Bateman appreciated Husk’s statements about Russian hockey players

Moscow, February 6 – The commissioner of the National Hockey League (NHL) Gary Pittman said that the recent statements of the Olympic champion in the Czech national team Dominik Hasek regarding the league’s policy towards Russian players are unlikely to reflect the attitude of the Czech people and the country’s authorities.

The NHL had a great weekend in Sunrise, Florida, February 3-4. Nine Russian players took part in it. Hasek criticized the event on his Twitter, calling it “an advertisement for Russian aggression” and saying that the National Hockey League had “sank to rock bottom”. The appearance on the ice of the captain of “Washington” Alexander Ovechkin, along with his eldest son Sergey, who became the winner of the most spectacular shootout competition, called the two-time Stanley Cup winner “an outrageous act” and “spitting” on Ukrainian children.

In February 2022, Hasek called on the NHL to suspend the contracts of Russian players due to the situation in Ukraine. Last December, he revealed that he had prepared letters to the NHL, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). The former Spartak Moscow goalkeeper also demanded that Russian players not be allowed to play in the regular season matches of the National Hockey League between San Jose and Nashville, which were held in Prague in October, and offered to put the Czechs in prison for 15 years for 15 years. Work in Russia.

The Council of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) at the end of February 2022 suspended the national teams of Russia and Belarus from international competitions for an indefinite period due to the situation in Ukraine. Russian players play in the NHL, which is independent of the IIHF, without restrictions.

The Executive Committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on January 25 called for the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions in a neutral position, while proposing that athletes who actively supported the special operation not be allowed into Ukraine. Representatives of the Czech Olympic Committee stated that they are not considering the option of boycotting the 2024 Olympic Games if Russian and Belarusian athletes are accepted.