We all know that the planet would be much better off without Vladimir Putin at the head of Russia. This type of leader is a nuisance for the whole world, not forgetting his people who have no choice but to support this dictator; otherwise your chances of survival are quite slim.
This explains why all the Russian players who play in the NHL do not talk about their president, nor about the war which is still raging in Ukraine. I am convinced that many of them are outraged by what is happening in their country, but refuse to say anything, for fear of reprisals against them and especially their families.
Where is the Russian team?
On the international scene, Russia has been banned from all competition since the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, which makes perfect sense, even if, let’s be honest, it literally has no impact on Russia’s intentions. Vladimir Putin. The only victims of this decision are obviously the athletes who suffer the repercussions of the sanctions.
However, Russian athletes, regardless of their sport, can continue to play in their respective professional leagues. This is the case for all Russian players in the NHL. Which brings us to the following reflection: why is the NHL depriving itself of the Russian team for its 4 Nations Showdown which will take place in February?
We are being deprived of high quality players
This 4 Nations Showdown is organized from A to Z by the NHL and the tournament is not sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation. The best players from Canada, the United States, Finland and Sweden will be in action and the tournament is expected to be very tough.
But in the meantime, the Russian players will not be there, even if we accept that they play in the NHL without any problem, which is still ironic.
The Russian invasion
What is striking is how Russian players dominate in the NHL currently. While in Canada we have no idea who the goalkeepers selected for the tournament will be, Russia has now become a goaltending producing machine with Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin likely fighting for the number 1 position if their national team could participate.
What can we say about the prowess of Alexander Ovechkin since the start of the season and Nikita Kucherov who is still a candidate for the Hart Trophy, without forgetting Kirill Kaprizov who is now one of the best players in the NHL? No joke, it would be very difficult to predict who would win the 4 Nations Showdown if Russia was there. Today, we all know that we will probably be entitled to a final between the United States and Canada, if our Canadian goalkeepers are able to hold the fort of course.
In short, the NHL wanted to avoid any controversy with its decision not to create a Russian team for the tournament, which is easily understandable. But in the end, it would have been easy to justify the presence of this formation, which would have elevated the event exponentially.
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