Milan, Italy – The absence of Russian players from the upcoming Olympic hockey tournament in Milan is drawing criticism from players and analysts, despite widespread understanding of the reasons behind the ban. The Russian team, along with Belarus, remains excluded from international competition by the International Olympic Committee and the International Ice Hockey Federation following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
T.J. Oshie, captain of the Washington Capitals, expressed his disappointment that his teammate Alexander Ovechkin will not be able to represent Russia at the Games. “I’m sad that O can’t represent his country,” Oshie said, as reported by both RDS.ca and La Presse. “He has two young boys who haven’t been able to see him at the Olympics. As a friend, I find it very regrettable that they won’t be able to experience that.”
Ovechkin, 38, recently broke Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goal-scoring record and remains a dominant force in the league. His absence, along with other top Russian players, is being felt throughout the hockey world. Bruce Berglund, author of “The Moscow Playbook: How Russia Used, Abused, and Transformed Sports in the Hunt for Power,” noted that Russian media outlets are already dismissing the tournament’s legitimacy without their participation. “When I read the Russian sports press, the commentators say: ‘This tournament isn’t high-level, because the Russian team, the best team in the world, isn’t even participating,’” Berglund told the Associated Press.
Despite the geopolitical context, the talent pool excluded from the Olympic tournament is significant. Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, both Stanley Cup-winning goaltenders, are among those ineligible. Igor Shesterkin and Ilya Sorokin, likewise considered elite goaltenders playing for the New York Rangers, would likely have been contenders. The NHL’s three-goalie limit per team would have prevented all from participating even if the ban hadn’t been in place.
Other notable Russian NHL players absent from the competition include Nikita Kucherov, currently third in NHL scoring with 91 points, and Kirill Kaprizov, tied for third in goals with 32. Artemi Panarin and Ivan Demidov, of the Montreal Canadiens, were also identified as potential key players.
The decision to exclude Russia is not without its detractors. Jack O’Callahan, a member of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” U.S. Olympic team, voiced his disagreement with the IOC’s decision, calling it a lack of vision. “I am extremely disappointed that Russia is not participating in the Olympics, both in hockey and other sports,” O’Callahan said.
Swedish players also expressed discomfort with the situation. Jesper Bratt acknowledged the loss of high-caliber players, while Mika Zibanejad paused when asked about the issue, stating it was a “conversation to have in another context.”
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has previously stated that Russian players are in an “impossible situation” but that the league has no say in which countries are permitted to participate in international tournaments governed by the IIHF. As the war in Ukraine continues, Berglund believes Russia’s participation would be difficult to justify, citing the potential for political exploitation by the Putin regime, which he says views sports as a tool for political gain.