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Alexander Svitov selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning third overall, poses following the first round of the draft Saturday June 23, 2001.
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Svitov signs Lightning contract
The Tampa Bay Lightning announced yesterday that they had signed Alexander Svitov, their first pick in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, to a three-year contract.
That's very good news for the Lightning because after they drafted him last year, it was announced that Svitov had been conscripted into the Russian Army. It wasn't clear how long he would have to serve.
"Svitov's saga was about more than military obligation. It was about Anatoly Bardin, president of Svitov's hometown team in Omsk, Siberia, trying to prevent Svitov and Stanislav Chistov, picked fifth overall by Anaheim, from going to the NHL," Damian Cristodero wrote in the St. Petersburg Times. Snap Shots is a round-up of news and views from media outlets across North America and is published every weekday. The opinions expressed in Snap Shots are not necessarily those of the NHL.
Compiled by John McGourty
Tuesday, June 18, 2002
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"It was about Bardin and the Russian Ice Hockey Federation using military obligation as a way to keep players at home. The NHL's agreement with the International Ice Hockey Federation on the transfer of European players says such an obligation is the only thing that trumps a signed NHL contract.
"(Lightning GM Jay) Feaster said it was the first time that provision had been used to block players from the NHL."
"There also was an internal struggle," Cristodero wrote. "The military transferred Svitov and Chistov to Moscow and the powerful Central Red Army team. Bardin appealed to the Russian Federation, which ruled they could not play, though they practiced and Svitov played in two international tournaments."
"It was a big political tug of war over this issue," said Jay Grossman, Svitov's agent. Lightning draft pick arrives
-- Damian Cristodero, St. Petersburg Times, June 18, 2002
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