Hockey in Brooklyn: KHL president says two regular-season games set for Barclays Center

Just a couple of month ago, we wrote about the KHL's ambitious plans to bring their hockey to North America. KHL President Alexander Medvedev met with the heads of the NHL and the NHLPA in March about the idea who, according to Medvedev, "promised that they won't oppose [having KHL games in Brooklyn]."

The new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, partially financed by Russian billionaire and New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, was the target for those games. On Tuesday, Medvedev announced that two games of the 2012-13 KHL regular season will indeed be held in Brooklyn.

"In January before the [KHL] All Star Games the KHL will hold two regular season games at the new Brooklyn arena. We are planning to send teams with names to New York," he said.

"There are five candidates at this time. They are CSKA, Dynamo [the reigning KHL champion], as well as the teams [Jaromir] Jagr and [Alexander] Radulov played for [Avangard Omsk and Salavat Yulaev] and SKA St. Petersburgh. I am sure these games will be sold out," Medvedev told Sovetsky Sport today.

A KHL representative told Puck Daddy that "discussions with Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment are ongoing about having two games in January 2013. There isn't anything official/done to be announced at this time."

Barclays Center is scheduled to hold its first hockey game on Oct. 2, as the New York Islanders host the New Jersey Devils in an NHL preseason game. Said Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark at the time of the announcement: "We feel Brooklyn is an untapped hockey market that offers the Islanders with an exciting opportunity to grow its fan base."