A number of Russian players in the NHL have been forced to pay the Moscow underworld protection money for their families back home, Montreal La Presse reported.
The newspaper said New Jersey's Viacheslav Fetisov was among those targeted by the "new Russian mafia." The La Presse report Thursday, by columnist Rejean Tremblay, did not identify its sources.Fetisov, speaking after Thursday night's home game against Toronto, emphatically denied being approached by the Moscow underworld.
"I don't know where this came from," he said. "There are (44) Russian players in the NHL. All would be paying (if it was true). No one is paying."
Another newspaper, The Province of Vancouver, British Columbia, quoted city police sources as saying Canucks star Pavel Bure is a target. Bure denies involvement.
In some cases, La Presse said, Russian players bound for the NHL have been forced to sign contracts acknowledging gangster-controlled Russians living in North America as their agents.
Players who have refused to cooperate have been threatened with having their legs broken or having their families harmed, La Presse said.
It also said the underworld controls the Russian hockey league, which receives large transfer payments in hard currency for its players who sign with clubs in the NHL or in the richer western European leagues in Switzerland or Germany.
The New York Times, citing an NHL executive who requested anonymity, said in its Friday editions the league is aware of the situation and the Los Angeles Police Department is investigating at least one suspected case of intimidation.