The arrest of Colorado Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov on domestic violence accusations is nothing but a fiendish American plot to undermine the Russian national hockey team, a Russian government official reportedly claimed.
Varlamov, 25, allegedly assaulted his girlfriend on Monday, kicking her in the chest and dragging her by the hair. Police said Varlamov told the woman in Russian that if this were Russia, he would have beat her more.
But Igor Ananskykh, head of the State Duma Committee for Physical Culture, Sport and Youth Affairs, offered his conspiracy theory.
“The situation is really strange, given that the Sochi Olympics will take place soon and Varlamov is a candidate to become part of our national hockey team which we do count on,” he said, according to The Voice of Russia radio. “What about presumption of innocence? It’s not normal at all. Varlamov will fall out of the training process, which will have an impact on his readiness before the Olympics in Sochi. The first thing that comes to my mind is that it is an effort to weaken our national team.”
Varlamov turned himself in to Denver authorities on Wednesday night to be arrested on suspicion of second-degree kidnapping and third-degree assault. A judge set his bond at $5,000 on Thursday, and his attorney said he would be able to post that immediately. He will be allowed out of jail and be able to travel with the team while prosecutors consider charging him.
Varlamov “is completely innocent of all of these charges,” his agent Paul Theofanous said. The Avalanche said in a statement they were aware of the allegations but wouldn’t comment further.
Varlamov is in the midst of a resurgent season under new coach Patrick Roy, with a 7-1 record and 1.76 goals-against average.
The NHL will take a break in February in order for its top players to participate in the Winter Games in Russia. In 2010, Russia lost in the Olympic quarterfinals to eventual gold medalist Canada. The United States wound up with silver after dropping the final in overtime.