Nyorera kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - Nguva pfupi isati yapera mwaka wenguva dzose wa1988/89, maneja mukuru weFlames Cliff Fletcher akazivisa kuti akanga asvika pachibvumirano nezviremera zveSoviet izvo zvakabvumira Sergei Pryakhin kutamba muNorth America. Yakanga iri nguva yokutanga nhengo yetimu yenyika yeSoviet kubvumirwa kutamba nokuda kwechikwata chisiri cheSoviet. Nokukurumidza pashure pacho, vatambi veSoviet vakatanga kuyerera kupinda muNHL. Zvikwata zvaifungidzira kuti kwaizove nekuwanda kwevatambi veSoviet muma1990, sezvo maSoviet gumi nemasere akasarudzwa mu1989 NHL Entry Draft. Mutsara wose we "KLM", mutsara wepamusoro wechikwata cheSoviet, wakabatana neNHL muna 1989 sezvo Vladimir Krutov naIgor Larionov vakatamba kuCanucks, nepo Sergei Makarov akaenda kuCalgary. Makarov akahwina Calder Memorial Trophy semutambi mutsva wegore muna 1990, sarudzo yakakonzera gakava; aive nemakore makumi matatu nemaviri uye akatamba mwaka gumi nerimwe muSoviet League. Somugumisiro wekukakavadzana, NHL yakachinja mitemo yayo: vatambi vanopfuura makore 26 vakanga vasisarangarirwi nokuda kwemubairo. Kuwa kweRusvingo rweBerlin muna 1989 uye kuparara kweIron Curtain kwakagadzira nzira yokuti vatambi vakawanda vokuEastern Europe vatambe muNorth America. Vatambi vatanhatu bedzi vokuEurope vakasarudzwa pa 1979 NHL Entry Draft. Nhamba iyoyo yakawedzera kusvika ku32 muna 1989
, apo nhamba inokosha yevanhu 123 vokuEurope vakanyorwa muna 2000. Vanhu vokuEurope vakaita 22.5% yeNHL muna 2013<unk>14, vachibatanidza vatambi 232.