Man, the overhype of the AHL/underhype of the KHL really knows no bounds.
I'm sure that the best of the AHL could possibly beat the worst of the KHL in a seven game series, and that's something that couldn't be said about the AHL and NHL, but beyond that I don't think it's accurate to at all compare the AHL with the KHL. KHL is still much better than the AHL, which should be surprising given the fact that the KHL is a major league while the AHL is still a minor league.
The KHL is chop full of guys who couldn't/can't hack it in the NHL.
The only reason you might say the KHL is better is in the terms that it's not a deveopmental league and the teams are vet heavy.
The KHL tries to hard to think its the NHL or NHL caliber
You are welcome to base your opinion on what players have told you as a fan of the AHL. I will base mine on actually watching both leagues. In a head to head battle of teams I'll take the team that is built to win games with AHL veteran talent and plays a system to do so rather than a team of prospects that are thrown together who are there to learn the NHL club's system.
That said if the question is which league's players have more potential then no question the AHL wins hands down. But potential doesn't make the AHL a better league IMO.
So you're saying you know better than someone who played in both leagues and an NHL scout? I'm no expert, I'm mostly basing my opinions on the conversations I had with them.
You keep talking about teams built with AHL veterans. The top former AHL players in the DEL don't even come close to stacking up with who was in the AHL last season. In the DEL is appears to be Norm Milley, Jared Ross, Matt Hussey, Mike Glumac and Mike York. That's decent. In the AHL you have Keith Aucoin, Mike Zigomanis, Chris Bourque, Brett Sterling, TJ Hensick. Clearly the AHL has the superior veterans.
Beyond that, most DEL teams have about the same amount of former AHL veterans as AHL teams have veterans now.
And for the record, I've watched DEL games before, Outstanding atmosphere's, but I didn't think the quality of play was anything to write home about.
The KHL is chop full of guys who couldn't/can't hack it in the NHL.
The only reason you might say the KHL is better is in the terms that it's not a deveopmental league and the teams are vet heavy.
The KHL tries to hard to think its the NHL or NHL caliber
Sure, but the AHL's also full of guys that not only couldn't hack it in the NHL, but couldn't even get a chance to hack it in the NHL.
And not denying that the KHL thinks too highly of itself, but beyond a doubt it's better than the AHL and is currently the second best league in the world.
So you're saying you know better than someone who played in both leagues and an NHL scout? I'm no expert, I'm mostly basing my opinions on the conversations I had with them.
You keep talking about teams built with AHL veterans. The top former AHL players in the DEL don't even come close to stacking up with who was in the AHL last season. In the DEL is appears to be Norm Milley, Jared Ross, Matt Hussey, Mike Glumac and Mike York. That's decent. In the AHL you have Keith Aucoin, Mike Zigomanis, Chris Bourque, Brett Sterling, TJ Hensick. Clearly the AHL has the superior veterans.
Beyond that, most DEL teams have about the same amount of former AHL veterans as AHL teams have veterans now.
And for the record, I've watched DEL games before, Outstanding atmosphere's, but I didn't think the quality of play was anything to write home about.
Conversations with someone they know is a fan of the AHL. Sorry but I can't say that they would necessarily tell you that the DEL is better knowing that they might offend you or knowing that it could start a debate that they don't necessarily want to get into with a fan.
That said you can drop names with who you have talked to all you want and drop names of former AHL players who have played in the DEL all you want. It's not going to change my opinion based on watching both leagues. You are entitled to your opinion and I am entitled to mine.
The KHL is chop full of guys who couldn't/can't hack it in the NHL.
The only reason you might say the KHL is better is in the terms that it's not a deveopmental league and the teams are vet heavy.
The KHL tries to hard to think its the NHL or NHL caliber
KHL plays a different style of hockey due to the different rink! KHL players may not hack it in North America but most KHL players that couldn't cut it in the NHL are better big-ice players.
Why would you restrict players from their own back yards? It doesn't make any sense. There could be safety issues playing in Russia or some other countries. Look at Pekka Rinne, he was attacked by two guys in his home country a few years ago and missed half a season with a severe shoulder injury. How is risking a player's health and career in a foreign country helpful to the NHLPA?
So you're saying it's safer in the country where it's every mans right to own a weapon made only for the purpose of killing?
I can't really speak for other european countries, but it doesn't really get much safer than it is in Sweden.
No, it isn't! Years ago, the Cincinnati Reds sent one of their young pitchers to Puerto Rico to play winter ball during their off season. He was supposed to gain some more experience, but only pitch a certain number of total innings. The manager down there played him more than double the limit. It ruined the guys arm and career. Nothing was nefarious, but the Reds lost a future star player because he was out of their control and the manager in PR wanted to win instead of following their deal.
The Rinne details that I heard were: He was walking home from a wedding and was attacked by two guys who seemed to be waiting for him. It could be consistant with your version, but those other details are new to me over here in the US. I tried to find out more about that story at the time, but really could not. Makes me think that there was a cover up about what really happened.
I have been in the UK, Germany, Austria and Czech Republic; those all seemed safe.
No one has answered how this is helpful to the NHLPA.
The guy you quoted speaks the most propable truth about the Rinne incident. I dug up a few years old article about the case on my local newspapers website(I live in the city in question, Oulu) and it seems like Rinne and his friends were having a bachelor party for one member of the group, the guys were heavily drunk and intentionally damaged a car belonging to a pizzeria owner with an immigrant background(he propably was from Turkey or some other country around there). According to the pizzeria owner Rinne and his friends were behaving aggressively and racistically towards him and they got into a fight in which Pekka injured his shoulder. The pizzeria owner propably didn't even know him beforehand(He wasn't a superstar yet, even though the hockey fans in Oulu knew him for having been the back-up goalie for Niklas Bäckström in our local SM-liiga team Kärpät for 3 years, I can hardly believe an immigrant would recognize him)
Drinking heavily & getting into a fight, of course, is something that would never happen inside the borders of the United States God bless America!
God bless America! 
