ional Ice Hockey Federation has given its approval. The IIHF said Yakupov appeared in those games without an approved transfer card.Yakupov was taken by the Edmonton Oilers, signed this summer and was assigned to his junior team, the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League, on Sept. 15. Hockey Canada refused to sign off on Yakupov's transfer because his rights belonged to the Sting, where he spent the past two seasons and piled up 170 points in 107 games.Under IIHF rules, a transfer card (ITC) must be signed by the original country, the new country and the player."The ITC was not signed by Hockey Canada and was thus not approved by the IIHF. Playing without an approved ITC following an international transfer request is a breach of IIHF transfer regulations," the IIHF said in a statement. "At this time,Jeremy Roenick Jersey, being that Hockey Canada did not approve Nail Yakupov's ITC, his case is in appeal procedures. Until appeal procedures are complete and a decision regarding his transfer to Russia is made, an ITC will not be approved or denied by the IIHF."The Russian Hockey Federation has until Oct. 1 to respond to Hockey Canada's appeal.
No successful NHL team gets far without great talent. But not all of that talent gets a lot of attention. There are great players -- even Hall of Fame members -- who don't receive enough attention. Only afterwards do we realize just how good they were, and just how much they meant to their teams' success.Here are seven of the most underrated players in NHL history:Jean RatelleIt's hard to imagine a Hall of Fame member who starred in the NHL for a long time with less fanfare than Ratelle, a quiet center who was more than content to let his play speak for him.Ratelle and boyhood friend Rod Gilbert came up together with the Rangers, played together as linemates for years -- and both made the Hall of Fame. But while Gilbert was a flashy wing with a big shot, Ratelle was more like Jean Beliveau -- a slick center who defined elegance on the ice and class and dignity off it.Ratelle also tended to be overshadowed -- by players like Gilbert and Brad Park on his own team and fellow centers like Beliveau (early in his career) and Phil Esposito. Ironically, he and Esposito were traded for each other in November 1975. Ratelle also seemed fated to remain out of the limelight -- his best season,Patrick Kane Jersey, 1971-72,Authentic Jonathan Toews Jersey, ended in early March because of a broken ankle after being hit by a teammate's shot.He also was in the wrong place at the wrong time when it came to championships; Boston was just a little bit better in '71-72, and Montreal beat Ratelle and the Bruins twice in the late 1970s. He was always content to remain out of the limelight, but Ratelle's accomplishments during his 21-year career are hard to ignore.Chris OsgoodNHL INSIDERCarlyle talks influences, scrutinyBy Dan Rosen - NHL.com Senior WriterHe's won a Stanley Cup as coach of the Ducks and made the move last season to the media hotbed of Toronto. The Leafs' coach talks about past influences and his new challenges. READ MORE › Rating the top combos in NHL history For Yaroslavl, emotional week ends with win Babcock dishes on greatest team, pressureMORE NHL INSIDER STORIES ›Maybe it's because he wasn't very physically imposing in an era when goaltenders were getting bigger by the year. Maybe it's because he played for a dominating team that didn't rely on its goaltender to make a ton of saves. Whatever the reason, Osgood's 401 career wins,Corey Crawford Jersey, 50 career shutouts and three Stanley Cup rings with Detroit (two as the primary goaltender) often seem to get lost in the shuffle.Osgood watched Mike Vernon lead Detroit to the Cup in 1997, then led the Wings to a repeat the next season and was one of the NHL's most effective goaltenders for three seasons after that. But he was lost to the New York Islanders in the 2001 Waiver Draft -- and promptly led the Islanders to their best season in more than a decade. In 2005, he returned to the Wings, revamped his style and was better than ever, even taking the starting job from Dominik Hasek early in the 2008 play