According to Kremlin, US President Donald Trump and the Russian College of Official College Vladimir Putin discussed a series of hockey games between players from their respective countries during her long call on Tuesday.
In his summary of the call, Moscow said that Trump supported Putin’s idea of organizing games in the USA and Russia with players from the NHL and the KHL, and agreed to stay in touch in all questions asked on the call to discuss war in Ukraine. The report of the White House about the call did not mention talks with hockey, and the NHL learned about the idea after it was over.
“We are currently aware of the conversation between President Trump and President Putin,” said NHL in a statement sent to the Associated Press. “Obviously we were not a party of these discussions, and at that time it would be inappropriately to comment on us.”
A message sent to the USA that was looking for a comment was not returned immediately.
The call is Trump’s most recent excursion to sport after talking to the U.S. team at the 4 nations last month before the final, which ended with a 3-2 loss of overtime against Canada. The US anthem was booed during the international tournament in Montreal after Trump’s repeated comments about Canada “to the 51st state” and tariffs that triggered a trade war between the North American neighbors.
O’clock | McDavid Scores OT winner, Canada defeated us in the final of the 4 nations:
The Canadians celebrate a dramatic overtime victory at the 4 National Face-Off-Hockey tournament in Boston thanks to an overtime destination by Edmonton Oilers Superstar, Connor McDavid.
Putin’s love for hockey as his favorite sport is well known. He visited the preliminary round game in Russia at the Olympic Games in Sochi 2014, which was known to be won in a shootout by American TJ Oshie.
The rivalry of the countries on the ice comes from the 1980s “Miracle on Ice” when an outsider group of US amateurs hit the strongly preferred Soviet Union in the medal round on the way to taking Olympic gold in Lake Placid, New York.
The Russians, who played as Olympic athletes from Russia for previous doping violations, won in 2018 when the NHL did not take part for the first time since 1994.
The NHL continued to allow Russian players in their league. Some of the most talented players in the league come from Russia, including goalkeeper Tampa Bay Andrei Vasilevskiy and wing player Nikita Kucherov and Kirill Kaprizov from Minnesota.
The NHL Players’ Association and the League have plans to hold a hockey world championship in 2028, although it is unclear whether Russians will be part of it.
“Russia has a great hockey tradition. We have great Russian players in our league,” said Commissioner Gary Bettman at the 4 nations in Montreal. “International ice hockey cupifications voted to keep Russia out of competitions, as well as many sports, and we have to see what the international Olympic committee is doing. But we have enough time to deal with the realities of the world situation what the world situation looks like before.”
Marty Walsh, Executive Director of the Union, said members from Russia said that he had spoken of wanting to represent her country on the world stage again.
“I would like to see how our Russian players play at the tournaments again,” said Walsh last month. “They are incredible hockey players. The problems are political. It is not political when it comes to NHL. It is the world policy that we have to go through. I hope that if we approach the Olympic Games, we start closer to the World Cup to see Russian athletes in competition again.”
