The Russian team will not take part in international tournaments next season. The International Ice Hockey Federation has decided to extend the suspension of the national teams of Russia and Belarus, citing the inability to ensure security as the reason.
At the same time, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation remains optimistic. “In my understanding, this does not mean anything, because the situation may change tomorrow under the influence of foreign policy factors. God grant that everything changes quickly, and we will return the next day. We are ready to play,” said Roman Rotenberg, vice president of the organization.
The FHR itself issued an official statement on its website: “The removal of the Russian team from participation in the world championships and other competitions for the far-fetched reason of “safety of participants” is a decision that is neither constructive nor beneficial for world hockey. The FHR will continue to make every possible effort to return the national teams to international competitions.”
In this situation, it is unclear what the KHL should do. The league ends the season on April 30 so that the players have the opportunity to prepare for the World Cup, but in modern realities this makes no sense. Yes, there are single legionnaires who can play in an international tournament, but the calendar is not changed for the sake of several players.
KHL President Alexei Morozov warned of the risks: “Firstly, we have legal contracts until April 30th. It is necessary to rewrite all contracts. Secondly, we have foreign players. If, according to the rules of the IIHF, we do not release the player a week before the World Cup, this will be a big precedent and conflict.” But is it worth fearing these conflicts, given that the Czechs, Finns and Swedes playing in the KHL for the most part are not called up to the national teams anyway?
In the current situation, the FHR and the KHL should think about developing interest in Russian club hockey. It will be possible to live in the interests of the national team again only if Russia is allowed to participate in international tournaments. Leaving your fans without hockey in early May is unforgivable.
By the way, the head coach of the Nizhny Novgorod “Torpedo” Igor Larionov spoke about this. “It hurts me so bad that we play the playoffs when it snows. The playoffs should start in April – when spring begins. When you feel the spirit of the playoffs, when you feel that the snow has gone. When people come to hockey, getting something extraordinary. When you can put up big screens in Nizhny Novgorod so people can watch, like in Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg. When a large group of people gather who did not get into the arena and just enjoy the holiday of the game. It is a pity that we have six teams dropped out at once, at the end of February, eight teams are dropping out now, at a time when hockey should continue. This is very disturbing, ”said the two-time Olympic champion, three-time Stanley Cup winner.
Since this season, teams have played 68 games in the KHL in the regular season alone. The deadlines are compressed – an unprecedented number of matches were played in six months with a break for the First Channel Cup. If you extend the season until the end of May, you can unload the regular season calendar or even increase the number of games to 72. The increased interest in hockey makes it possible to do this.
The author is the deputy head of the Sport-Express hockey department, the best journalist of the KHL season 2018/19
The position of the editors may not coincide with the opinion of the author
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