The participation of NHL hockey players in the Olympics gives no reason to believe that Russian team will play in this tournament, the former defender of several KHL clubs told Nikita Shchitov.
On Friday, the NHL, NHLPA and the International Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced that NHL players would participate in the 2026 and 2030 Olympic Games.
— I think that the participation of NHL players in the Olympics does not give any reason to believe that the Russian team will participate in this tournament. The league simply announced that it would release the hockey players. But there is still the IOC and the IIHF who will decide.
The NHL cannot be the dominant body in the case of the Olympic Games. It is run by the IOC and, in addition to hockey, there are many other disciplines. It is clear that at the initiative of the NHL, they will play in Canadian-sized venues. But the big question is whether the Russian Olympic team will be invited to the tournament. “Everything will depend on the IOC and the IIHF,” Shchitov told .
The 2026 Winter Olympic Games will be held from February 6 to 22, 2026 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy). The last time NHL players competed on the Olympic arena was at the 2014 Sochi Games. Previously, NHL players also competed at the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano (Japan), 2002 in Salt Lake City (United States), 2006 in Turin (Italy) and 2010 in Vancouver (Canada).
By decision of the IIHF, the Russian team was suspended from participation in competitions under the auspices of the organization. The head of the organization, Luc Tardif, indicated that the decision to extend or cancel the disqualification will be taken in mid-February 2024.
The current Olympic champion is the Finnish team, which defeated the Russian team in the final of the hockey tournament of the 2022 Games. The Russians are the 2018 Olympic champions.
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.
