Video: Did KHL's Denis Kulyash beat Zdeno Chara with 110 mph shot?

During All-Star weekend last week, Zdeno Chara broke his own record of 105.4 mph in Hardest Shot competition with a blast of 105.9 mph. 

Only a week later that record is said to have been broken during the KHL All-Star skills event. Denis Kulyash of Omsk Avangard, according to reports, demolished Chara's NHL record with a 110.343 mph (177.58 km/h) blast on his second attempt.  In the video they do not show the radar gun on the second attempt, but his first blast was shown at 169.02 km/h which converts to 105.03 mph.

There have to be questions regarding the validity of this in comparison to the NHL competition.  The biggest difference, at least from my eye, is the puck appears to be place closer to the net during the KHL competition than the NHL one.

The solution to any dispute over who is the current holder of the hardest shot is to have Chara and Kulyash shoot on the same ice.

Hat tip to Puck Daddy

Video: Steven Valiquette Forgets How To Catch; Surrenders Blooper Goal

While Martin Biron has been stellar as the New York Rangers backup goaltender this season former goalie Steve Valiquette is now minding the net for CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League. On Monday, the contrast between the two became even more stark as Biron was getting a shootout win against the Capitals and Valiquette was being benched in a game against Dinamo Riga.  The reason for the benching was him giving up an embarrassing long-distance blooper goal.

Video via [videoKHL]

Petr Prucha to KHL?

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Earlier this week when it was announced that Petr Prucha was put on re-entry waivers by the Phoenix Coyotes I looked at whether it made sense for him to come back here as a low-risk gamble.  It turns out the team did not think so and neither did any other NHL team as Prucha cleared re-entry waivers.  When he cleared the Coyotes left him in the AHL with the San Antonio Rampage. 

Now according to both Dmitry Chesnokov of Puck Daddy and Laurie Carr of Beyond the Blueshirts there are reports out that Prucha is negotiating with SKA St. Petersburg.  If you speak Czech the original source of the story is an iDNES.cz story which has SKA coach Vaclav Sykora suggesting the linkage.

For many fans of Prucha’s this is distressing news to see that he is not getting another chance in the NHL to try and regain the form he had his first few seasons.  There is obviously a level of hockey skill remaining in Prucha as while he has struggled at the NHL level this season he does have 8 goals and 12 assists in just 18 games in the AHL.  A move to the KHL could signal the end of Prucha’s time in the NHL or it could allow him to show at another professional level that the skill is still there and get him another chance in the NHL down the line.  Either way I want to wish Prucha the best for the energy and effort he plays the game with makes all those that watch him hope for his success.

Video: Jagr's Avangard Omsk Has Brawl Six Seconds Into Game

Last week it was the UK, now the KHL, there are some very angry hockey players over in Europe. The game was between former NHL star Jaromir Jagr's Avangard Omsk and Chekhov Vityaz. The move was obviously planned before the game and was a reaction to a brawl the two teams had back in January. Video of both at the bottom with the one from over the weekend first.