Radulov opens up about night out
Former Nashville Predators winger Alexander Radulov is disputing the reported events that led to his team suspension prior to Game 3 of the club’s Western Conference semifinal matchup against the Phoenix Coyotes two seasons ago.
At the time, reports claimed Radulov and teammate Andrei Kostitsyn were seen out and about in Scottsdale, Ariz., well into the morning.
But in an interview with KHL.ru over the weekend, the 27-year-old Radulov disputed the entire thing. “Not true,” Radulov started. “Do you want to know what happened? We were in Phoenix and the only places to go out and eat were on the other side of town from our hotel.
“Almost the entire team went to this restaurant, and some left early, but I arrived back fifteen minutes after curfew, so it was a breach of the rules, you could say, but it was nothinglikesomepeopleclaimed.”
In reply to accusations he was drunk the night before Game 2, Radulov said he stayed dry that night.
“I said to them at the time, ‘Come on, I’ll do the tests and they’ll show that I haven’t even had a glass of beer, and you can even take a blood sample.’
“They said that they didn’t need to test me, and just repeated the accusation of being drunk, so I just toldthemtherewasnothingmoreI could do, since they’d already made their minds up.”
The Preds went on to lose Game 2 in Phoenix before dropping the series 4-1. ment, whether they’ll do it again four years later is still up in the air.
“It’s our joint intention (NHL and NHLPA) to assess the experience in Sochi before even considering whether to continue with Olympic participation going forward.”
Team Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland and USA all released their provisional rosters for next year’s Games on Monday.
Edmonton
Oilers announced Monday they’ve signed centre Sam Gagner to a three-year extension. Although the financial terms weren’t immediately released, TSN reported the deal to be worth $14.4 million … The Winnipeg Jets have agreed to terms on a five-year, $23.5 million extension with centre Bryan Little … The Ottawa Senators announced they’ve re-signed Patrick Wiercioch to a three-year, $6 million deal.