There was a time when the NHL and KHL just couldn’t play nice.
It’s not exactly as if one side played the role of villain while the other found themselves tied to the train tracks each time, either. Both leagues seemed to have some shady moments; like the Nashville Predators still find themselves hoping that Alex Radulov will return to their team after his overseas pilgrimage.
It seems like relations between the two leagues have improved in the last couple seasons or so, though. If nothing else, they renewed their promise to honor contracts signed within either league by passing a “Memorandum of Understanding” that will be valid until June 30, 2012. That agreement basically prohibits players moving from one league to the other if they already have a valid contract with the KHL or NHL. While this might seem like an obvious move to make, it’s still a promising bit of sustained progress for the sport as a whole.