State Duma deputy, two-time Olympic hockey champion Vyacheslav Fetisov hopes Canadian striker SKA Brendan Leipsik who wants to take Russian nationality will have supporters.
Earlier, SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg said Laipsik expressed a desire to accept Russian citizenship and wrote a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
– For Russia, this is a very good trend. For the political situation, it is advantageous for us that foreigners from the United States and Canada receive a Russian passport voluntarily. This suggests that propaganda in the West breaks down when people come to Russia and see the truth. I wish Laipsik only good luck and further development as a Russian citizen. I hope he will have followers.
– How can this affect hockey in Russia?
– It won’t affect hockey much, but it will affect the political situation. Gradually, many will understand that Russia is not evil. We will wait for Lipsik supporters and develop together,” Fetisov told Sport24.
The Canadian joined SKA in June 2023. From 2016 to 2020 he played in the NHL, 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.
Sport24
Source : MatchTV

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