Hockey Leo Komarov made a difficult choice that weighed on the family and the Lion Shirt – Now explains why he has not been seen on the national team in recent years

Leo Komarov made the most difficult decision of his career last November. On November 14, Komarov, who played in the NHL for the ninth time, announced on his Instagram account that he had terminated his contract with the New York Islanders.

The termination of the deal took a particularly hard toll, as the Islanders organization was like a “family” to Komarov for the past three years. Komarov was ultimately left with little choice when Islanders, who were in trouble with the pay ceiling, sent him to the AHL.

Playing in the AHL was not an option, as Komarov did not want to be separated from his real family, his wife From July and of his two sons.

So Komarov, 35, returned to Europe and signed a contract with KHL’s giant St. Petersburg SKA. The desire to play was strong, as Komarov played only one match in the fall season at the Islanders.

“It had everything. It was a big step to move back to Europe, ”says Komarov, who will be seen after a long break with the Lions at the Beijing Olympics.

In addition to the desire to gamble and family reasons, the strong motive for returning to Europe was to play for the national team.

“That was part of the reason I came back. It might have been a seam to continue in the NHL, but at the same time I got a good offer from St. Petersburg. That meant I could at least play. The goal has been to get to the Olympics, ”Komarov says.

The previous one Komarov was once seen in a value tournament in the Lions shirt in the fall of 2016 when he played in the World Cup in his then hometown of Toronto.

In March 2017, Komarov signed an agreement with a foreign betting company, which sparked a debate, as the state-owned gaming company Veikkaus has a cooperation agreement with the Finnish national hockey team.

However, according to Komarov, his contract was not the reason he was not seen on the national team in recent years. In the previous two seasons, the Islanders, represented by Komarov, advanced to the finals of the Eastern Conference.

“That deal had nothing to do with me not playing for the national team. It was more that there were a lot of games behind it at that point. I had left almost every year according to the national team, ”Komarov explains.

The firstborn of the family changed the world of values ​​of an experienced gambler.

“We had a child and decided to calm down. Summers I wanted to be with my family. ”

Komarov has previously played in one of his Olympic tournaments. Komarov, then 27, was a member of the Lions Captain at the Sochi Olympics, which ended with a Bronze Feast at the Lions.

“There are good memories from there. The Olympics are always the biggest tournament an athlete can take part in. Then came bronze, and now there are tough goals. Let’s see how the tournament goes now, ”says Komarov.

Komarov returned to the national team in December at the EHT tournament in Moscow. Aski was hit by a familiar, rude and hard-working role-player who convinced the head coach Jukka Jalosen.

When the phone rang and Komarov received an invitation to the Olympic team, there was no need to consider the decision.

“Every player wants to be involved in these big tournaments. The older you get, the better you understand that a career will not last forever. This is the last time we are here. Let’s see what that’s enough. ”

Before In the Olympics, Komarov had time to play 18 matches with 4 + 2 in SKA’s star cream. The attacker admits that it took time to adjust to the daily life of KHL.

“It took a few weeks to get into the rhythm, because of course there are differences between the KHL and the NHL. As I got to the games below, little by little the game started to run. Playing now feels pretty good. We have won and the guys are preparing for the playoffs. ”

SKA made great headlines at the beginning of January, when the vice-president, co-owner and CEO of the club Roman Rotenberg named himself the head coach of SKA.

Rotenberg is the vice-president of the Russian Hockey Association and has also served on the board of KHL. He has no previous coaching experience.

“To the media, that salary may have seemed a big surprise, but he’s been with us for a long time. Ever since I joined the company, he has pulled all the meetings, ”Komarov says.

“He’s a good person. He has been in SKA for a long time and has seen a lot of different coaches. You have to start somewhere (a coaching career). ”

With NHL experience Komarov is the second most experienced Stanley Cup winner on the Lions Olympic team Valtteri Filppulan37, (1,222 NHL matches).

Coming from the small coastal town of Uusikaarlepyy, Komarov played a respectable 550 matches in the NHL. In the Beijing Olympics, Komarov is in a defensive role in an experience-filled lion’s bunch.

“Young people today are very good players. It takes humility to be involved, but experience helps. We know each other well with the players and have been playing hard for a long time. There have always been good players in Lions. We have a good team together, ”believes Komarov.

Komarov wants to be a team player in the Lions, setting an example above all through work.

“There is no need to say anything to anyone here. Everyone knows where to go. I just pull in full and try to show the younger model. Sometimes in the past others have taught me. You just have to be yourself, that’s the most important thing. ”

Read more: The Lions team is the oldest in the Beijing tournament – the average age in its own numbers: “I hope the leg rises”

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Read more: Finland is predicted to have a historic poor success in Beijing – Iivo Niskanen is awarded a gold medal, Lions go home empty-handed

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