Over the weekend I started translating this interview with Jaromir Jagr that appeared in Soviet Sport late last week. But with a huge end-of-year work deadline looming, my own, neglected side business in the midst of its busy season, and the holiday season in full swing — not to mention loads of hockey to watch — I didn’t get very far. Lucky for you, Puck Daddy’s “official Russian comrade” (and Soviet Sports correspondent) Dmitry Chesnokov has saved me the trouble by translating most of the interview for the Puck Daddy faithful. So if you haven’t seen it already, head on over to Yahoo! Sports to read the big Czech’s thoughts about Sean Avery and the NHL’s business model.

If there were any doubts that Avangard Omsk has rebounded from their November slump, the team went a long way toward erasing them on Wednesday with a dominant performance over the KHL’s best defensive team, beating SKA St. Petersburg 5-1 in Omsk.  Jaromir Jagr scored two goals — including the game winner — and added an assist.  In his post-game press conference Omsk head coach Wayne Fleming called the effort their “most complete” game of the season.

There’s been much speculation in the press about what is ultimately responsible for the Hawks recent reversal in fortunes.  Some attribute it to a team meeting presided over by Omsk regional governor Leonid Polezhaev — a major sponsor of the team — late last week.  Others credit the turnaround to the return from injury of goaltender Alexander Fomichev, who’s given up just 4 goals in the 3-game winning streak.  But Soviet Sport has finally revealed the true reason behind Avangard’s success: Prior to Saturday’s game against Severstal, Jagr finally shaved off the “little beard” he once claimed brought him good luck.  He scored his first goal in a month in that game, and has scored in each game since…

The Hawks now get a two week vacation while European clubs break for the First Channel Cup, the second round of the 2008-2009 Euro Hockey Tour, which will be held in Moscow on December 18-21.

Scoring:
01:59 Dmitri Ryabikin (A. Bondarev, J. Klepis) (PP) (watch)
07:30 David Nemirovski (M. Sushinsky) (watch)
34:07 Jaromir Jagr (watch)
36:36 Pavel Rosa (I. Bolkov, D. Pestunov) (watch)
49:23 Anton Malishev (J. Jagr, J. Klepis) (watch)
54:34 Jaromir Jagr (D. Ryabikin, J. Klepis) (watch)

In a sign that the team may be putting its dark days behind it, Avangard Omsk topped division-leading Yaroslavl Lokomotiv 3-1 in Omsk on Monday.  The win gave the Hawks their second consecutive victory after a dismal November in which they earned only a single shootout victory in eight games.  Once again Jaromir Jagr put Omsk on the board first, scoring his 17th goal of the season on a power play at 13:19 of the second period.  Defenseman Nikita Nikitin added another power play goal at 18:44 of the second, and Pavel Rosa topped off the scoring with an empty net goal in the final minute of play.  Alexei Mikhnov picked up Loko’s only goal late in the third to make the final five minutes interesting. Goaltender Alexander Fomichev stopped 19 of 20 shots to earn the win. Despite the loss, Lokomotiv maintains a 13-point lead over the Avangard in the KHL’s Kharlamov Division.

In his post-game press conference, head coach Wayne Fleming confirmed that goaltender John Grahame has in fact been released by Avangard (you can see him say it himself approximately 5:15 into this video).  According to Soviet Sport, the American-born netminder’s equipment has been removed from the locker room and he has already left the club.  His release follows news last week that he’d been picked up by police drunk outside a club in Omsk.

Following the game, Jagr explained the team’s change in fortunes to Soviet Express. “When we beat Severstal on Saturday, our confidence increased.  It always happens that way.  You win one match, you catch success by the tail and everything fits into place.”

Asked to explain his scoreless November, Jagr was pragmatic.  “That sort of thing can happen to anyone.  I even heard that Ovechkin played a string of nine games without a goal in the NHL.  What can I say?”  “Not only could I not score,” he added, “but the whole team [couldn't].  Eight goals in six games - how is that enough?  Against the backdrop of Avangard, every opponent looked like a monster.  Plus there were injuries: Svitov, Kuryanov…”

Jagr was also asked about the upcoming KHL All Star game, set to be played in Red Square on January 10th.  “First of all I imagine that it will be cold,” he shared.  “We once tried to hold an open-air practice for Team Jagr at a public skating rink in Kladno. Not the most pleasant memories,” Jagr admitted.  “But Red Square - that’s something special.  A historical place…  It would be like playing hockey in Time Square in New York.  Something like this happens once in a lifetime. ”

As captain of Team Jagr — a team comprised of the best foreigners playing in the KHL this season that will face off against the best Russians under captain Alexei Yashin — Jagr was given the opportunity to choose two players he’d like to have on his team.  The big Czech chose fellow countryman and current teammate Jakub Klepis and former Rangers linemate Marcel Hossa, who continues to lead his team, Dynamo Riga, in scoring with 24 points in 30 games.  Asked why he chose those two players, Jagr reasoned “it wasn’t certain that they’d be selected by the fans,” who get to vote for the starters.  “These guys are my friends,” he continued, “it’s pleasant to play with them.”

Scoring:
33:19 Jaromir Jagr (Ryabikin D., Klepis J.) (PP) (watch)
38:44 Nikita Nikitin (Pestunov D., Ryantsev A.) (PP) (watch)
54:57 Alexei Mikhnov (Irgl Z., Vashichek I.) (watch)
59:05 Pavel Rosa (Ryabikin D., Volkov I.) (EN) (watch)

Avangard Omsk earned their first regulation victory since October 31st on Saturday, defeating Severstal Cherepovets 5-2 in Omsk. That date also marks the last time Jaromir Jagr, who scored today’s first goal just 42 seconds in and also added an assist, had been credited with a goal. The win comes after a string of games in which the team had been unable to score more than two goals in a single game that dated back to October 23rd.

Goaltender Alexander Fomichev returned from injury to start his first game for the Hawks since October 13th in Checkhov, and allowed just 2 goals on 33 shots. John Grahame did not dress, and there’s been no further word regarding rumors that Avangard may terminate or trade the former NHLer, after reports surfaced earlier this week that he was picked up by police outside a club in an intoxicated state.

00:42 Jaromir Jagr (Jakub Klepis) (watch)
06:29 Yuri Aleksandrov (Nikolai Bardin, Yuri Trubachev) (PP) (watch)
09:37 Jakub Klepis (Anton Malyshev, Jaromir Jagr) (watch)
25:18 Victor Aleksandrov (Jakub Klepis, Filipp Metlyuk) (watch)
33:29 Nikita Vyglazov (Filipp Metlyuk) (SH) (watch)
48:14 Filipp Metlyuk (PP) (watch)
55:36 Sergei Piskunov (Yury Aleksandrov) (PP) (watch)

According to Russian site Sports Planet, former NHL goaltender John Grahame may soon be asked to leave KHL team Avangard Omsk.

Yesterday near the club “Atlantid” Grahame was noticed in an intoxicated state, after which a police squad arrived and took him to a detoxification center.  Club president Konstantin Potapov and Avangard general manger Anatoli Bardin came shortly after to collect him from there.  Later from a source in the club came information that the management of the Hawks is going to terminate the contract with the hockey player.  Another option that is not ruled out is the possibility of trading the player.  The press service of the club has not yet officially commented on the situation.

Like the rest of his team, Grahame has struggled in recent weeks.  His record has dropped to 9-10-2 and he currently has a 2.86 GAA and .896 save percentage.  Avangard has lost 7 of their last 8 games, their only win in that span a 3-2 shootout victory on Nov. 23.  Grahame was not in goal for the win.

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.

Under normal circumstances, this space would be filled with a recap of Sunday afternoon’s Hartford Wolf Pack game, but yet another technical failure on the part AHL Live meant I could only see the game’s first period. The Pack ultimately lost the game by the final score of 6-3, despite outshooting the Providence Bruins 30-25 and earning nine of the twelve power play opportunities awarded in the game. Hartford’s penalty killing, which had been perfect through two games this weekend, got burnt twice in the first period, though only one of Portland’s goals shows as a power play marker — their second came five seconds after a penalty to Corey Potter expired. On the positive side, Devin DiDiomete picked up his second goal in as many games after going pointless in his first nine. He also got in his first pro scrap with fellow rookie Jordan Knackstedt, who came out on the losing side. P.A. Parenteau became the first Pack player to break into double digits in goals with his 10th of the season, and Artem Anisimov maintained his point-per-game pace and extended his points streak to six games with an assist on Dale Weise’s third period goal. Matt Zaba played in his first back-to-back start of the season and was less than stellar, stopping only 19 of 25 Providence shots — there’s still no word on the nature of starting netminder Miika Wiikman’s injury or when he might return. With the loss, Hartford dropped back to the .500 mark, just one point ahead of the surging Lowell Devils, who hold a game in hand.

Half a world away, Avangard Omsk finally halted its losing streak at five games with a 3-2 shootout win over Khimik Voskresensk. Czech Jakob Klepis scored both Omsk goals in regulation, and added the game winner in the shootout for good measure. Jaromir Jagr was held scoreless in the game. Highlights and photos are available from the Avangard Omsk Schedule page.

On the junior front, thanks go to reader Rob for pointing out this interview with Evgeni Grachev over at RussianProspects.com. Grachev will once again face Brampton teammate Cody Hodgson and fellow Ranger prospect Michael Del Zotto on Monday night in the fourth game of the ADT Canada Russia Challenge. Grachev’s junior team won both its games this weekend, breaking the club winning streak record on Saturday and extending their current run to 16 games on Sunday afternoon. Grachev added another goal and two more assists in the process, re-taking the rookie scoring lead in the OHL; he currently leads all rookies in both goals and points.

Finally, for a glimpse at how Grachev’s fellow 2008 third round pick Tomas Kundratek is settling in after a fractured hand delayed the start of his junior season, see this story in the Medicine Hat News about the Czech rookie and his unlikely defense partner.

An injury-depleted Avangard Omsk team lost their fourth straight game yesterday (and sixth in their last seven), falling 3-1 to Khimik Voskresensk. The loss dropped them six points behind Kharlamov Division-leading Yaroslavl Lokomotiv and into 10th place in the 24-team KHL. A visibly frustrated Jaromir Jagr was held pointless, and took two third period cross checking penalties. After the game, the dejected Czech spoke to Igor Kakurin of Championat.ru about what the team has been going through.

- As far as I understand, Jaromir, now is probably the most critical point of the season for Avangard. You’ve lost six of the last seven matches, but ahead is an entire seven home games in which it is possible to correct the situation…

- (Jagr looks with a sort of vacant stare, as if trying to figure out what he should say).

- What do you think about what’s happening with the team?

- (pause). Hmmm… (he speaks very slowly). I think… I see that this is absolutely a bad time for us. All of us. After Alexei [Cherepanov's] death we… We lost thirteen more players from the roster… Injured. It…

- Nobody could anticipate this. It could not be expected…

- Yes, I know that. Everyone knows. But… but when you lose thirteen players from the starting roster — it’s just not right. You can’t overcome that. But you know, there’s no one for you… no one to help us. No one, but yourself. We ourselves must get through it. Hope that the injured guys return, and we can… you know… we can get back to our game. [That] we can play better hockey.

- Right now you simply look shocked. You’re not yourself.

- It is quite difficult. It wouldn’t be easy for anyone. Nobody likes to lose. And I don’t like it. And for me this is very hard. But I can only have faith that we’ll get through all this, through these defeats, and that we’ll win.

- Watching you on the ice, the impression was that you play some moments alone — for yourself, and by yourself for everyone, for your team.

- That happens again and again (grinning nervously). I know that I have to continue to fight and believe that it will help everything get back on the right course. To have faith that we’ll recover. You see, when everything, absolutely everything, goes completely badly — you search, you try to find at least something good. You fight to find something. But what else can you do?

- During your entire career, did you ever encounter anything like what is happening to you now?

- I don’t know. Maybe… (pause). No, I don’t imagine I have. I don’t remember anything like this. Maybe, sometime long ago… I don’t know. But even if there was something like this, this is one of the hardest situations in my life. That is for sure.

- So what do you think about the upcoming series of home games. Coach Fleming just said at the press conference that he’s optimistic about them and expects the return of several of the injured players to the team right away…

- I hope for that very much. We need each one of them on the roster. Need them very much. I hope that it will be so.

- In the absence of so many of your players from the roster — what has happened with your teammate Pavel Rosa, who did not play today against Khimik?

- I don’t know. I simply don’t know.

- Rosa and one more Avangard forward, [Alexei] Kopeikin, played in Astana against Barys, but did not travel with the team to the match with Khimik, and have already turned up in Omsk. For what reason?

- Yes. Some sort of problems [have arisen], but I don’t know [what they are].

- As for all of these defeats…

- We don’t score goals, that is the problem. Through all of this — we have opportunities, but we do not score. We score one or two. But this is not enough to win games. Everyone understands, that to win it’s necessary to score at least four or five goals. But with one or two, it’s hard to win. But we can’t score more than one or two. That’s the problem, you know?… (pauses). I have to go now.

- Thank you. Good luck!

- (he nods, barely visibly, makes his way to the door which is opened and behind which is a crowd of Voskresensk boys, and in the distance is the bus with the team that awaits Jagr…)

Avangard head coach Wayne Fleming would not comment on the situation with Rosa or Kopeikin, but Rosa’s agent told Champtionat today that he’s under the impression his client’s contract with the Omsk club will be terminated, though neither he nor Rosa himself, who assured Championat that he’s completely healthy, have been provided any details as to why. The team did receive a boost when top center Anton Kuryanov returned, donning the captain’s “C” in place of Alexander Svitov, who’ll remain out for another six weeks following shoulder surgery.

Highlights from yesterday’s game are available from the KHL, or you can watch the entire match at Sportbox.

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.