Russian Hockey Player Voynov Returning to Russia Over Domestic Violence Charges

“I sincerely apologize to those in and around the game of hockey, who have been affected by my situation, and I also wish the Players of the LA Kings success in the future”, the 25-year-old Voynov concluded in the statement, which was emailed to reporters.

October . 20, 2014: Voynov is arrested in the early-morning hours at a Torrance hospital after a domestic violence incident at his Redondo Beach home that began at a team party.

The Los Angeles Kings and defenseman Slava Voynov have officially parted ways. Doughty recently indicated to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.ca that the Kings made it clear to him in his exit interview with team brass that they want to drop his minutes from the 28 per night he was averaging last season to around 25 minutes. Following his release from jail, Voynov was taken into custody by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and would have been subjected to a deportation hearing, but by voluntarily returning to his native country, he’ll avoid what likely would have been a lengthy legal process. “We established a deadline of September 17 – the beginning of our 2015-16 training camp – to reach this outcome. As part of that commitment, we will soon announce a series of new Conduct Awareness Training Initiatives that reflect the values and principles central to our franchise”.

Of course, with Voynov self-deporting to Russian Federation , that may be much easier said than done for Darryl Sutter and John Stevens, especially when a game is close or the season is in its latter stages.

Police said Voynov punched, kicked and choked Varlamova, sending her to an emergency room with injuries.

In that case, he would become a former King, although the team would retain his National Hockey League rights in the event of a return.

Voynov is in the midst of a six-year, $25-million deal, which was to run through the 2018-19 season.

Criticism intensified in June when the Kings retained Voynov but terminated the contract of struggling veteran Mike Richards, who was arrested and faces a drug-possession charge in Canada. He has not entered a plea.

Prior to being charged, the National Hockey League Players’ Association filed a grievance on Richards’ behalf on August 10, contesting the termination of his contract.