Olympic champion Valery Kamensky believes that the NHL leadership can help Russian hockey players participate in the 2026 and 2030 Olympic Games.
Last week, the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and the International Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced that NHL players would participate in the 2026 and 2030 Olympic Games.
— The NHL’s decision to release players for the Olympics is important for hockey players. It is one of the most important competitions, but without our team, any international competition is incomplete. The NHL will influence the IIHF to ensure that Russians participate in the Olympics. They gave the players the green light, and our hockey players have the same rights as everyone else and should participate.
— Nikita Kucherov said that he wanted to go to the Olympics and that without the Russian team it would not be a strong tournament. Can such statements from Russian NHL stars affect the situation?
“If Russian hockey players say they want to play in the Olympics, of course the leaders will listen to them,” Kamensky quotes Metaratings.ru.
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 body, Luc Tardif, indicated that the decision to extend or cancel the disqualification will be made in mid-February 2024. The current Olympic champion is the Finnish team, which beat the Russian team in the final of the hockey tournament of the 2022 Games. The Russians are 2018 Olympic champions.
Metaratings.ru
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.
