevent the players from continuing their careers.

“We have examined 49 people,” Preobrazhensky explained to Soviet Sport. “A catastrophic pathology was not detected in any of them. Five have problems with their heart, but they can be resolved. Some of the boys have to undergo treatment, some have to pass a deeper and more prolonged examination.” But Preobrazhensky emphasized that none of the issues were considered career-threatening. “I repeat, there were no abnormalities which would cause the hockey players to end their career.”

The full report on the results for all 67 players who were tested is also expected on Friday.

According to Russian daily Sport-Express, the New York Rangers have refused to share the results of medical tests performed on 2007 1st round draft pick Alexei Cherepanov, which were requested by Russian officials as part of their ongoing investigation into his death on October 13th:

Yesterday it became known to a Sport-Express correspondent that the medical staff of the New York Rangers has flatly refused to hand over the results of the medical tests which were performed [on Cherepanov] after the 2007 draft. At that time, you’ll recall, Cherepanov was overseas and took part in the summer training camp for rookies of the “Blueshirts”. The American side, by the way, did not provide any reason for the motives behind their decision.

Try as I might, I’ve been unable to come up with a single, justifiable reason for this decision.

UPDATE 11/10/2008: According to ESPN, the NHL has not released Cherepanov’s records because they’re waiting for authorization from Cherepanov’s parents. “We have no legal ability to release them without authorization from the player’s family,” Deputy NHL Commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN. “We’ve asked twice. They have ignored us.”