The president of the United States, Donald Trump, and the Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, discussed the organization of a series of hockey games between players from their respective countries during His long call Tuesday, according to the Kremlin.
Moscow said in his summary of the call that Trump supported Putin’s idea of organizing games in the United States and Russia that involve NHL and KHL players, and agreed to remain in contact in all the topics raised in the call, which was scheduled to discuss the war in Ukraine. The White House call report did not mention the conversations involved hockey, and the NHL learned about the idea after it ended.
“We have just known the conversation between President Trump and President Putin,” said the NHL in a statement sent to Associated Press. “Obviously, we were not part of those discussions, and it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time.”
A message sent to USA hockey in search of comments was not immediately returned.
The call is Trump’s last incursion into sport after Calling to speak to the American team in the confrontation of the 4 nations last month before the final, which ended in An extra time loss 3-2 To Canada. The hymn of the United States was booed in Montreal during the international tournament after Trump’s repeated comments on making Canada “State 51 and the rates that have triggered a commercial war between the American neighbors.
Putin’s love for hockey as his favorite sport is widely known. He attended the game of the preliminary round of Russia-United States at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games, won in a TJ Oshie American shooting.
The rivalry of countries in the ice dates The “Miracle on Ice” of 1980 When a helpless group of American fans beat the Soviet Union strongly favored in the round of medals on the way to capture Olympic gold in Lake Placid, New York.
The Russians, playing as Russian Olympic athletes due to previous doping violations, won male hockey gold in the games in 2018 when the NHL did not participate for the first time since 1994.
Russia has been prohibited by the International Ice Hockey Federation for all the tournaments that the organization performs since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. A decision on the 2026 Olympic Games has not yet been reached, with 2026, with NHL players that returnAlthough the International Olympic Committee did not allow Russian teams to participate last summer in Paris, allowing individual athletes as neutral competitors.
The NHL has continued to allow Russian players in their league, more prominent Alex Ovechkin from Washington’s capitals as He pursues Wayne Gretzky Professional Objectives Registry. Some of the most talented players in the league are from Russia, including Tampa Bay goalkeeper, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Nikita Kuchov and Kirill Kaprizov striker from Minnesota.
The Association and League of NHL players have Plan to celebrate a hockey World Cup In 2028, although it is not clear if the Russians will be part of this.
“Russia has a great hockey tradition.” The International Hockey Federation on ICE voted to keep Russia out of competitions, like many sports, and we will have to see how the International Olympic Committee does.
The executive director of the Union, Marty Walsh, said that the members of Russia with whom he has spoken to be able to represent his country again on the world stage.
“I would love to see our Russian players play again in the tournaments,” Walsh said last month. “They are incredible hockey players.
The NHL and KHL teams have had games with each other in the past, more recently the premiere challenge in 2010 when Carolina hurricanes faced Ska Saint Petersburg and the Phoenix Coyotes played Dinamo Riga. The NHL teams also faced the Soviet team of the Red Army at exhibitions in the 1970s, and the USSR played Canada in the Summit series in ’72 and ’74.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
