There is the sporting side: Stéphane Da Costa (33) shone this Sunday in Vladivostok (Russia). With a goal and an assist, the French international center joined Russian-Czech Dmitrij Jaskin in the lead in KHL scoring, both mentioned by 56 points, overtaking star Alexander Radulov at the same time.
The big difference is that the international tricolor is the only one in this table to shoot more than one point per game (1.10 exactly). Stéphane Da Costa has indeed missed fifteen regular season matches in the KHL. He will participate with his club Yekaterinburg in the Gagarin Cup play-offs from the beginning of March.
The KHL, a political instrument of Russia
There is also the political side, because the KHL is the symbol of this Russia which acts as if nothing is happening 800 kilometers from Moscow, one year after the start of the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops.
The Russian Hockey League remains a major political instrument in the country of Vladimir Putin. You will find franchises from friendly countries such as the Belarusian club Dinamo Minsk, ardently supported by the country’s president Alexander Lukashenko, but also the Chinese team of Kunlun Red Star, or even that of Astana (Kazakhstan). You will also find a good number of franchises held by oligarchs close to power, such as Metallug Magnitogorsk or Amur Khabarovsk.
A year ago, two teams, Dinamo Riga (Latvia) and Jokerit Helsinki (Finland) left the KHL immediately after the start of the invasion, suggesting a weakening of the Russian league. But this is not what really happened since, despite the war, the KHL was able to keep or attract nearly 80 foreign players, including 41 Canadians.
The other French player in form is much further west, near Laval, in Quebec (Canada). Pierrick Dubé, who plays in the AHL, the NHL’s minor league, was mentioned with a goal and an assist on Saturday during the Laval Rocket’s defeat in Bellevile (5-3). The young international winger (22) has scored 5 points in his last 5 AHL games (11 points in 21 games in total).
This weekend was also marked by the return to the ice of Charles Bertrand, injured for several weeks. The French winger who plays in Ingolstadt in DEL, the German Championship, took the opportunity to register his 30th point (an assist) in 38 games played.