The nightmare of the complete isolation of Russian sports seems to have reached the NHL, where until yesterday our hockey players calmly played for their clubs. However, they may not go to the Czech Republic for exhibition matches. Authorities took over.
Russians may be denied entry
Russian players in the NHL seemed perhaps the most guarded representatives of our country in sports. Even in tennis, Russian participation in Wimbledon has been suspended, but the situation there is generally calm. But the sanctions appear to have reached the NHL as well. The season kicks off with meetings at the Global Series, where San Jose and Nashville will play on October 7 and 8 in Prague.
Russian forwards Alexander Barabanov and Yevgeny Svechnikov are in San Jose and forwards Yakov Trenin are in Nashville. The club system includes a number of other Russians – Yaroslav Askarov, Egor Afanasiev, Nikolai Knyzhov, Artemy Knyazev, Timur Ibragimov and Daniil Gushchin. Theoretically, they all have the opportunity to enter the starting lineups of “Nashville” and “San Jose”.
However, here comes an obstacle. Russians may not be allowed to enter the Czech Republic for exhibition matches. The fact is that the local Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a letter to the leadership of the National Hockey League, in which it warned about the ban on entry into the country for Russian citizens.
NHL won’t be happy
Such requests seem ridiculous and ridiculous. If a country does not allow athletes on a national basis, what kind of democratic values can we talk about. At the same time, our hockey players are treated much better in the United States, at least given last season’s results. Yes, there were separate cries, for example, in the direction of Alexander Ovechkin, with a call to return home and not return. But globally, Russian hockey players are still valued and respected out there.
And here it will be very interesting to know the position of the NHL, which has up to this point defended the rights of our players. Barabanov, “If Tren and the company really do not get visas or cancel them, it will be a violation of the principle of sports, because teams will not be able to play in the strongest compositions. This will set a precedent for the NHL, which in many ways does not care about politics. The league is more concerned with commercial aspects and trips to the Czech Republic may stop at this point.
This was indirectly confirmed by a source who told RIA Novosti that matches scheduled for Europe will be played in North America if the league has legal misunderstandings with the Czech side.
Source: Ria
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