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mn u Ottawa L'Universke canadienne Canada's university TTTTT FACULTE DES ETUDES SUPERIEURES 1=1 FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND ET POSTOCTORALES U Ottawa POSDOCTORAL STUDIES L' University canadienne Canada's university Paul Richard Cook AUTEUR DE LA THESE / AUTHOR OF THESIS M.Sc. (Human Kinetics) GRADE/DEGREE School of Human Kinetics FACULTE, ECOLE, DEPARTEMENT / FACULTY, SCHOOL, DEPARTMENT TITRE DE LA THESE / TITLE OF THESIS Jenny Harvey DIRECTEUR (DIRECTRICE) DE LA THESE / THESIS SUPERVISOR CO-DIRECTEUR (CO-DIRECTRICE) DE LA THESE / THESIS CO-SUPERVISOR EXAMINATEURS (EXAMINATRICES) DE LA THESE / THESIS EXAMINERS Marc Lavoie Michael Robidoux Gary W. Slater Le Doyen de la Faculte des etudes superieures et postdoctorales / Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies RETURN TO THE MOTHERLAND: RUSSIAN MIGRANTS IN HOCKEY'S CHANGING WORLD SYSTEM By PAUL RICHARD COOK B.A., McGill University, 2004 THESIS Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Human Kinetics School of Human Kinetics University of Ottawa November 2009 © Paul Richard Cook, Ottawa, Canada, 2009 Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 OttawaONK1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-61267-5 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-61267-5 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, prefer, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. ••I Canada Russian Migrants in Hockey's Changing World System 2 ABSTRACT Since 2000, Russian players are increasingly absent from the National Hockey League. This project explores the relationship between changes in the political economy of Russian hockey and the factors that shape the migratory decisions of Russian players. In using Wallerstein's World Systems Theory, it is argued that specific events relating to a nation's place within an economic and/or cultural relationship can significantly alter patterns of migration. Russia's newfound economic strength and confidence on the world stage is evident in the support for the country's new Kontinental Hockey League. The resulting changes in the political economy of Russian hockey, coupled with the restrictive nature of the National Hockey League's salary cap have led to a tremendous decrease in the number of Russian players in the NHL. Russian Migrants in Hockey's Changing World System 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis is the result of over two years of academic work, yet it could not have been completed without the support and patience of a number of individuals to whom I must express my sincerest gratitude. First and foremost I must thank my wife, Rachel Goulet, for her undying support. The decision to pursue this path was initially not an easy one, but it was ultimately incredibly rewarding; I could not have made it without you. Thank you for reminding me that the pursuit of happiness is itself a reward. Secondly, for his careful guidance of my work and his magnificent editing skills, I must thank my advisor, Dr. Jean Harvey. If I can compare this project to a puzzle, I strew the pieces on a table (and sometimes all at once!) and your steady hand put them together. Though you sometimes wouldn't hear from me for months, it was always a pleasure to be welcomed into your office and to see that the excitement I felt toward this project's subject matter was shared. The comments I received through the course of the work from Dr. Michael Robidoux and Dr. Marc Lavoie are also to be acknowledged. Marc, your initial input led to the use of secondary statistical data in this project, and I believe that it helps to illustrate some of the main points very succinctly. Michael, thank you for allowing me to share portions of my work with your class - it's always encouraging to be seen as somewhat of an expert in one's field. Finally, I would like to thank Coach Dave Leger of the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees Men's Hockey Program. Dave, thank you for the opportunity to prove myself. There's no chance that I'd be where I am today (both figuratively and geographically!) without your help and wisdom. Paradoxically, I especially enjoyed our chats about things other than hockey - they provided some welcome relief from academia and sport. You're a great friend and colleague. Russian Migrants in Hockey's Changing World System 4 LIST OF ACRONYMS AHL American Hockey League CBA Collective Bargaining Agreement IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation KHL Continental Hockey League (Kontinentalnaya Hockeynaya Liga) MHL Interstate Hockey League (Mezhnatsionalnaya Hockeynaya Liga) MLB Major League Baseball NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization NHL National Hockey League NHLPA NHL Players' Association QMJHL Quebec Major Junior Hockey League RHF Russian Hockey Federation RHL Russian Hockey League RSL Russian Superleague UN United Nations USSR Union of Soviet Socialist Republics WHA World Hockey Association Russian Migrants in Hockey's Changing World System 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT 2 ACKNOWLEDMENTS 3 LIST OF ACRONYMS 4 LIST OF FIGURES 10 LIST OF TABLES 11 CHAPTER 1 12 INTRODUCTION 12 1.1 Context and Justification 12 1.1.1 Four Stories 17 1.2 Research Question and Hypothesis 22 1.3 Definition of Terms and Concepts 24 1.3.1 World System 24 1.3.2 Core, Periphery, Semi-Periphery, External Arena 24 1.4 Limitations and Delimitations 25 1.5 Significance of this Study 25 1.6 The Organization of this Document 26 CHAPTER II 28 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 28 2.1 The Influence of Globalization 28 Russian Migrants in Hockey's Changing World System 6 2.2 Political Economic Factors 30 2.3 Player Decisions 31 2.4 Nationalism and Identity 31 2.5 State Involvement 33 2.6 Integration 34 CHAPTER III 36 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 36 3.1 World Systems Theory 36 3.1.1 The Framework: Core, Periphery, Semi-Periphery, External Arena 37 3.1.2 Transformative Possibilities 37 3.1.3 Using Wallerstein's Model: Examples from Professional Sport 40 3.1.4 Strengths and Weaknesses 46 3.1.5 Establishing Hockey's World System 48 3.2 The Migrant Typology 51 3.2.1 Using the Typology: Examples from Professional Sport 52 3.2.2 Strengths and Weaknesses 53 CHAPTER IV 54 METHODOLOGY 54 4.1 Case Studies 54 4.2 Data Collection Methods 57 Russian Migrants in Hockey's Changing World System 7 4.2.1 Semi-Structured Interviews 57 4.2.2 Document Analysis 61 4.2.3 Statistical Data 64 CHAPTER V 65 RESULTS 65 5.1 Russian Hockey - International Performance; from glory to embarrassment 65 5.2 Russian Hockey - Government Intervention; resurgence of support 74 5.3 Russian Hockey - Professional Leagues; resources, rebranding, and renaissance 78 5.3.1 The KHL's Inaugural Season 88 5.4 Russian Hockey - International Relations; renewal of tensions, animosity 90 5.5 The Player Decision - Russia to North America; freedom, xenophilia, dreams 97 5.6 The Player Decision - Adapting; learning the language, living abroad 100 5.7 The Player Decision - North America to Russia; opportunity, financial security 106 CHAPTER VI 113 DISCUSSION 113 6.1 Major Changes in Political Economy 113 6.1.1 Russia after the Dissolution of the Soviet Union 113 6.1.2 North America and Globalization 116 6.2 Changes in the Political Economy of Hockey 117 6.2.1 Russia 117 Russian Migrants in Hockey's Changing World System 8 6.2.2 North America 119 6.3 Changes in Hockey's World System 122 6.3.1 Self-reliance 123 6.3.2 Seizing the Chance 125 6.4 Changes in the Player Decision 126 CHAPTER VII 132 CONCLUSION 132 BIBLIOGRAPHY 136 APPENDIX 1 154 INTERVIEW GUIDE - SAMPLE QUESTIONS 154 A.l Biographical Questions 154 A.2 Professional Hockey and Life in North America 154 A.3 Professional Hockey in Russia 154 A.4 Decision-Making Process 155 A.5 Relations between the NHL and Russia 156 APPENDIX II 157 NHL PLAYERS BORN IN RUSSIA OR THE FORMER SOVIET UNION 157 APPENDIX III 162 TIMELINE OF RUSSIAN HOCKEY - 2000-2008 162 APPENDIX IV 165 Russian Migrants in Hockey's Changing World System 9 RUSSIAN PLAYERS EXITING THE NHL 165 APPENDIX V 170 RUSSIAN PLAYERS REMAINING IN THE NHL 170 NOTES 172 Russian Migrants in Hockey's Changing World System 10 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.

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