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Russian Players to be Banned from NHL?


WordsOfWisdom

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I realize this would have been an unthinkable topic oh about a week ago, but times have changed. The Iron Curtain is back. Putin is reforming the USSR, and that means Russian born players will no longer be allowed to play in the NHL, the same as it was before prior to ~1989.  For those who need a quick history lesson: Players like Alexander Mogilny were the first to defect from the Soviet Union. There wouldn't be an Alex Ovechkin today if it weren't for players like that in the past.

 

almo.thumb.jpg.d8e9b1b9bac8b978df5a8069fb9f76a6.jpg
 
Side note: This is not a thread about politics. It's about hockey.  
 
This thread is about the implications on the NHL in what will quite likely be a league without Russian players any more. Perhaps for decades. Whether they get banned by the Canadian government, the American government, or the Russian government. Any one of those three could block their ability to play in the NHL with the swipe of a pen. Economic sanctions include preventing Russians from getting wealthy off of our dollars. Russian made Vodka was recently banned in Ontario (as in today). All Russian companies have been banned from operating here. Believe me when I say this is very likely to happen. It's not fantasy.
 
 
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48 minutes ago, J0e Th0rnton said:

No because that logic is stupid.

 

You want to ban guys like Panarin who have for years been outspoken against Putin because of his birth nationality?

 

 

 

When I said banned, I'm referring to them either not being allowed to leave Russia OR them being banned from North America altogether. (As in, passport revoked.) 

 

It's not ME banning anyone and it's not what *I* want. I'm just dealing facts. This is very likely going to happen. I'm just the first one to post about it.

 

Do you really think Russian players are going to be able to come here and earn millions of dollars when their leader and their nation is enemy #1 on the world stage right now?  

 

Thus, let's discuss what the NHL would look like without any Russian players in it.  ie: How many are there, which teams are most affected, who stands to lose the most by not playing, etc.....  Russian players who converted to being US citizens are obviously not affected, although their bank accounts will be (if they try to send any of that money home).  

 

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2 hours ago, J0e Th0rnton said:

No because that logic is stupid.

 

You want to ban guys like Panarin who have for years been outspoken against Putin because of his birth nationality?

 

 

It's not a matter of "want."   I don't think WoW is indicating preference or desire for it.

 

But there IS talk if revocation of Russian student visas in the States and other deportation measures.  And that's just this side.

 

There is the potential the Russians begin retaliating economically on their side.  The potential that affects the NHL is possible. I wouldn't say "likely," but it's possible.

 

I'm wondering if the Russian government did move in that matter manner what Russian players would do:  comply or seek asylum and expatriate.  Probably a mixture.

 

Stupid? Yes. The whole thing is stupid.  But there is--hopefully unlikely--the potential.

Edited by ruxpin
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2 hours ago, ruxpin said:

It's not a matter of "want."   I don't think WoW is indicating preference or desire for it.

 

Correct. I'm merely discussing what it means for the NHL if it happens. We are rapidly returning to a world that is much like it was in the 1980's when Russian people were barred from leaving the country. Attempting to leave Russia (USSR) back then meant you were declared a traitor and would be killed. There's an entire documentary on the extraordinary lengths that NHL agents had to go to in order to smuggle Alexander Mogilny out of Russia (USSR) so he could play in the NHL. Players like Mogilny, Bure, and others would routinely receive death threats from Russia for defecting, even years after the fact.

 

 

 

2 hours ago, ruxpin said:

I'm wondering if the Russian government did move in that matter manner what Russian players would do:  comply or seek asylum and expatriate.  Probably a mixture.

 

I'm guessing players like Ovechkin became US citizens years ago, so would be unaffected by this. The effect is going to be hardest felt on rookie players coming from Russia. (They will likely be barred from leaving.) Plus it will affect any sort of agreement between NHL and KHL, movement of players back and forth from those leagues, international competitions of any sort, and of course Russian players won't be able to send money home to Russia. They will have their bank accounts frozen and the transactions monitored.

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

 

Correct. I'm merely discussing what it means for the NHL if it happens. We are rapidly returning to a world that is much like it was in the 1980's when Russian people were barred from leaving the country. Attempting to leave Russia (USSR) back then meant you were declared a traitor and would be killed. There's an entire documentary on the extraordinary lengths that NHL agents had to go to in order to smuggle Alexander Mogilny out of Russia (USSR) so he could play in the NHL. Players like Mogilny, Bure, and others would routinely receive death threats from Russia for defecting, even years after the fact.

 

 

 

 

I'm guessing players like Ovechkin became US citizens years ago, so would be unaffected by this. The effect is going to be hardest felt on rookie players coming from Russia. (They will likely be barred from leaving.) Plus it will affect any sort of agreement between NHL and KHL, movement of players back and forth from those leagues, international competitions of any sort, and of course Russian players won't be able to send money home to Russia. They will have their bank accounts frozen and the transactions monitored.

 

 

 

Yes. This is pretty much as I remember it

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Defecting from the 1980's Soviet Union might have been safer than defecting from Putin's Russia. Late Soviet Union was a collective dictatorship, and now it's a one man show in the style of Stalin. This adds to the risk of drafting Russian players. How will they cope in North America if they are Putin's followers? How will they cope, if they risk opposing the tyrant publicly, and their relatives are then pressured by the state or the Putin followers? Hockey is an aggressive game. How will characters like DeAngelo for example react to a Putin lackey like Ovechkin, who helped in putting Putin to power and still has Putin's picture on his Instagram page? Will the animosity grow, will it add to the risk of getting injured through cheap shots or fights? The drafting risk will get hard to predict.

 

Another change will be a change in the KHL. It will lose its North American and non-Russian players. Jokerit from Finland and Riga Dynamo from Latvia will leave the KHL too. (These two teams might of course be eventually be forced back into the KHL, if the Russians  aren't able to get rid of their tyrant...)

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13 hours ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

I realize this would have been an unthinkable topic oh about a week ago, but times have changed. The Iron Curtain is back. Putin is reforming the USSR, and that means Russian born players will no longer be allowed to play in the NHL, the same as it was before prior to ~1989.  For those who need a quick history lesson: Players like Alexander Mogilny were the first to defect from the Soviet Union. There wouldn't be an Alex Ovechkin today if it weren't for players like that in the past.

 

almo.thumb.jpg.d8e9b1b9bac8b978df5a8069fb9f76a6.jpg
 
Side note: This is not a thread about politics. It's about hockey.  
 
This thread is about the implications on the NHL in what will quite likely be a league without Russian players any more. Perhaps for decades. Whether they get banned by the Canadian government, the American government, or the Russian government. Any one of those three could block their ability to play in the NHL with the swipe of a pen. Economic sanctions include preventing Russians from getting wealthy off of our dollars. Russian made Vodka was recently banned in Ontario (as in today). All Russian companies have been banned from operating here. Believe me when I say this is very likely to happen. It's not fantasy.
 
 

 

Dominek Hasek has said the same...

 

Dominik Hasek calls Ovechkin a 'chicken sh-t', wants NHL to suspend all Russians

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6 hours ago, lynxrattle said:

How will characters like DeAngelo for example react to a Putin lackey like Ovechkin, who helped in putting Putin to power and still has Putin's picture on his Instagram page?

 

4 hours ago, OccamsRazor said:

Dominek Hasek has said the same...

 

If that's true then @flyercanuck will be pleased to know that there's finally something I DON'T like about Ovechkin.  😃👍

 

In any event, I don't think it will ever come down to an NHL-level decision. Given the choice, the NHL sees only $$$. If a Russian player kills 100 Ukrainian civilians and collects their heads in his basement, the NHL and its agents will welcome him with open arms into the league and try to draft him if he's the next Mogilny/Ovechkin level player.

 

Most likely, the ban will come from Russia, just like it did before. That would be Putin's way of punishing hockey fans in North America. Sort of like retaliatory "sanctions". 

 

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4 minutes ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

In any event, I don't think it will ever come down to an NHL-level decision


The NHL can’t. It would have to be addressed via NHLPA CBA. I read through the entire CBA. This type of situation is not addressed in the CBA and nor should it be….

 

Also take it FWIW….from an article from The Athletic….

 

Ovechkin expressed support for Putin as his president, but also a desire to stay out of politics as an athlete. When asked about other Russian athletes who firmly denounced the violence, he called for the same.

“Please, no more war,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who is in the war — Russia, Ukraine, different countries. … We have to live in peace and a great world.”

 

 

 

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I wouldn't want Russians out of the league. Most of the Russians are Putin's victims just like every one else. You say what even Ovechkin said in an anti-war demonstration in Russia and the police attacks you. If you do that abroad and mean it, you might get poisoned. If things get to semi-open warfare between the West and Russia, it might get unsafe for the Russian players, though. Just like it right now might not be safe for a Western KHL player to go have a drink in a Russian bar.

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16 hours ago, lynxrattle said:

 How will characters like DeAngelo for example react to a Putin lackey like Ovechkin, who helped in putting Putin to power and still has Putin's picture on his Instagram page? 

 

 Isn't Deangelo a Trump lackey? Who's a Putin lackey? So maybe they'd be buddies. Except I'm sure Deangelo hates everyone outside white protestant but not including gay USA. Or who hasn't injected bleach and sunshine. The guy has been beat up by his own teammate...I doubt Ovechkin is worried about him one bit.

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2022 Draft Prospect Rankings

1 KEMELL, JOAKIM 5' 11" 171 RIGHT WING JYP FINLAND
2 SLAFKOVSKY, JURAJ 6' 4" 218 LEFT WING TPS FINLAND
3 YUROV, DANILA 6' 1" 178 RIGHT WING MAGNITOGORSK RUSSIA
4 JIRICEK, DAVID 6' 3" 189 DEFENSEMAN PLZEN CZREP
5 LAMBERT, BRAD 6' 0" 175 CENTER PELICANS FINLAND
6 NEMEC, SIMON 6' 0" 190 DEFENSEMAN NITRA SLOVAKIA
7 KASPER, MARCO 6' 1" 183 CENTER ROGLE SWEDEN
8 MIROSHNICHENKO, IVAN 6' 1" 185 LEFT WING OMSK KRYLIA RUSSIA-2
9 LEKKERIMAKI, JONATHAN 5' 10" 165 RIGHT WING DJURGARDEN JR. SWEDEN-JR.
10 PEREVALOV, ALEXANDER 6' 0" 191 LEFT WING YAROSLAVL 2 RUSSIA-JR.
11 OHGREN, LIAM 6' 0" 187 LEFT WING DJURGARDEN SWEDEN
12 TRIKOZOV, GLEB 6' 1" 185 LEFT WING OMSK 2 RUSSIA-JR.
13 ODELIUS, CALLE 5' 11" 185 DEFENSEMAN DJURGARDEN JR. SWEDEN-JR.
14 BICHSEL, LIAN 6' 5" 216 DEFENSEMAN LEKSAND SWEDEN
15 MESAR, FILIP 5' 10" 167 RIGHT WING POPRAD SLOVAKIA
16 BYSTEDT, FILIP 6' 2" 187 CENTER LINKOPING JR. SWEDEN-JR.
17 DOLZHENKOV, KIRILL 6' 6" 234 RIGHT WING CSKA 2 RUSSIA-JR.
18 SALIN, OTTO 5' 11" 187 DEFENSEMAN HIFK JR. FINLAND-JR.
19 NYMAN, JANI 6' 3" 212 RIGHT WING KOOVEE FINLAND-2
20 KASKIMAKI, ALEKSANTERI 6' 0" 181 CENTER HIFK JR. FINLAND-JR.
21 SALOMONSSON, ELIAS 6' 0" 172 DEFENSEMAN SKELLEFTEA JR. SWEDEN-JR.
22 KULICH, JIRI 6' 0" 172 CENTER KARLOVY VARY CZREP
23 DUDA, ARTEM 6' 1" 187 DEFENSEMAN CSKA 2 RUSSIA-JR.
24 SUZDALEV, ALEXANDER 6' 2" 172 LEFT WING HV 71 JR. SWEDEN-JR.
25 OSTLUND, NOAH 5' 11" 163 CENTER DJURGARDEN JR. SWEDEN-JR.
26 WAGNER, FABIAN 5' 11" 170 CENTER LINKOPING JR. SWEDEN-JR.
27 NEUCHEV, VIKTOR 6' 2" 165 LEFT WING YEKATERINBURG 2 RUSSIA-JR.
28 KULONUMMI, KASPER 6' 0" 178 DEFENSEMAN JOKERIT JR. FINLAND-JR.
29 RONNI, TOPI 6' 2" 179 CENTER TAPPARA JR. FINLAND-JR.
30 JANSSON, LUDVIG 6' 0" 176 DEFENSEMAN SODERTALJE SWEDEN-2
31 KOROMYSLOV, ARSENI 6' 3" 180 DEFENSEMAN SKA ST. PETERSBURG 2 RUSSIA-JR.
32 ORLOV, DANIIL 6' 2" 180 DEFENSEMAN YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK 2 RUSSIA-JR.
33 LUTZ, JULIAN 6' 2" 185 LEFT WING MUNCHEN GERMANY
34 MUROMTSEV, ALEXANDR 6' 3" 176 CENTER BELARUS U18 BELARUS-2
35 MORAVEC, DAVID 6' 1" 189 DEFENSEMAN ML. BOLESLAV CZREP
36 SYKORA, ADAM 5' 10" 172 LEFT WING NITRA SLOVAKIA
37 FORSMARK, SIMON 6' 2" 191 DEFENSEMAN OREBRO JR. SWEDEN-JR.
38 SAVIKOV, YEGOR 5' 10" 170 DEFENSEMAN SPARTAK RUSSIA
39 MATIKKA, MIKO 6' 3" 187 RIGHT WING JOKERIT JR. FINLAND-JR.
40 GRUDININ, VLADIMIR 5' 10" 158 DEFENSEMAN CSKA 2 RUSSIA-JR.
41 SOTEK, ALEX 6' 0" 176 RIGHT WING BRATISLAVA SLOVAKIA
42 HAMARA, TOMAS 6' 0" 185 DEFENSEMAN TAPPARA JR. FINLAND-JR.
43 HAVELID, MATTIAS 5' 9" 165 DEFENSEMAN LINKOPING JR. SWEDEN-JR.
44 PERSSON, LUDWIG 6' 0" 178 LEFT WING FROLUNDA JR. SWEDEN-JR.
45 KHVOROV, NIKOLAI 6' 0" 168 RIGHT WING OMSK 2 RUSSIA-JR.
46 BLEDNOV, NIKITA 5' 11" 165 RIGHT WING GORNYAK UCHALY RUSSIA-2
47 BUCHELNIKOV, DMITRI 5' 10" 163 LEFT WING SKA ST. PETERSBURG 2 RUSSIA-JR.
48 SYCHOV, VLADIMIR 5' 11" 156 LEFT WING SKA ST. PETERSBURG 2 RUSSIA-JR.
49 HAUF, LUCA 5' 11" 180 CENTER KREFELD GERMANY
50 PINKAS, MATEJ 6' 2" 190 DEFENSEMAN HR. KRALOVE JR. CZREP-JR.

 

 

1 LEINONEN, TOPIAS 6' 4" 214 GOALIE JYP JR. FINLAND-JR.
2 BLOMQUIST, IAN 6' 2" 183 GOALIE VASTERAS JR. SWEDEN-JR.
3 SPUNAR, JAN 6' 3" 185 GOALIE OLOMOUC JR. CZREP-JR.
4 AREFYEV, MAXIM 6' 4" 183 GOALIE YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK 2 RUSSIA-JR.
5 MEZSARGS, KARLIS 6' 2" 185 GOALIE RIGA 2 RUSSIA-JR.
6 GUSKOV, YEGOR 5' 11" 200 GOALIE YAROSLAVL 2 RUSSIA-JR.
7 SCHNATTINGER, MICHAEL 6' 0" 176 GOALIE BRNO JR. CZREP-JR.
8 KOKKO, NIKLAS 6' 3" 184 GOALIE KARPAT JR. FINLAND-JR.
9 HAVELID, HUGO 5' 10" 170 GOALIE LINKOPING JR. SWEDEN-JR.
10 SWEDIN, LUKAS 5' 6" 143 GOALIE HV 71 JR. SWEDEN-JR.

 

 

These are the kinds of players who face an uphill battle if they ever want to play in the NHL. 

 

I think NHL teams will shy away from drafting Russian players to avoid the risk of political interference denying them of a draft pick. 

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, flyercanuck said:

I think for the most part Russian players have usually faced an uphill battle when it comes to this. There's almost always been the will he come over conundrum tagged to their players.

 

True, but prior to 1990 they weren't allowed to come over at all.  My sense is that Russian players will be in the same situation again very shortly (if things don't improve). 

 

Plus, even if it doesn't happen, what will the environment be like for Russian players in North America going forward? Will we have situations where American-Ukrainian hockey fans are throwing rocks at the Russian players? Will it become a safety issue for the Russian players to play in hostile territory (or will the NHL be a safe-space where fans don't care)? Will the public put pressure on the NHL to ban them?

 

We know how powerful the public is. *IF* *IF* *IF* *IF* *IF* *IF* (can't stress that word enough) the public threatened to boycott the NHL unless Russian players were banned, we all know the Russians would be banned overnight, purely in the name of PR, no matter what their contract says. The public wields ultimate power over the NHL and its decisions. It could (THEORETICALLY) change just that quickly. I'm NOT saying that it will and I'm NOT saying that it should.

 

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3 minutes ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

 

True, but prior to 1990 they weren't allowed to come over at all.  My sense is that Russian players will be in the same situation again very shortly (if things don't improve). 

 

 

 Cuban hockey players still aren't allowed to play in the US. 

 

3 minutes ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

Plus, even if it doesn't happen, what will the environment be like for Russian players in North America going forward? Will we have situations where American-Ukrainian hockey fans are throwing rocks at the Russian players?

 

 Rocks? Batteries maybe, but I can't see rocks. 

 

3 minutes ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

 

 

 Will it become a safety issue for the Russian players to play in hostile territory (or will the NHL be a safe-space where fans don't care)? Will the public put pressure on the NHL to ban them?

 

We know how powerful the public is. *IF* *IF* *IF* *IF* *IF* *IF* (can't stress that word enough) the public threatened to boycott the NHL unless Russian players were banned, we all know the Russians would be banned overnight, purely in the name of PR, no matter what their contract says. The public wields ultimate power over the NHL and its decisions. It could (THEORETICALLY) change just that quickly. I'm NOT saying that it will and I'm NOT saying that it should.

 

 

 Maybe someone could convince Putin to just pro-rate this war, bring the troops home,  and call it a victory? 

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6 hours ago, Icechipper said:

A 6-foot-6 Right Wing named Kirill available mid-1st round...234 pounds? 

 

Apparently.  :)

 

1 hour ago, Icechipper said:

They don't have enough fuel ⛽ to get troops and armored vehicles home......

 

Whenever I get bored I watch the live feed for a few minutes. 

 

I think the NHL's first "make a statement" moment will come at the 2022 entry draft. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

 

I give it a 25% probability that public outcry forces the NHL to remove Russian players from the upcoming NHL draft.

I give it a 50% probability that Putin bans players from leaving the country, making the above point moot.

I give it a 25% probability that life goes on as normal with no change to the status quo.  

 

 

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9 hours ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

we all know the Russians would be banned overnight

 

We'll see how this plays out...

 

Swiss Ice Hockey Association: 1. The demand to the IIHF Council calls for, among other things, the immediate exclusion of the Russian and Belarusian ice hockey federations as members of the IIHF.

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@WordsOfWisdom

 

I for one don't think that Putin will ban Russian hockey players from playing in the NHL.  There is too much pride at stake. We are talking about a country that is providing performance enhancing drugs to 15 year old figure skaters. Putin clearly wants Russian athletes to display their "legitimate" skills on the international stage.  That said, sports on the international stage are a little different i/m/h/o than say...the NHL. No problem if they are banned from the World Cup, international hockey tournaments, etc. That's more about punishing the country than the player.

 

Russian athletes do have to be very careful. Come out too "positive" and they risk looking pro-Putin and pro-invasion. Too negative and they possibly put their families back home in jeopardy.  As for Hasek, I would think he understands this but don't blame him for his animosity.  He was 3 year old in 1968 when Russian-led forces invaded what was then Czechoslovakia. I imagine he witnessed some not-so-nice things from Russians growing up.

 

Me? Unless an athlete is clearly a pro-Putin, pro-invasion wackadoo, they get a pass. At the end of the day they had nothing to with the invasion of Ukraine.

 

I do find it ironic how we as a country want politics kept out of sports (see: Kapernick, Colin) yet expect a stance from Russian athletes on what is going on.  Not equating the two issues...just the attitude in general.  If Malkin says nothing about the issue that's OK by me.

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