The league is in an awkward spot. It condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine when it started and has suspended business ties with Russia. But the league wants its many prominent Russian players to feel comfortable in the NHL and doesn’t want to do anything to put their players’ family members in harm’s way.
“It has to be an extremely difficult situation (for Russian hockey players),”
Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper said during the Eastern Conference final. “You have a massive ocean in between what’s going on, (which) probably makes a little bit of a difference, but I don’t think anybody takes into consideration that, yes, the players are here, but their families are over there. … It can’t be easy, and I feel for all of them.”
So the NHL didn’t consider banning Russian players and it won’t prevent teams from drafting Russian players next week. Other international sports entities have implemented sanctions against Russian athletes, and the International Ice Hockey Federation suspended Russia and Belarus from all international tournaments for at least a year. Wimbledon banned Russian players from its tournament, and Russia’s men’s soccer team was removed from
World Cup qualifying.
The only thing the NHL did announce before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final was that Russian players who won the Stanley Cup would not be allowed to celebrate in Russia with the Cup, at least this summer. That affects the
Colorado Avalanche’s
Valeri Nichushkin, who made note of that after the Avs beat the Tampa Bay Lightning to win the Cup.