Former Head Coach Russian team Vladimir Plushev in a conversation with , he suggested that a Canadian hockey player who had expressed a desire to obtain Russian citizenship S.K.A. Brendan Leipsik considered such a serious step and takes it for personal reasons.
Former SKA head coach Romain Rotenberg said Leipsik expressed a desire to take Russian citizenship and wrote a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Canadian joined SKA in June 2023. His contract with the army is for two seasons and will be valid until April 30, 2025
– This is the opinion and desire of the hockey player himself, each person has the right to choose the country of residence. The fact that he asks the president for citizenship is his own business. Maybe he likes it here, maybe he fell in love with a Russian girl or something. It’s probably an unexpected decision, because the person is from the North American bloc, but it’s their choice. I don’t think his decision was spontaneous, he probably considered such a serious step,” Plushev told .
Leipsik played in the NHL from 2016 to 2020, where he played for Toronto, Vegas, Vancouver, Los Angeles and Washington. Since 2020, the Canadian has been playing in the KHL, in the league he played for CSKA and Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Twice with his teams, Leipsik reached the final of the Gagarin Cup and scored a total of 142 (54+88) points in 204 regular season and playoff games.
Last season, 29-year-old Leipsik scored 44 (11+33) points in 65 regular season games with Magnitogorsk and 11 (2+9) points in 11 Gagarin Cup games.
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
