IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) has expelled Russia and Belarus due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has been led by the Russian army with the support of Belarus for over two years. The hockey federation confirmed on Monday that these two teams will not be accepted back even in the 2024/25 season.
This decision affects the World Championship in Sweden and Denmark, as well as the final stage of qualification for the 2026 Olympics, from which Belarus has been excluded.
For now, due to the frozen IIHF rankings, Russian players are still able to participate in the games in Italy, being placed directly into the group stage with the USA and two qualifiers. However, if the war continues, it is difficult to imagine their participation.
Since NHL players will also be participating in the Olympics after 12 years, this question is also troubling the biggest Russian stars, who were approached by the overseas website The Athletic.
„I try not to think about it. But it seems absurd to me that someone like Nikita Kucherov would never play in the Olympics. However, it is not within our power to change anything,“ said Alexander Ovechkin.
While Ovechkin has participated in 13 World Championships and three Olympics, Kucherov has only experienced two World Championships. He did not make it into the Russian team for the home games in Sochi, and the next two Olympics were without NHL players.
„He is one of the best players in the world, he will be over 30 years old and has never played in the Olympics. We only watch international tournaments on TV. It seems unfair to me to think that we will never play there again,“ mentioned Kirill Kaprizov, scorer of the golden goal in the 2018 Olympics final.
Kucherov has won the Stanley Cup twice, was the most valuable player in the NHL, and consistently ranks among the most productive players. However, he is missing a major success with the national team. Similar cases include goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and forward Artemi Panarin.
„It’s not like playing for the Stanley Cup. The whole country watches you at international tournaments, everyone is cheering for you. The Olympics only happen every four years, but we haven’t been there yet,“ said Vasilevskiy.
„It means a lot to us at home. When you put on the national jersey, your parents, friends, and coaches are proud of you. It’s also a pity for the young hockey players who would watch it, that I can’t play there,“ responded Kucherov.
IIHF repeatedly relies on player safety in its argumentation.
„Moreover, there are concerns about celebrating athletes whose country is involved in a war. And many Russian players understand that,“ wrote the authors of the text on The Athletic website.
However, none of the players approached wanted to talk about political issues or the war itself. While they take the international ban very emotionally.
The reality is that the only Russian in the NHL who condemned the war in Ukraine remains defenseman Nikita Zadorov. A few months ago, he expressed regret that Russians are sending the young generation to death.
Evgeni Malkin, who has been playing in the NHL for eighteen seasons, did not speak about the war-related topics. Instead, in connection with the Olympics, he stuck to the rhetoric of safety, which IIHF repeats.
„It’s complicated because the Olympics will be in Europe. That’s probably more dangerous for us. In America, it might not be a problem. It’s dangerous, we know that, and I think it’s mainly about protecting us players,“ he said.
„I hope that the ban will be lifted soon. Or that the NHL says its players won’t play at the Olympics without Russia and Belarus,“ he added. „If you ask players from other countries, I think they will tell you that they love playing against Russia,“ added the Pittsburgh legend.
The loudest criticism, understandably, comes directly from Russia after the extension of the ban. For allhockey.ru, for example, Boris Mikhailov, the long-time captain of the Soviet national team, expressed his opinion.
„It’s not about Lukas Tardif (IIHF President, ed.). It’s clear why the Finns and Swedes are so persistent in their resistance to us. They have never liked us. We have always beaten them; we are their biggest rivals. They won’t get anywhere without us,“ he noted.
To remind you, Russia last won the World Championship ten years ago. Their Olympic triumph in 2018 (without their own jerseys and national symbols due to a doping ban) is their only one in the last two decades.
