Detroit — Pavel Datsyuk made it official Wednesday: He’s returning — to Russia.
Datsyuk will play next season for his hometown team Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the Russia-based Kontinental Hockey League.
“Until you have been away for a long time — you won’t know how much you missed your home... Pavel Datsyuk is coming home to Yekaterinburg,” wrote Milstein, who told The Detroit News on Tuesday that a return to Detroit was unlikely.
Datsyuk, who’ll be 41 on July 20, played the last three seasons with St. Petersburg SKA in the KHL. He had 42 points (12 goals, 30 assists) last season in 54 games, then added seven points (one goal, six assists) in 12 playoff games.