Russian Motivational Tools Somewhat, Er...Different

I have no doubt whatsoever that hockey's minor leagues can be a bit of a drag. Enduring endless bus rides to far flung outposts to play a game in front of two thousand or so friends and family and then spending the night, two to a room, in Mel's Dew Drop Inn (Now 80% roach free!) doesn't strike me as the most glorious of existences. And when it's a choice between the Big League lifestyle in the bright lights and big cities of the NHL...like say, Manhattan...and yet another Saturday post-game "celebration" dodging jagged beer bottles and busted pool cues at a roadhouse in scenic downtown Peoria, it's no wonder that young players would do anything to escape.

That said, as Ottawa Senator draft pick and current Bingo rookie Alexander Nikulin's minor league blog (which is worth visiting, if only for the pics of his insanely hot girlfriend) points out, things could always be worse:

If I were playing in Russia, they’d lock us up, of course, so that we would think really hard about our behavior. That’s one of the strongest motivational tools in our country, I know it from personal experience. But not in America, especially with this kind of schedule.

How this particular motivational tool managed to escape Teflon's attention before he was axed, I'll never know. But it does serve as a nice little something for Rayzor to keep in the back of his head as he contemplates his next temper tantrum over losing the starting job.

In Soviet Russia, bad practices imprison YOU.