Honored coach of Russia Yuri Novikov believes that despite the Russian national team’s non-participation in the World Junior Hockey Championship, Russian players must believe in themselves.
The Council of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) suspended the national teams of Russia and Belarus from participation in competitions under its auspices in February 2022.
— Unfortunately, we do not participate in the MFM. For me, this is the greatest tragedy. But guys have to believe in themselves and not give up. The curtain will be removed. Even if they missed this age period, they will still have every chance to declare for the NHL in order to prove how wrong and unfair it all was.
The suspension of leading athletes and teams is not just a blow to them. This is a big blow for the development of the sport. We need to talk about it too. Sports develop under conditions of fierce competition. Like it or not, the number of serious teams in hockey is limited. It’s not a football that the whole world plays. Officials and world federations need to understand this and take care of it. The loss of a leading hockey country is a major blow to the development of the sport as a whole.
After all, we are talking about young people who will develop the NHL and all of tomorrow’s hockey. It must be said that the great sport is the fight for medals and finances. Therefore, the NHL could turn sour in five years because of the loss of our guys. Yes, Russia has been eliminated. But this will then have a rebound effect on development. If the plane lowers its nose, it will crash sooner or later,” Novikov said, as quoted by RB Sport.
The 2024 World Cup semi-finals will take place on January 4, with the final and bronze medal match taking place on January 5.
RB Sport
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.
