Athletistic / Hockey. Former head coach of the Russian national team Vladimir Plyushchev spoke about the decline in the level of hockey in the country. According to him, this is due to the exclusion of all Russian teams from participation in international competitions.
“Just look at the Kazakhstan national team, consisting of KHL players. At the 2024 World Cup in the Czech Republic, the Kazakhs suffered four defeats in a row, losing 2:6 and 2:8 against Slovaks and Germans not at all exceptional and also lost to Latvia with a score of 0:2. At the same time, Latvia is composed mainly of veterans who were important in the KHL five years ago, but who. have been hanging around in second-rate teams in Europe in recent years. But even this composition is enough for them to leave no chance for the current Kakhael players. Now draw conclusions about the level of the KHL!
By the start of the 21st century, our arrogance had disappeared, but we considered ourselves at least on par with the teams of Canada, Sweden, Finland, the United States and the Czech Republic. Today, we no longer talk about the Big Six. Our rivals now are Switzerland, Slovakia and Germany. Today we may be in the top 10, but we are unlikely to be in the first half. When we return to the world stage, we will quickly calm down and realize the new reality,” Plyushchev said, as quoted by Russia-Hockey.ru.
The Russian national team has not been allowed to participate in tournaments under the auspices of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) since March 2022, against the backdrop of the military-political situation in Ukraine.
The 87th Ice Hockey World Championship takes place from May 10 to 26 in the Czech Republic. The world championship is organized in Prague and Ostrava.
Source: Sport
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