Canadian striker SKA Brendan Leipsik told he was ready to play for Russian national team in the future, if he receives the sports citizenship of the country and is invited to the national team.
Earlier, SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg said the 29-year-old striker expressed a desire to accept Russian citizenship and wrote a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
– Do you have a dream to play for the Russian national team one day? Maybe at the World Cup or the World Championships.
– It does not depend on me. We still have to see if they invite me to the Russian national team. And for this you need to get not only a Russian passport, but also sports citizenship. Now it’s important for me to perform well in the KHL in order to have a great record. And if I play hardball, and they invite me and write all the paperwork, then why not?
– If Roman Rotenberg invites you to the national team…
“As they say in Canada, let’s first cross the bridge to the other side and then we’ll see what’s over there,” Laipsik said in an interview with .
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 also 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.
Source : MatchTV
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