Hockey
Russian NHL players denied visas. But the league took a bold step!
Alexander Barabanov / Photo: © Icon Sportswire / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru
NHL bosses delivered a tough ultimatum so that the Russians could play in the Czech Republic.
NHL bosses have long been saying that the hockey market in Europe is very interested in them. Moreover, they even want to add a team from the Old World to the strongest league. To expand the fan base, the NHL organizes the Global Series in Europe – friendly and official matches with the participation of North American clubs.
However, this year’s tournament may not go according to plan. The Czech Foreign Ministry sent a letter to the NHL about the possibility of a ban on the entry of Russian players.
In the North American League, they reacted unexpectedly: the NHL issued an ultimatum so that the Russians could go on the ice.
The Czech Republic is trying to match the fashion
Only four NHL clubs should travel around Europe: Columbus, Colorado, Nashville and San Jose. At the same time, the current owner of the Stanley Cup will play only two matches against the Blue Jackets, which will be held in Finland on November 4 and 5. But the “predators” and “sharks” have a richer European game calendar. First, Nashville and San Jose will go to Germany, where they will play friendly matches against local teams: the Predators will go against Bern on October 3, and San Jose is scheduled to play against Icebearen Berlin the next day .
And then the North American clubs will play each other in the Czech Republic on October 7 and 8. These are already official matches that will be held as part of the regular season. However, not all hockey players are expected in Prague. In the Czech Republic, it is against the Russian players of Nashville and San Jose taking part in these meetings.
“We can confirm that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a letter to the leadership of the NHL, in which it warned that neither the Czech Republic, nor any other state of the Schengen zone should issue visas to Russian players to enter our territory at this time,” said Deputy Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic Martin Smolek.
There are only three of our compatriots in the Nashville system: keeper Yaroslav Askarov, as well as forwards Egor Afanasiev and Yakov Trenin. There are twice as many Russians in San Jose: defenders Artem Guryev, Artemy Knyazev, Nikolai Knyzhov and forwards Alexander Barabanov, Evgeny Svechnikov and Daniil Gushchin. However, most likely, only three hockey players will get into the base of their clubs: Trenin, Barabanov and Svechnikov. However, they cannot be called big stars or the main leaders of their teams. Therefore, it is not clear why the Czech Republic decided not to let the Russians in.
Strange, but still the logic would be traced in the case of Washington. The captain of the “capital” Alexander Ovechkin is one of the best players in the world and a symbol of Russian hockey, which they would definitely not want to see in Prague. But the decision on the Nashville and San Jose players looks like an attempt to continue the trend of refusing any mention of Russia.
And there is nothing surprising in the fact that such a statement was made in the Czech Republic. Homeland keeper Dominik Hasek was one of the first EU countries to stop issuing visas to Russian citizens. And Hasek himself even called on NHL clubs to terminate contracts with our compatriots.
In the North American league, the letter from the Czech Foreign Minister was quickly answered.
“We expect Russian players to travel to Europe and take part in the matches,” said the league’s deputy commissioner, Bill Daly.
Daley’s rather cautious and laconic answer sounded like: we don’t care if there are Russian players on the ice or not. The soft position of the league would open the possibility of Finland and Germany also abandoning our compatriots. Then Valery Nichushkin and Alexander Georgiev will not fly to Suomi. Moreover, almost all European media are already criticizing the NHL because of the 2024 World Cup: the league has repeatedly hinted that it is going to invite Russian players to the tournament.
However, after a few hours, an unexpected insider appeared, according to which the league would protect our compatriots and announce an ultimatum to the Czech Republic.
– The NHL has discussed all legal issues with the Czech Republic and does not expect obstacles. If they arise, the league will not play the scheduled matches in the Czech Republic and the clubs will play at home. The clubs have everything ready, ”said R-Sport, citing its own source.
At first glance, a rather reckless decision: the NHL has constantly tried to avoid situations in which there are reputational risks. However, the league has always been famous for its consistency. NHL bosses have long claimed that Russian players represent North American clubs and play for local fans. Moreover, the league supported our compatriots in every possible way: they provided security, assisted in obtaining visas and never considered the possibility of a ban on the participation of Russians in the NHL.
In addition, in the strongest hockey league they don’t like it when they are given an ultimatum or they try to put pressure on them. And now the relationship between the NHL and the IIHF has become as tense as possible. The League has once again demonstrated that it is not going to obey anyone. For Russian fans, this is a very good sign: now we can say for sure that the NHL will invite our compatriots to the upcoming World Cup.
Source: Sportbox
I’m a sports enthusiast and journalist who has worked in the news industry for over 8 years. I currently work as an author at Sportish and my work focuses mainly on sports news.