A Russian hockey team acquired 24 players in a single trade

KHL team Spartak Moscow acquired 24 players from SKA St. Petersburg in a single trade.

KHL team Spartak Moscow pulled off a blockbuster deal on Wednesday, acquiring 24 players from SKA St. Petersburg in a single trade. No, seriously. The KHL announced it and everything. 

As Russian Machine Never Breaks describes it, there's actually a pretty reasonable explanation for the move. Spartak's primary sponsor went bankrupt last year and left the team without enough money to participate in the last KHL season. Recently, Atlant Moscow Region was the latest KHL franchise to fall victim to the ongoing Russian financial crisis. The club folded and sent all of its players to SKA. SKA turned around and sent the players to Spartak.

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So, basically all the players from the defunct Atlant Moscow team play for Spartak Moscow. It's actually pretty convenient—the two arenas are linked by the same Metro line. 

- Dan Gartland