Alexander Semin

Alexander Valeryevich Semin (born 3 March 1984) is a Russian professional ice hockey winger who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played with HC Vityaz of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), the highest league in Russia. He has previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens.

Semin was trained in the Traktor Chelyabinsk hockey school and made his professional debut in Russia's second-tier Russian Major League in 2001–02. After scoring 13 goals and 8 assists with Chelyabinsk that season, the Washington Capitals selected Semin in the first round, 13th overall, at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft (Washington's second overall pick, having drafted Steve Eminger 12th overall). Remaining in Russia for the subsequent season, he joined Lada Togliatti of the first-tier Russian Superleague (RSL) in 2002–03 and scored 10 goals and 7 assists in 47 games.

Semin made his NHL debut in the 2003–04 season, scoring 10 goals and 12 assists in 52 games. However, he missed his team's flight to Pittsburgh when the Capitals closed out their season against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Semin then reported to Maine to play for the American Hockey League (AHL)'s Portland Pirates, where he collected 15 points in 4 regular season and 7 playoff games.

Military duty controversy

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Semin returned to Russia and played 50 games for Lada Togliatti, recording 19 goals and 11 assists and compiling a plus-minus rating of +15. The Capitals suspended him for that whole season for not reporting to their then-AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates, preferring the club's younger players to play the locked-out season with their farm team. (Alexander Ovechkin, meanwhile, the Capitals' 2004 first-round pick, remained with his Russian club, Dynamo Moscow, because the Capitals felt he would have been ready to play in the NHL.)

Due to confusion about Semin's obligations to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, which requires all Russian men to serve two years, Semin was not allowed to return to the Capitals when NHL resumed the following season in 2005–06. Russian Armed Forces allow conscripted soldiers who are hockey players to play for professional teams in Russia during their period of service, but they are not allowed to play for teams based in other countries. However, other young Russian players, such as Nikolay Zherdev and Alexander Ovechkin, were allowed to return to their NHL clubs following the lockout, circumventing any additional military duty they had to serve in Russia.

While Semin's 2004–05 season with Lada was considered his first year of military service, it was arranged for Semin to continue with Lada for his second year of service in 2005–06. Lada is located in the military district into which Semin was drafted, and they were the only team with whom Semin could fulfill his military obligation. He was signed to a tax-free, $2 million contract, along with a car and a condominium. News about Lada's struggling financial situation early in the season initially offered the Capitals some hope that Semin would join the team after all. It was reported the Russian team was expected to cut its payroll in half, while Semin was Lada's highest paid player.

On 26 October 2005, Capitals general manager George McPhee announced the Capitals had filed a complaint against Semin and his agent, Mark Gandler. McPhee stated, "We have done everything we could to avoid this step, but we felt we had no choice but to now seek a legal remedy. This filing seeks to compel Alexander Semin's agent and the Russian hockey team Lada Togliatti to return Alex to the Washington Capitals... We look forward to the resolution of this process so that we can welcome Alex back to the Capitals this season." Likewise, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said, "This is a situation where a valid, legally-binding contract is not being honored, and that's not right." U.S. District Court Judge Henry H. Kennedy, Jr., issued a temporary restraining order on 4 November 2005 ordering Gandler and his International Sports Advisors Company to stop representing Semin in contracts with teams other than the Capitals. Due to Lada Togliatti's financial challenges, Lada released Semin, but he instead signed with Russian squad Mytischi Khimik on 22 November.

On 5 December 2005, Kennedy denied the Capitals request for preliminary injunctions against Semin and Gandler. Alexander Berkovich, Semin's lawyer, stated Semin intended to play for Khimik for the remainder of the 2005–06 season, and that Semin's military obligations would be fulfilled by fall 2006. He completed the campaign with 9 points in 15 games with Lada and 10 points in 26 game