The NHL is standing up against Russia and its ongoing invasion in Ukraine.
Monday’s press release from the league contained details of measures that it had taken to reprimand Russia for its actions.
The statement stated that the National Hockey League condemned Russia’s invasion in Ukraine and urged a peaceful resolution. “We are immediately suspending our relations with Russian business partners, and we are suspending Russian-language social and digital media websites. We are also discontinuing all considerations of Russia for future competitions involving NHL.
“We remain concerned about their well-being, as they play in the NHL for the benefit of their NHL clubs and not Russia. We know that their families and players are in a difficult place.”
Moving forward, the NHL will pull its games from Yandex (Russian-based Yandex), one of Europe’s biggest Internet companies. This partnership dates back to 2019, and the two sides signed a multiyear extension earlier in this year. Yandex broadcasts NHL games on-demand and live as part of Yandex Plus. The NHL says that although it will not be immediately, Yandex plans to remove NHL content from its site in the near future. Liga Stavok, Russia’s betting partner, is also being put on hold by League.
Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine on February 24, sparking major international outrage. After the International Ice Hockey Federation issued a Decree against Russia on Monday, the NHL denounced the attack.
According to the IIHF, it announced that it had removed Russian and Belarusian teams from international hockey events. The IIHF also said that they will relocate the 2023 World Junior Championship tournament outside of Russia.
The NHL’s past and present stars have been sharing their opinions on Russia’s invasion over the last few days and what they should do about it. Washington CapitalsAlexander Ovechkin (a Moscow native) made an appeal for peace last week. He said that he has fought in the past to support Russian President Vladimir Putin. It doesn’t matter who’s in the war — Russia or Ukraine — I believe we live in a world that needs peace and greatness.
Ovechkin, when asked about his relationship to Putin, replied, “he are my president.”
Ovechkin added, “But… I am not involved in politics.” “I’m an athlete and… “I hope that everything will be completed soon.”
Hall of Fame netminder Dominik HasekHe was born in Czech Republic and didn’t think Ovechkin’s strong stance against war was enough. Hasek, who was born in Russia, called Ovechkin “chickens —“” and demanded that harsh measures be taken against Ovechkin as well as other Russian-born NHLers.
Hasek wrote that all Russian players must be immediately removed from the NHL’s contracts. “Every athlete represents himself and his team, but also his country’s values and actions. This is a fact. It is a fact.
Wayne Gretzky of the NHL, the NHL’s most successful scorer, also called Saturday’s Russian conflict “a senseless battle” and demanded that the IIHF ban Russian players from the World Junior tournament.
While the 2023 men’s ice hockey world championship is set to take place in Saint Petersburg at the moment, the IIHF did not say whether this would be moved.