Czech government tells NHL that Russian players unwanted in Prague

Russian players won't be welcome in the Czech capital when the NHL teams play there next month.

The Foreign Ministry of the Czech Republic told the NHL about the invasion of Ukraine. The ministry wouldn't say if the NHL responded.

Nashville and San Jose will play two games in the Czech Republic. The travel rosters for Nashville and San Jose have not been finalized. Knyzhov will not be able to play for theSharks due to an injury.

"We can confirm that the Czech Foreign Ministry sent a letter to the NHL to point out that at this moment, the Czech Republic or any other state in the Schengen zone should not issue visas to the Russian players to enter our territory."

The ministry told the league that there were ongoing negotiations about banning entry for Russians who already had valid visas. EU sports ministers recommended a ban on Russian athletes in EU countries.

The Czech Republic stopped issuing visas to Russians after the invasion of Ukraine. Humanitarian cases and people who have been imprisoned in Russia are exceptions.

The NHL is returning to Europe for the first time since the start of the coronaviruses epidemic.

The Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets will play four games in Europe in November. The position of the Finns on Russian players was not immediately clear.

Since the games were announced in April, Hasek has led the opposition to the Russians. The upper house of Parliament, the Senate, the government and the Foreign Ministry were contacted by Hasek.

Hasek said in an interview that it was important for the support of the Ukrainian ally. He published it in the Czech media.

Hasek did not want any promotion of the Russian aggression here. We are guarding our lives and our allies.