NHL Suspends Business Activities In Russia, Expresses Concern For “Extremely Difficult Situation” Faced By League’s Russian Players

The National Hockey League has suspended its business activities in Russia, including social and digital media operations, and has ruled out future competitions in the country after its invasion of Ukraine.

The military offensive, which began last week, is continuing to cause a widespread backlash against Russia across the business world. Sports is an area where Russia also is facing immediate consequences. FIFA has said Russia won’t be allowed to take part in this year’s World Cup, and the International Olympic Committee called for a far-reaching boycott of Russia and Belarus over what it called “a breach of the Olympic Truce.”

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In a statement, the NHL expressed concern for its Russian players, who are competing for teams based in the U.S. and Canada as an increasingly fraught situation plays out in Ukraine and Russia:

“The National Hockey League condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and urges a peaceful resolution as quickly as possible,” the statement said. “Effective immediately, we are suspending our relationships with our business partners in Russia and we are pausing our Russian language social and digital media sites. In addition, we are discontinuing any consideration of Russia as a location for any future competitions involving the NHL.

“We also remain concerned about the well-being of the players from Russia, who play in the NHL on behalf of their NHL clubs, and not on behalf of Russia. We understand they and their families are being placed in an extremely difficult position.”

Hall of Fame goalie Dominik Hasek, who is Czech, called for the NHL to “immediately suspend the contracts of all Russian-born players.” He also ripped Washington Capitals standout Alex Ovechkin, who previously has expressed support for Russian President Vladimir Putin, tweeting a number of pejoratives over the weekend.

Asked in recent days for his assessment of Putin in light of the invasion, the Moscow-born Ovechkin told reporters, “He’s my president, but … I’m not in politics.” He added, “I’m an athlete and how I said, I hope everything is going to be done soon. It’s a hard situation right now for both sides. … I’m not in control of the situation.”

‘The Russian Five’: Docu On First Russians To Play Together In NHL

More so than any other major pro sport in North America, Russia plays a significant role in shaping the NHL. The roots of that go back to the many matchups between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, none bigger than the Americans’ 1980 upset win en route to an Olympic gold medal. During the late ’80s, a few years before the fall of the Soviet Union, a wave of talented Russian players started lacing up their skates for the NHL. In the 1990s, the Detroit Red Wings’ “Russian Five” group of players propelled the team to back-to-back Stanley Cup victories.