Yemelin will require surgery on his left eye
Written by Marc de Foy (translated)
Last updated Tuesday, 17 March 2009 00:01

Alex Yemelin’s season is over. The young Russian defender, whose rights belong to the Canadiens, will undergo surgery on his left eye in the coming days.

We know that Yemelin, who carries the colors of AK Bars Kazan for two years, came out pretty bruised in a fight with the opposite Alex Svitov, the Avangard Omsk last Saturday. Besides being hit in the eye, he suffered a slight concussion, plus a broken nose.

Svitov, who was the third player selected in the draft of the National Hockey League in 2001, has received a four-game suspension for his actions.

According to information from the Sovietsky Sport, the eye injury suffered Yemelin, although considered serious, does not threaten its visual faculties.

It may still think that the Habs organization asked to meet with his own doctors, even if it plans to put under contract.

The leaders of the formation of Kazan hesitate, for their part, to extend the contract for next season Yemelin. It seems that they are more or less satisfied with his progress over the past two years.

Yemelin has always claimed that his agent had to hide the fact that Canadians had made a contract offer at the end of his junior career, two years ago. He had expressed remorse after securing an agreement still more lucrative with the team from Kazan.

A second round choice of the Canadiens in 2004, he celebrated his 23rd birthday, April 25.

Oleg Petrov plays the hero

In his absence, his team still managed to eliminate the Avangard victory thanks to a 3 to 2 in overtime Monday night.

The formation of Omsk, which relied on the services of Jaromir Jagr (Svitov it replaced the post of captain), has escaped an advance of 2 to 1 with about fifteen seconds to make in the third period. Ilya Nikulin, a defender who was the second choice in the repechage behind Atlanta Thrashers Dany Heatley in 2000, included the goal to send both teams in overtime.

After only two minutes and two seconds, the good old Oleg Petrov, eh! Yes our Oleg Petrov who has played with the Canadiens, has brought victory to AK Bars, which won the series 3 to 2.

(Photo credit: Sovietsky Sport)