Two-time Olympic Champion urges KHL to suspend Reid Boucher immediately

A highly-decorated Russian hockey player is calling on the Kontinental Hockey League to take action on Reid Boucher immediately after he admitted in court to sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl back in 2011 when he was 17 years old.

"There's a real tragedy here, which Boucher himself admitted. In the current situation, they should have disqualified the player right away - at least until a court ruling," said Alexander Kozhevnikov, who won two Olympic gold medals with the Soviet Union's men's hockey team, as well as World Junior Championship gold and World Championship gold.

"It's very simple and scary, there's no other way to assess it!" continued Kozhevnikov. "If we do not understand that, stalling for time and hoping to hush it up, it is our national shame."

Over the weekend, a story surfaced from the Detroit Free Press that stated Boucher, who left the NHL two years ago for the KHL, had pleaded guilty to the third-degree sexual assault of his billet sister in Michigan back in 2011. He was initially charged with first-degree assault, but that was lessened in exchange for the guilty plea. The KHL has said it will not comment on the situation nor take any potential action against Boucher until after he is sentenced on January 31st. Kozhevnikov said that's not good enough.

"KHL president Alexei Morozov still has some time to urgently intervene in the situation. The shame can still be avoided," he said.

There has been no statement from Boucher or his agent on the matter. According to reports, he continues to train with and play for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv of the KHL. Boucher was drafted into the NHL by the New Jersey Devils. After a few seasons there, he also had stints with the Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks before leaving for Russia.

Source: Sport.ru

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