Dinamo Riga has withdrawn from all structures within the KHL. They cite the invasion of Ukraine by Russia as their primary reason. For now, the club has decided to withdraw for the remainder of the 2021-22 season. There is no comment yet on whether they will return after the season.
Reaģējot uz Krievijas agresiju Ukrainā, AS Dinamo Rīga padome pieņēmusi lēmumu izstāties no visām KHL struktūrām: https://t.co/tIVSj8umom
— Dinamo Riga (@hcDINAMORIGA) February 27, 2022
Dinamo Riga Withdraws From KHL
This is the second KHL team to leave regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Jokerit, a Finnish-based team in the KHL, decided to pull out of the league just before the playoffs.
In a translated statement, Chairman of the Supervisory Board J. Savicks expressed his concerns with the invasion and participating in the league. “The decision to withdraw from the KHL has been made, thus expressing a clear position of the club management. In such a military and humanitarian crisis, we do not see any opportunity for cooperation with the Kontinental Hockey League.”
The team was in 12th place in the league with 37 points, just behind HC Sochi with 41 points. Their top point-getter was Lukas Radil with 23 points in 43 games. He was followed by Lauris Darzins (18 points in 36 games) and Jere Karjalainen (13 points in 35 games).
What This Means
While Dinamo Riga pulling out of the KHL certainly won’t affect the conflict much (though we all hope it would), it is a good statement to make as a club. Since they are located in Latvia (a former member of the Soviet Union just like Ukraine), it would make sense to make this decision.
There is only one remaining non-Russian team in the KHL: Kunlan Red Star, located in China.
The KHL playoffs are scheduled to begin on March 1st.
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