The removal of the Russian team kills interest in international competitions. Due to unfair disqualification, the level of competition has dropped, and there have been many more casual and unspectacular matches. Frankly, I’m not happy with what’s happening overseas either.

NHL players demand the return of Russia in order to see principled meetings again.

Changed plans

The NHL has long wanted to revive the World Cup, and the league’s management has even decided on an approximate date: February 2024. However, the removal of the Russian team seriously complicated the task from an image point of view. After all, the idea is for the strongest players in the world to compete, and without our compatriots the idea loses its meaning. On the other hand, in North America they might not listen to the IIHF, which has nothing to do with the NHL, and invite the Russian team. However, the hockey federations of Sweden and Finland announced that under no circumstances would they play with our team.

As a result, the NHL bosses, wanting to organize competitions in the “best against the best” format at any cost, nevertheless decided to hold matches without the Russian team. Thus, in February 2025, the Four Nations Tournament will take place, in which Canada, the USA, Finland and Sweden will take part.

Obviously, only players who have valid contracts with the NHL will be invited to the big hockey festival. In addition, players must be a member of a North American League club as of December 2, 2024. Our team will not take part, but the Czech players who won gold at the last World Championship will not be there either. If Jaromir Jagr’s compatriots were not invited, then Switzerland is out of the question, although the team is capable of causing problems for any opponent.

Hockey players of the Czech national team / Photo: © RvS.Media/Robert Hradil / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

In this situation, Europeans felt deprived of players who were not allowed into a closed elite club. This forced the uninvited hockey players to put themselves in the place of the Russians who miss all international competitions. As a result, the hockey players of the national teams that will not go to the Four Nations Tournament unexpectedly stated that it would be nice to reconsider the format of this competition, as well as the attitude towards Russia.

“Russia should be there”

Thus, on the basis of anonymity, a Swiss player of one of the NHL clubs in an interview with the American publication The Athletic said that international competitions cannot exist without Russian hockey players.

“I understand that the NHL wants to promote the game, and this is very difficult, given the situation in the world. But in the end, if this is a “best against the best” format, then Russia must be there. Everyone would like to see the matches Canada – Russia, USA – Russia. Every time these teams play with each other, magic happens on the ice,” The Athletic quotes the Swiss national team player as saying.

The publication also noted that many NHL players surveyed find it difficult to call this tournament complete without Nikita Kucherov, Kirill Kaprizov, Artemy Panarin and Alexander Ovechkin. They can be understood, because all fans want to watch the competition between the strongest hockey players representing top teams. And the next confrontation between veterans Sidney Crosby and Ovechkin is the calling card of any competition. Such meetings would become a real celebration of hockey, and their progress would be followed by fans around the world.

Alexander Ovechkin / Photo: © RIA Novosti / Grigory Sokolov

There will be no other European countries at the tournament, which greatly displeased the players who want to play for their national teams.

– I don’t agree. You have time to host a tournament for four teams. Why don’t you have time to hold a tournament for eight countries? At the same time, they signed a contract to participate in the Olympic Games. I think we can consider this a small plus, but it’s a hard pill to swallow,” said an NHL hockey player who wished to speak anonymously.

So it turns out that instead of a scattering of important matches, fans will only see an attempt by the NHL bosses to organize an important tournament. This is confirmed by league commissioner Gary Bettman, who called the upcoming Four Nations Tournament just an “aperitif” before the 2026 Olympics in Italy.