A Fantastic Piece

The rather emotionless gentleman in the fuzzy photo to the left is actually one of the bravest men when it came to his hockey career. He doesn't look very happy, but days later would be the scariest few days in his life followed by some of the greatest happiness seen on the young man's face. Alexander Mogilny defected from the Soviet Union during a time when walking away would result in many years of hard labor and possibly death if caught. Alexander Mogilny's story from the Sabres' side is told in the piece below.

I haven't been overly complimentary of Sportsnet's coverage of the NHL, but I have to admit that this piece on Alexander Mogilny is awesome. Kudos are deserved for Director of Editorial Planning and Research Marc LeBlanc, Director and Producer Jeremy McElhanney, and the entire Sportsnet crew that worked on this piece. Fantastic work!

Here is Defector: The Alexander Mogilny Story!

Who would have thought that President George H. W. Bush would have played a major role in helping Alexander Mogilny stay in the US after he defected? That's such a cool fact considering the President of the United States of America rarely gets involved in the sports arena when it comes to political persecution!

Again, Sportsnet did an amazing job on this piece, and I commend them for their efforts. If this is how investigative journalism will look for hockey going forward, consider me a fan!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!