“We want Belarus and the Russians back as soon as possible. Because first of all this will mean that the world will be a little better,” Tardif told the media present. “But we follow the IOC’s recommendation. And as for team sports, they are currently not allowed to participate in the Olympic Games.”
The Hockey World Cup could expand in the coming years
As it stands, Russia and Belarus have been banned from team sports by the International Olympic Committee and the International Ice Hockey Federation since invading Ukraine just after the 2022 Beijing Games.
Before the start of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Games, the IIHF council extended the ban on Russia and Belarus to the 2026-2027 hockey season, citing security concerns. In addition, the IIHF Council stated that it will review its status at its next meeting in May, ahead of the next IIHF Annual Congress in Zurich.
The Russian Ice Hockey Federation did not like the ruling and will appeal the IIHF Council’s decision. The International Olympic Committee stated that these countries could return to the junior rankings as early as the 2027-2028 season. It’s a moving topic, not only for the IIHF, which wants them back in its events, but also for the NHL, given the upcoming Hockey World Cup in 2028.
But the NHL will follow the recommendations of the international community, and not just the IIHF and the IOC, regarding Russia’s absence from these tournaments.
‘We will follow what the international community is doing in the field of athletics’ Bettman told the audience. “I don’t see any need for us to make a trade-off separately. And honestly, in terms of our game and our players, wherever they come from, if we can avoid geopolitical issues – not just this one but a whole host of others that are going on – I think that’s better for the game, better for our players and better for our fans.”
The Hockey World Cup should be the best on the best
Everyone agrees that it is not ideal that one of the better hockey countries is absent. They have been dominant on the international stage for so long. However, their best finish when NHLers went to the Olympics was a silver medal in 1998, when the game was still played on International Ice. Subsequent results were bronze in 2002, 4th in 2006, 6th in 2010 and 5th in 2014.
While they haven’t won against NHLers, a Russian team at the Olympics or another IIHF event makes things more interesting. Instead of five hockey countries that could win, adding Russia makes it six. The group stage and medal rounds become more difficult. The Russians are always tough.
Some of the best players in the NHL come from Russia, including Kirill Kaprizov, Nikita Kucherov, Igor Shesterkin, Ilya Sorokin, Artemi Panarin, Evgeni Malkin, Mikhail Sergachev, Alex Ovechkin, Vladislav Gavrikov, Sergei Bobrovsky, Andrei Vasilevskiy and many others.
The Russian Olympic Committee last competed at the 2022 Olympic Games, winning a silver medal. They took home the gold medal in 2018 when they defeated Germany 4-3 in a highly entertaining match. But that included all KHL players, as the NHL did not send its players to the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics.
NHL and NHLPA announce Olympic Games and Hockey World Cup
The idea is that Russia will be one of eight teams when the puck drops on the 2028 Hockey World Cup. However, nothing has been given yet. We know the NHL wanted to add Russia to the Four Nations Faceoff last year and also bring in the Czech Republic, but a few countries didn’t want them there, so it was just Sweden, Finland, the US and Canada.
It’s still an uphill climb for Russia to return to the big stage. Hopefully the Russians will have a team in place by 2030, when the Winter Games take place in France. But the goal is earlier. However, the world has to get better before that happens.
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