The only time you see me talking politics on this blog is if I am taking some secondhand swipe at the former President, or one of his brainwashed sheep currently serving in Congress.
With it approaching dusk on Independence Day at the time I write, today is a little different.
In Russia, men are mandated to serve at least one year of military service between the ages of 18-27. Failure to comply is punishable by up to two years in prison, and a $3,500 (US) fine. Hopeful Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov is being forced to serve on the eve of a promising young NHL career.
Fedotov, 25, was born in Finland, but is a Russian citizen. Representing the Russian Olympic Committee at the Beijing Olympics earlier this year as a backup, the ROC took home the silver medal. In early May, the Flyers signed Fedotov to a one-year entry-level contract, after guiding CSKA Moscow to the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) Championship.
Detained in St. Petersburg on Friday, Fedotov began to feel ill and was hospitalized. This is when Russian military police took Fedotov into custody, to where his attorney was unsure of his whereabouts for more than 24 hours. A photograph surfaced between Sunday and Monday of Fedotov wearing a camouflage hat and black shirt at a training facility that is home to the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian navy. Most news outlets however have not been able to verify the validity of the photograph.
Losing a full year of your career for a mindless task in the middle of an autocrat’s war is having more of a ripple effect for more than just Fedotov. Remember that WNBA star Brittney Griner has been held in Russia pending trial since February, on bogus charges of smuggling hash oil and vape pens into the country to play with the Russian Premier League as tune-up for the WNBA season. Griner’s trial began on Friday, the same day that Fedotov was detained.
Fedotov was poised to become the primary backup to Carter Hart with the Flyers, who finished in the bottom five of the NHL standings this past season. The Flyers will be picking fifth when the NHL Entry Draft opens later this week.
Right now, Martin Jones, 32, is the backup to Hart, but is far from the All Star caliber he was five years ago in San Jose, where he helped get the Sharks to two Western Conference Finals, and their lone Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2016.
Hart will only be 24 this coming season, which the Flyers need, sporting nine players on their roster over the age of 30. Captain Claude Giroux was dealt at the trade deadline last season to the Florida Panthers, and he was 34 at the time of the deal. The 2024 first-round pick the Flyers received as part of the deal is expected to be in the middle of the round, with the Panthers poised to be among the NHL’s best the next few seasons, after winning the President’s Trophy last year.
Putin shortened the mandatory term of service from two years to one in 2008, near the end of his first term in office. Since regaining power in May of 2012, Russia has shifted from a democracy to a borderline dictatorship. Much like his friend who attempted to overthrow the United States government when he lost by seven million legitimate votes in 2020, Putin’s actions are decried by the majority of his people. While the groundswell of the minority here in the United States gets louder, they have to know their policies are archaic and corrupt. Women have lost the right to their own bodies, while gay and minority citizens have to be watching the calendar for when Republicans start targeting their rights.
Makes you wonder how much better the world would be without the two facist friends in it. You poke a hornet’s nest long enough and your legs better carry you a long way to outrun the angry mob in tow.
-JC24