The NHL "is considering filing a lawsuit" against
Details magazine concerning an article that alleges three
Russian players "have had longstanding ties with Russian
gangsters," according to Rick Sadowski of the ROCKY MOUNTAIN
NEWS. The article, called "Power Play," claims that
Avalanche C Valeri Kamensky, Red Wings D Slava Fetisov and
Canucks' RW Pavel Bure "actively befriended the Russian mob,
helping it to sink its roots deep in North American soil."
NHL execs "are upset" because the author, Robert Friedman,
quotes the lead investigator into Congressional hearings on
Russian mobsters and NHL players, Michael Bopp, as saying
the investigation ended in '96 because the league "failed to
cooperate." NHL VP/Corporate Communications Bernadette
Mansur said the league is "stunned at how ludicrous ...
[and] blatantly inaccurate" the article is. Mansur: "We're
considering all of our (legal) avenues." Mansur said Bopp
specifically thanked league personnel for their assistance
in the investigation. The story appears in the May issue of
Details Magazine (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 4/11).
