SOCHI, August 3, Andrey Senchenko. Avangard Omsk American forward Reed Boucher said he sees no problem with foreign players playing in the Continental Hockey League (KHL). In June, Boucher signed a one-year contract with Avangard. In February, the Yaroslavl Lokomotiv terminated the contract with the American after the 28-year-old hockey player pleaded guilty to sexual violence against a 12-year-old girl. The incident occurred in 2011, when the American was 17 years old. Boucher was sentenced by the court to one year of suspended prison with a trial period of four years.
"I don't see any problems with playing in the KHL. It was easy for me to make a choice in favor of Russia. I am convinced that sport should be out of politics", Bush told reporters.
In May, «Vanguard» was headed by Dmitry Ryabykin, replacing Bob Hartley as head coach. Prior to that, he was an assistant to the Canadian in his coaching staff. Under the leadership of Hartley, the club became the owner of the Gagarin Cup in 2021. «I experienced a rather unusual situation while playing for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, but now I am absolutely happy to play for Avangard again. We have a good team, the same Corban Knight in the squad, together we can succeed. As for the coach, he is really good and serious. When he speaks in the locker room, everyone else is silent and listening,» Boucher added. The new KHL regular season starts on September 1.