Athletistic / Hockey. Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov spoke about the NHL’s decision to release its players for the next two Winter Olympics. The 30-year-old striker announced his desire to play there for the Russian national team.
The question of Russia’s participation in the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy will be decided later by the IIHF Council. However, according to Kucherov, if Russians are not allowed to participate in the Olympics, this tournament cannot be classified as “the best of the best.” Nikita said these words during a conversation with journalist Luke Fox during the 2024 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto (Canada).
On February 2, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced that NHL players would participate in the 2026 and 2030 Olympic Games. The Russian national hockey team no longer participated in competitions under the auspices of the IIHF since March 2022.
Source: Sport
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.
