Fetisov on Marchenko and Bobrovsky Joining Maple Leafs
The Olympic champion says Toronto's title drought stems from a lack of Russian players and calls signing Marchenko and Bobrovsky an honour despite past club Russophobia.
Vyacheslav Fetisov, the two-time Olympic champion and State Duma deputy, has weighed in on Kirill Marchenko and Sergei Bobrovsky joining the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"Toronto is a city where every hockey player is in the spotlight, the same as in Montreal or Detroit. It is a completely different atmosphere there, one that demands concentration in every single game. Becoming a Toronto player is, in truth, an honour, though there is only one step from love to hatred. For me, the Russophobia tied to the club's owner (Harold Ballard, editor's note), who is no longer alive, is entirely understandable. That is why they have not won anything in 60 years. Even with Brendan Shanahan as president and Lou Lamoriello working as general manager, the owners themselves did not want to move in that Russian direction back then. It seems they have now understood the secret behind the team's failures — that they had no Russian players. Now they have one of the best goaltenders in the league, and a talented forward has arrived," said Fetisov.
The Maple Leafs last won the Stanley Cup in 1967.
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