There are two locations listed in the bio of Andrei Svechnikov. The Carolina Hurricanes star has played in Raleigh for the past four seasons. Kazan is the Russian city where his family lived after stops in Moscow and Siberia.
Over the past two weeks, Svechnikov has been used as a synonym for Russian after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his army to invade Ukraine. The NHL condemns Russia's invasion of Ukraine and urges a peaceful resolution as quickly as possible.
It also expressed concern for the well-being of players, like Svechnikov, who play in the NHL on behalf of their NHL clubs, and not on behalf of Russia, acknowledging the players and their families are being placed in an extremely difficult situation.
Since the war began, that has meant online harassment for some Russian players. The teams of the NHL have beefed up their own security to protect their players after the NHL offered security resources.
Jordan Martinook explained on Tuesday that their teammates are looking out for them.
It is not something that Svech can control. It is out of his hands. You want to support him. You have seen it with other players. He has 23 brothers who will stand up for him if anyone tries to make him feel bad.
Dan thinks the treatment of Russian players is discrimination. He is not wrong in some ways.
The person is Ukrainian. They are Ukrainian. He was a political refugee who escaped the Soviet Union on the last day of its existence. He has been watching as Russia invaded Ukraine. He said his heart has been broken many times. He hears bombs explode in the background when he talks with his friends.
I'm sick. He said that the building he lived in for 16 years was under attack. If I don't defend Russians, who will?
The number of Russian players represented by Gold Star Sports Management is large. Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy are two of the most popular players in the NHL, along with Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders. Nikita Zadorov is represented by Milstein, who posted a graphic with "no war" written on it. A torrent of derogatory messages were directed at the defenseman.
Most of the Russian people I know want world peace. The agent said that they are being discriminated against because they are Russian. Their lives are in danger.
It has been amazing to see how quickly the hockey world reacted to Russia&s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia and Belarus have been banned from participating in any IIHF events. The world junior tournament was to have been held in December and January of 2022, with Russian cities Novosibirsk and Omsk as the hosts. The arena was being built for the event.
IIHF president Luc Tardif said that the organization is not a political entity and cannot influence the decisions being taken over the war in Ukraine.
The predecessor to Tardif was Rene Fasel, who was known for his friendly relationship with Russian hockey. The actions of the IIHF were a sad moment for the organization.
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union played with the United States and Canada. He said that sport must carry the message of peace and unity even in a tense situation.
This is usually the kind of naivete you would expect from the International Olympic Committee, but it's not the case when it comes to Russian aggression in Ukraine. The IOC executive board recommended that the governing sports bodies of each nation not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competition.
The NHL, meanwhile, has discontinued any consideration of Russia as a location for any future competitions, while also pausing its business relationships with a Russian sports wagering company and one of Europe's largest internet companies that streams the league's games.
There is more trouble in media and sponsorship. Because the IIHF has suspended Russian and Belarusian teams, it will be removing those teams from the NHL.
Russian players will not be used in global marketing for the time being. One of the funniest NHL ads ever, featuring Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom eating cereals and discussing their on-ice partnership, has been pulled from U.S. television.
The Russian invasion has damaged the reputation of no player more than Ovicheskin. It seemed like the conversion was from the pursuit of a record to his support of Putin.
Over the years, Ovicheskin has been an ardent supporter of Putin. He started a social media movement called Putin Team in order to support Putin, and he has recruited other players to the cause.
He supported Russian military action in the past. In the year of Russia's annexation of the peninsula from the Ukranian, the author posted a photo to the social media site with a sign that said "Save Children FromFascists". We won't allow it in our time.
It says a lot about the reaction to his association with Putin when he is the most popular hockey player in the world. During his news conference on Russia's invasion, he didn't help himself. He got some attention for his plea for peace. He did not mention Ukraine. Didn't mention Ukrainians. Didn't condemn Russia's attack on that nation.
With sponsors running away from him, Ovicheskin still has a photo of himself with Putin on his social media accounts. Some people think that Oviechkin is afraid for his friends and family in Russia. He is thought to be a Putin fan and supports military action.
Critics have seized on this moment. The New York Post and the Toronto Star both called for his merchandise to be pulled from NHL retail stores and for him to be suspended by the league. Journalists outside the hockey bubble have criticized him and fans as well.
It will be interesting to see the reaction when the Washington Caps hit the road next week for a series of games in Canada.
What about the other Russian players who weren't fronting the Putin Team?
If you are a hockey fan and harassing a player for being Russian, please stop. You don't know what their personal considerations are in speaking or not speaking, which could range from the safety of family to their future in international hockey to potentially breaking Russian law. Russian parliament is considering a new law that could mean up to 15 years in prison for spreading fake news about the war, according to Rick Westhead of TSN.
When the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003 they did not owe you an explanation or condemnation.
Remember when the Montreal Habs fans booed The Star-Spangled Banner in protest of the war? As one member of the New York Islanders, their opponents that night, put it: "I'm sure there are a lot of people against the war, but some things people can't control."
The player was born in Russia.
These current Russian players are not deserving of being threatened for their actions. Martinook said that Svechnikov was out of his control. When you try to bring politics into hockey, it's hard for guys to have a stance when it's out of their control.
Russian players are getting caught up in the backlash. There are rumors that the Canadian Hockey League and the United States Hockey League might not pick Russian and Belarusian athletes in their import drafts later this year.
This is not the national team. You are discriminating against these children. He said that you are denying the opportunity.
If they were banned from the draft, these players would sign three-year, entry-level contracts in Russia or Belarus.
The Russians don't want the kids to play in North America at such a young age. You are helping them.
The general managers from the USHL and CHL have reached out to him regarding the future of Russian and Belarusian players. He said they indicated that it was unfair for public pressure to prevent them from selecting certain players in their drafts, but that they should speak up about it, because it would get them put up for public execution.
We pride ourselves in the fact that we have the best league and the best players in North America. You are discriminating just because they are born in Russia.
He thinks this will extend to the NHL draft. 20 players are projected to be taken by Gold Star this summer.
The guys that are supposed to go in the middle rounds are worried. I can not guarantee that they will not.
The players who are not drafted will continue their junior careers.
When Russians are back in fashion, the same teams will be chasing those guys as free agents, and promising the golden skies to play with their North American clubs.
You can feel a sense of temporariness when you peel back the layers of this backlash.
The men's world championship was not canceled by the IIHF. There is too much money in an event held in a 23,000-seat arena to cancel it completely.
The moment the IIHF lifts its ban is the moment that EA Sports puts Russia and Belarus back in its games.
The NHL has a Russian media site and has pulled its games from there. Fans can still watch games if they use a proxy.
At this point, CCM Hockey isn't using Ovechkin.
There is a sense of immediate and proactive distance from Russian athletes because of the global reaction to the war. It is not known how long these sanctions will last or when they will be quietly lifted. We have seen movements like this before from brands and sponsors. We don't have to go back but we have to remember the Black Lives Matter protests for two years. The dedication to racial justice and equality that brands and sponsors have shown in the last few years is not as high as it was then.
How long this war will last is not clear. Nobody knows how far it will spread. No one knows what life will be like for Russian players next season, both in public perception and ability to play.
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