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Sunday, July 25, 1999
Reichel says he's ready to play for Litvinov
PRAGUE (AP) -- Czech hockey star Robert Reichel says he will play in his homeland if the Phoenix Coyotes fail to satisfy his financial demands, a Czech news agency reported Sunday."I will not back down," the CTK news agency quoted Reichel as saying.
Reichel said he is seeking a deal for more than $3 million US a year and that if his expectations aren't not met, he will return to his home club, HC Litvinov.
"There is no other variant than Litvinov," Reichel said. "It's not money I'm after. It's the principle."
Reichel was traded to Phoenix from the New York Islanders in March. He has complained that Czech players, winners at both the Nagano Winter Olympics and at the last world championships, were not being adequately paid by their NHL clubs.
The Czech has chosen Europe over the NHL before. After back-to-back 40-goal seasons in Calgary, he reached a contract impasse with the Flames. The following season he played in the German Hockey League with the Frankfurt Lions.
