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Draft choice won't join team until at least 2002

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 12, 2001

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The Lightning apparently will be without prized draft choice Alexander Svitov until at least December 2002.

Assistant general manager Jay Feaster said Thursday that the team's attorneys in Russia determined the No. 3 pick in the June draft took the oath to join the army in December.

That is key, because Tampa Bay has been trying to determine the validity of documents that show Svitov is in the service. If not, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound forward would have been free to play in the NHL.

"If he's legally in the military, the two-year obligation must be served," Feaster said before the Lightning faced the Sharks at the Compaq Center.

He said the situation has many "irregularities." Feaster said it is not clear if Svitov is playing for a military team or for a team in his hometown of Omsk, Siberia.

Feaster also questioned why, if Svitov was in the army, he did not serve before the International Ice Hockey Federation initially ruled he was eligible to play in the NHL.

Feaster has said the IIHF was rebuffed numerous times before the Russian Federation provided documents confirming Svitov was in the service.

GOOD DEAL: How will rookie wing Nikita Alexeev avoid the Russian military? The 19-year-old from Murmansk said two Russian friends recently flew from the United States to St. Petersburg, Russia, where his father lives, and bought his way out.

Alexeev would not say how much he paid but said it is legal because the deal was made with the military itself.

"It depends on what city you're in and how you talk," Alexeev said of the cost. "It is a negotiation."

Alexeev said he did not take care of it himself because the army could have inducted him on the spot. Russians are eligible for military service through age 27. But he also said, "I'm not a good negotiator."

FREE TICKETS: The Lightning announced that members of the U.S. military and their families will be given free tickets to all home games starting Oct. 20 against the Rangers. All active duty members, including the National Guard and Reserves, can receive free tickets at the Ice Palace box office within 90 minutes of game time as long as tickets are available. The free tickets will be for the upper levels, and tickets for lower levels will be half price for anybody with military identification. Children under 10 escorted by a military parent or guardian don't need identification. LONGEVITY: Coach John Tortorella said he will not keep center Brad Richards, the Lightning's best passer, on right wing on Vinny Lecavalier's line for an extended period. He sees the combination as a way to kick-start the offense and Lecavalier, who played his first game since signing his new contract. "Brad Richards is not going to play wing for the Tampa Bay Lightning," Tortorella said.

ODDS AND ENDS: Tortorella said defenseman Andrei Zyuzin, who played for the Sharks and has a home in San Jose, was excused from the morning skate to take care of personal business. ... Alexeev and defenseman Grant Ledyard were healthy scratches.

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