Our First Victim

I wish this was an April Fool's Day prank, but it's not. With everyday people like you and I losing their jobs and their wages because of this pandemic, you would have to believe that professional sports would have a few reserves they could tap into to help people through these times. It seems, though, that one of the KHL's most distant teams from Moscow will suspend operations for the 2020-21 season with those resources they relied upon get shifted elsewhere as Admiral Vladivostok made the announcement they will not play next season.

Admiral Vladivostok posted the following statement on their website.

"Against the background of the deteriorating epidemiological situation in the country and the world, the Regional Operational Headquarters and the Ministry of Physical Culture and Sports of Primorsky Krai decided that professional sports teams of Primorsky Krai will not take part in the upcoming season, and the funds that were provided for their financing will be sent to the reserve fund of Primorye for activities to combat the spread of coronavirus.

"Given that the main sponsor of the club - PSC 'VMTP' - is also experiencing crisis and probably will not be able to fully finance the performance of Admiral in the Continental Hockey League, the club will not be able to comply with the League's requirements for the minimum wage of hockey players.

"HC 'Admiral' reacted to the position of the Regional Operational Headquarters and the Ministry of Physical Culture and Sports of the Primorsky Territory with understanding and solidarity - the highest value for us, as an organization, remains the life and health of the inhabitants of the Primorsky Territory. In the current situation, there are more vital social areas that right now need maximum support. We hope that the virus will be defeated, the championships will resume, and fans will again see the KHL matches at the Fetis Arena. Currently, the 'Admiral' will make its priority the development of children and youth sports, the education of a generation of strong coastal hockey players.

I know this is a tough announcement for the team to make, but I want to commend Admiral for looking out for the fans, staff, and communities in the Primorsky Krai region. Having their funding cut in order to save lives isn't a decision they made themselves, but their reaction to the news of the funding cuts "with understanding and solidarity" shows that they understand the seriousness of this pandemic.

With Admiral Vladivostok suspending play for at least one season, the questions will begin to creep in now about the health of other teams who rely on funding from governments and industry in Russia and across Europe and Asia. This will certainly affect both men's and women's hockey on those continents as teams will be forced to make tough decisions if they find themselves losing sponsor dollars they came to rely on each season.

In a 2017 report, then-KHL president Dmitry Chernyshenko published a report that spoke of the reliance that KHL teams have on state funding. The excerpt from that report that's important reads,

"The KHL has just returned a profit for the third year running, but on average 52% of the clubs' budgets derive in some way from state funding, and not all the teams spend this money in a way that justifies these subsidies."

Admiral was one of those teams who relied upon funding, and they now find themselves not playing hockey after the state-run Ministry of Physical Culture and Sports pulled the funding for the team. At the time of the report, 15 of 29 KHL teams were in the same boat as Admiral where they were receiving funding, so you have to wonder how much changed in three years since Chernyshenko published his findings.

I will admit I respect Admiral for recognizing the bigger picture here and accepting that there are things more important than hockey. While suspending a team is never good news for any league, I'll give Admiral Vladivostok some credit here by doing the right thing for its fans and its community. Hopefully, we'll see them back in 2021-22.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!