After long negotiations, the Russian National Broadcasting Company (VGTRK) has secured the rights to broadcast the NHL on their sports channels (free SD Russia 2 and cable HD Sport 1).

Back when RMNB was in its infancy, I described what it was like to be a fan of the Washington Capitals in Moscow. Staying up until 6am and searching the internet for feeds of Caps games (where there’s no guarantee I will hear Joe B. and Locker), is neither convenient or healthy.

Understanding this shortfall, the NHL started offering a Russian version of their website this season, and they allowed Europeans to watch games on NHL GameCenter Live. The VGTRK deal — which was completed in November — is another step towards globalizing the NHL.

HD Sport 1′s first game was the Detroit Red Wings at Boston Bruins on November 25. The free SD Russia 2 broadcasted the New York Rangers at Washington Capitals game that very same day.

For the first time in 15 years, the NHL is widely available on Russian TV.

VGTRK aired a commercial promoting their new relationship with the NHL. It features the Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, and Dmitry Orlov as well as other big-name players like Ilya Kovalchuk, Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk, and renaissance man Ilya Bryzgalov. Below, you can check it out for yourself.

At the end of the commercial, there’s some Russian spoken. The narrator says “The NHL on Russia 2. Nothing cooler than that.” He’s right. Now maybe I can finally get some sleep!

On Tuesday, Gillette announced a multi-year partnership with Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals’ superstar is now the company’s ambassador for Russia and Eastern Europe. Dan Steinberg of the DC Sports Bog has reported that Ovi will join such international sports icons as New York Yankee’ aging shortstop Derek Jeter and British rugby player Jonny Wilkinson in representing the company.

Well, last night I caught glimpse of Ovi’s first Gillette commercial, which has dropped in Moscow. Check it out!

The dialogue of the commercial is as follows:

There’s a superstition that you can’t shave before the important games [Ed. Note - Peter knows this better than anyone else]. This is a great excuse for a hockey player with sensitive skin! But with Gillette Series Aftershave Balm, you won’t feel dry or tightened skin anymore. The new balm’s formula with aloe vera moistens skin after shaving. So from now on, use Gillette, and have no superstitions!

A few notes: First, the colors of the Gillette jersey are terrible. It reminds me of the New York Islanders’ sweaters, and that is not a team you want to be emulating.

Second, does this mean no playoff beard for Ovi? When asked by the popular Russian-language sports portal Sportbox, Sasha had this to say:

I haven’t decided yet how I will groom myself for the playoffs – maybe I’ll shave or maybe I will grow beard. We have an agreement with Gillette to observe sacred traditions. But it’s too early to talk about it – we need to make the playoffs first!

Great non-answer. Being among the politicians in D.C. has paid off.

So finally, for our readers, we must end our post with an important question. Which edition of the Capitals captain do you like better? The clean-shaven Ovi or the unkempt one? Let us know in the comments blow.

Today, Semyon Varlamov started his own blog in the Russian language. It’s based off of LifeJournal technology and is a part of the blogging network in one of the biggest Russian sports sites – Championat.ru. Varly’s blog is entitled “The Last Stronghold of Capitalists.” Take a look here.

Below the fold is the English translation of his first post:

Hi everybody!

Today I, Semyon Varlamov, open my blog on “Championat.ru”. Living in another country, it’s very difficult to keep a connection with our hockey fans. So, please come here and comment. I’ll be very happy to answer you back.

In my first entry I want to tell you how I am doing this summer. After the World Championships (honestly, I was very disappointed with silver) I was in Spain with some friends for a week, then I had a little vacation in Turkey. Sea, sand, sun… and yeah, I didn’t forget to come home. In America I missed my friends and family a lot. So, when I have an opportunity, I try to come over, meet everyone, and get filled with positive emotions.

At the beginning of July I started my independent training, went to the gym, & ran on the hippodrome (when there were no horses, for sure). We have a great hippodrome in our city, I recommend it to all of my fellow-townsmen.

When August started, I flew back to Washington. I’m training here now, and continue to get ready for the season. It’ll be pretty difficult one for sure. The Capitals are planning to place their bet on young goalies. And who will become the starting goalie depends on how me and Michal Neuvirth show ourselves. Maybe, we’ll start off playing in a rotation and then we’ll see… I’ll do my best to become the starter!

I recently leased an apartment in Washington. It is a 10 minute walk from our training facility, so now it is time to decorate. My mom is helping me, and she flew over to help me adjust with my new life and help give moral support. I have an Internet connection, so I’ll be around often. Please write to me.

2010 has been a tough year for Russia. See here, here and here. 2010 has also been tough for Fedor. See here, here and here. Sadly this summer, Mother Nature decided to pile on. Below, Fedor describes what it’s been like to live through the heat and wildfires surrounding Moscow.

Hey guys! While you were out enjoying the #rmnbparty a few weeks ago, I was sweating profusely in front of my PC in Moscow.  Suffice to say, it’s been sweltering in my home city and it’s driving people crazy.  For example on Twitter,  some of the “trending topics” in Central Russia are heat and wildfire. Why all the hubbub?  This Boston Globe report summarizes it well:

Last month, Russia endured the hottest July ever recorded since records began 130 years ago. The intense heat and drought affecting central Russia has been drying out trees and peat marshes, which have been catching fire recently, burning forests, fields and houses across a massive region. Some 500 new fires have been reported in the last 24 hours alone, and a mobilization of hundreds of thousands of emergency workers is underway to combat them. President Dmitry Medvedev has now declared a state of emergency in seven regions. To date, over 1,500 homes have been destroyed and 40 lives have been lost as wildfires continue across over 300,000 acres.

Little Relief for Those Suffering

The heat has been terrible. In Moscow, the temperature has been over 35°C (95°F) for two months. Lately, I’ve been routinely waking up around 8 AM because it’s too hot and smoggy. I’m forced awake early even if I go to bed at 4am. Every morning, the smoke visibly creeps into my house. On bad days, it doesn’t go away at night. The smell is terrible, and a lot of people have been using gauze bandages over their mouths when going outside. However, I don’t wear them. As one doctor said, “They don’t help. The only and the best salvation is to go out to the safe regions [of the country]”. I definitely would like to go back to Zelenogradsk, where I was on vacation for the whole month of July. It’s much colder there, and there are no wildfires.

To make things worse, a lot of Russians live in block (or panel) buildings, which get hot easily and are impossible to get cold. Thankfully, I live in a brick house which keeps things slightly more insulated. Because of the condition of homes here, the heat has instigated a big jump in prices of air conditioning systems and fans. I’ve heard that fans which once cost $7 in winter are now costing $100. Like most other Russians, I have no A/C in my house, but I do have 3 fans. Unfortunately, one of them is from Soviet Russia and does not work too well. [Ed. note: In Soviet Russia, fan turns you on!] Decades ago, this fan was a famous brand called “Veterok,” which means “little wind”. It provides little relief, which makes sleep my only escape.

In this July 28, 2010 satellite image released by NASA, smoke from fires near Moscow is visible over central Russia. The small red boxes indicate fires. The city of Moscow is located near the left edge, in the lower third. (AP Photo/NASA)

Wildfires Follow Extreme Heat

Basically there are wild fires pretty much everywhere.

The wildfires have been more deadly than the heat. The AP reports that thousands of homes have burnt to the ground. To the right is a map of all the reported wildfires in Central, Western and Southern Russia, and Ukraine:

Though others are posting and writing about their own experiences in this natural disaster, the devastation is astounding for everyone here. The photos and videos say what I can’t describe of the wildfires and smoke. Also, watch these videos by the English-speaking Russian channel – Russia Today:

Images of the Devastation

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire near a burning building. (REUTERS/Mikhail Voskresensky)

Remains of a burnt building sit amongst ashes outside the town of Vyksa. (REUTERS/Mikhail Voskresensky)

A man herds goats past a line of military vehicles transporting soldiers to fight forest fires in Ryazanovka. (ARTYOM KOROTAYEV/AFP/Getty Images)

A charred car rests in front of a chimney - all that remains of a house that was burned to the ground. (AP Photo/Dmitry Chistoprudov)

At Least Ovi’s Still In Good Spirits!

Even heat and wildfires cannot stop AO from dancing! Here Ovi drives downtown where if you look out his windows, you can see how depressingly grey it looks outside right now.

An injured woman sits near Park Kultury station (Photo: AFP)

We woke up this morning to news of suicide bombing on the Moscow metro. During rush hour today, the Lubyanka and Park Kultyry subway stations were targeted in a coordinated attack. Current counts put the death toll at 38 with many more injuries. No group has yet taken credit for the violence, but the ongoing conflict between Chechnya and Russia proper is suspected to be involved.

RMNB correspondent Fedor Fedin is a Muscovite, and he has seen too many days like this. In the summer of 1999, a series of bombs detonated in low-income apartment buildings, killing 293 people. Similar attacks occured in 2001 and 2004. Violence between Chechyn separatists and the Russian government have been common since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Obviously, this website has a great deal of affection for the people of Russia. Our sympathies go out to everyone affected. We’re a hockey blog and, as such, we are absurdly underpowered to address the machinations of global politics. All we can do right now is show our solidarity with the Russian people, who have given the world violins, vodka, very long books, and the world’s best hockey players.

Россия, мы любим тебя.

Surprisingly, It is tough to be a Caps fan in Russia.

Fedor Fedin lives in Moscow, Russia, and he’s a huge fan of the Washington Capitals. Personally, that’s awesome. I love it. But there’s one giant problem, from our collective perspective here in America, we assume that it’s easy following the team overseas. But the reality is, it’s quite the opposite. We asked Fedor to talk about some of his experiences and let us know what it’s really like. I hope this opens some eyes. Welp, take it away, buddy:

Some Americans think following the Capitals in Russia is easy. It actually is quite hard and you are made fun of quite a lot. Here are some of the problems:

SCORN OF OTHER FANS IN RUSSIA

A lot of “old NHL fans” in Russia hate the Capitals and their fans. They call us “gloryhunters” or “Ovechkinomaniacs”. Yeah, sure, a lot of people who call themselves “Caps fans” are gloryhunters. But honestly, not all of them are. Some time ago I thought, that the popuarity of the Caps was actually not good for the TRUE fans who’s stuck with them forever. “Old fans” don’t see Penguins gloryhunters around us! I know many REAL Caps fans from Russia. But some people don’t see any difference between fans and gloryhunters.

GAME-WATCHING ISSUES

Due to reasons unknown, you can’t buy NHL GameCenter package in Russia. You can buy it in Ukraine, in Belarus, in Latvia. But not in Russia. I guess, political variances between KHL and the NHL is the reason. KHL hasn’t signed an agreement with the NHL yet and the NHL hasn’t had any relations with Russia now. If you want to follow your team and all its all games, you need to have a broadband Internet connection and watch free streams by [black-market] sites. Russian satellite channel NTV-Plus shows 2 NHL games per week, cable channel Viasat Sport shows many games, but not all.

And yes, the main problem is that 7:00 PM ET games starts 3:00 AM Moscow. It’s so hard to stay up until 6am and watch the whole thing!!

APPAREL ISSUES

The NHL Shop doesn’t work in Russia, too. It’s very hard to find legit Caps apparel in Moscow. I don’t want to wear discolored, crooked Caps T-shirt! Do you know what I mean? You can say, that i should use eBay or Yahoo! or ESPN America to buy it. But you must have MasterCard or Visa or American Express and I don’t.

KHL PENETRATION

Press around us say that the KHL is progressive league. Some journalists even say that the KHL is better than the NHL! They say that Gary Bettman made the NHL die. They really think that second-year KHL can catch up with the NHL and its 90 years + history?! I can’t belive it! KHL tries to close Russia from the NHL. I know this league well enough. It’s group of clowns. Really. [Ed Note: See Crazy KHL Brawl including Jaromir Jagr and a guy in a thong as well as a Sergei Fedorov Fight)

PATRIOTISM

Some people in Russia (not only old) can’t imagine that you can really support a non-Russian team! I don’t say any words about national teams. Some people call the NHL the “Enemy League” and its clubs – “Enemy teams.” It’s rediculous.

Now maybe you can have a better understanding about what it’s like to root for the Caps in Russia. It’s extremely difficult.