| | MOSCOW -- Ottawa Senators holdout Alexei
Yashin skated in his first full practice session with the
Russian national team Monday and hopes to play in this month's
world ice hockey championship in St. Petersburg.
"I have not been in Moscow since the summer of 1998 and it
feels great to be back," he said following a 90-minute workout
at Russia's training camp in Novogorsk, outside Moscow.
Yashin refused to play for his NHL club in a salary dispute.
He was suspended by Ottawa for the rest of the season for
breaching his contract, which would have paid him $2.43 million annually.
He declined to speculate on his chances of playing in St.
Petersburg.
"I don't want to guess," he said. "But I have a
feeling that I definitely will play and, of course, will try my
best to help Russia win the gold."
He will be allowed to play if the Senators are eliminated
from the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Yashin said he was in satisfactory physical shape. "I
have been training regularly in Switzerland for the last several
months and I think it won't take me long before I find my rhythm
with the rest of the guys," he said.
Russia coach Alexander Yakushev said getting their captain
back would greatly enhance his team's chances.
"He is our leader and that says it all," Yakushev said.
"We'll be a much better team with him in the lineup."
As captain and the only NHL player on the squad, Yashin led
Russia at last year's world championship in Norway, scoring
eight of his team's first nine goals in group play. But despite his heroics, the Russians finished out of the
medals in a disappointing fifth place.
The country was a dominant force in hockey in Soviet times,
winning numerous world and Olympic titles. But it has not won a
major championship since 1993. | |
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