Russians in NHL Targeted : Hockey: Former Soviet players and families pressured in homeland by gangsters, reports say. Players are denying there is a problem.

NHL players with ties to the former Soviet Union are being pressured to pay protection money to guarantee their families’ safety, including one incident that is being investigated by the L.A. Police Dept., according to reports Thursday and Friday.

The players are denying the allegations, although it is unclear whether they are doing so out of fear of reprisals or because those incidents have been exaggerated.

The Vancouver Province newspaper on Friday quoted city police sources as saying Canuck winger Pavel Bure has been a target of organized crime groups and had made two payments to a man who had befriended Russian players. Until this week, Bure was the NHL’s highest-paid Russian player at a salary of $930,000. Bure’s father, Vladimir, and the Canucks’ general manager, Pat Quinn, denied any money had changed hands.

The Province also cited an unconfirmed report that King defenseman Alexei Zhitnik had been physically harmed by gang members.

Nick Beverley, the Kings’ general manager, indicated Friday the club is taking the matter seriously.

“There are things I can’t talk about,” he said. “I don’t know to what degree I can say what has transpired because it involves the authorities. There are elements I can’t talk about. What I can say is he says he was not roughed up.”

An LAPD spokeswoman said she could not confirm a report in Friday’s New York Times that police are investigating at least one suspected case of intimidation of a player. That player might not necessarily be Zhitnik. Bure spent last summer in Los Angeles.

La Presse, a French-language newspaper in Montreal, on Thursday identified New Jersey Devil defenseman Viacheslav Fetisov as a target of an organized crime group. The newspaper did not identify its sources.

“I never paid anybody. I don’t know where this comes from,” Fetisov told the New York Daily News.

La Presse also said players who have refused to cooperate have been threatened with having their legs broken or having their families harmed.

Some general managers, while aware of a problem, say its scope cannot be determined because players are unwilling or afraid to cooperate with authorities or club officials.

Without specifically addressing the issue of extortion, St. Louis Blues forward Vitali Karamnov acknowledged he fears the burgeoning criminal element in Russia, where foreign currency--particularly American--is highly prized.

“When I was in Russia this summer, I don’t have problem,” he said. “(But) in Russia there are lots of criminals now.

“Maybe this summer I stay here. Maybe, I don’t know. Every day in Russia, more criminals. I call my parents and my parents tell me: outside, guns. You know, not good. I don’t have problem now. But I am afraid.”

Fifty-two players from Russia, two from Latvia, one from Lithuania and four from Ukraine have played at least two games in the NHL this season. Their salaries, while generally below the $520,000 leaguewide average of a month ago, would exceed those of most of their compatriots and make them potential targets for extortion or other schemes.

A prominent player told friends recently he had been approached by gangsters before leaving his homeland and that “if I go back, the Mafia will want to cash in.”

He also said that when he played in the then-Soviet Union, he had to give extortionists expensive gifts to ensure his safety and that of his family.

“If I promised them a radio, now it’s a stereo system,” he said.

The player would not permit his name to be used in published reports, for fear of retaliation.

Sergei Fedorov of the Detroit Red Wings, a native of Pskov, Russia, said he had never been threatened and did not believe extortion was a major concern.

However, Fedorov might be less vulnerable to threats than other players because his family is with him in the United States; his father and brother joined him here recently, just before he announced he had agreed to a new four-year, $11.7-million contract that makes him the highest-paid Russian in the league.

Ron Salcer, an agent who represents Bure and Zhitnik, refused to confirm or deny whether his clients or their families had been victimized.

“I don’t feel comfortable commenting on it,” Salcer said. “It’s not a topic I’d like to discuss. There’s a lot of problems there-- period.

“Generally speaking, it’s bad. Like the Wild West. It’s a free-for-all. If you have hard currency, you’re a target.”

Jack Ferreira, general manager of the Mighty Ducks, said he was unaware of any problems experienced by forward Anatoli Semenov or defenseman Alexei Kasatonov or by Mikhail Sktalenkov, a Moscow native who is playing for the Ducks’ San Diego farm team.

“I haven’t heard anything about any of our guys being bothered,” Ferreira said. “No one has said anything to me about it.”

Mark Gandler, an agent who represents about two dozen players from the former Soviet Union, also said he has not heard of any incidents involving his clients. He also said the problem is not widespread and cautioned that discussing it might “give someone ideas” about attempting to extort money from players.

However, executives of NHL clubs believe a problem of some sort exists. One general manager said because of potential danger, scouts for NHL clubs are now leery of traveling in Russia and dealing with Russian leagues, which are supposedly controlled by underworld figures.