Russia may soon get back to international ice hockey competitions. IIHF president, Lucan Tardif gave a hint to this effect. Donald Trump is expected to return to the White House later this January and has made it known that he wants to work to put an end to Russia’s conflict in Ukraine. If that happens, the trickle-down effect may include a raising of Russia’s ban on world sports that’s been in place since the country invaded its neighbor in February 2022 could be lifted.
“We have to let the door open as soon as possible”, Tardif, the president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, said Sunday. Russia has been ruled out of the 2025 World Junior Hockey Championship along with other men’s, women’s, and par sports competitions. The 2025 competition ended on Sunday in Ottawa. Tardif said a determination on the venue for next year’s Earth students may be made in February.
Russian U18 team finds residence in Calgary for training camp. He added the IIHF may also click the International Olympic Committee on an answer for the 2026 Games in Milan and Cortina, Italy, that did discover NHL players return after a 12-year absence.
At the IIHF’s final press conference in Ottawa, Tardif said,” The arranging committees must hear who’s playing.” The teams also need to know exactly what their plan may be, according to Tartif, who claimed that having Russia and Belarus, both of which were outlawed for their support of the war, would be great for hockey and the rest of the world. ” We want them back as soon as possible”, he said. It does mean that the conflict will end.
With the impending Four Countries Face-Off and a drive to maintain a World Cup every two years starting in 2028, the NHL’s programs for an international routine that goes outside the IIHF circle are at an even higher level. Tardif said the NHL has floated the idea of a World Cup in Europe, but added that would be hard with the people’s world championships, which are held each spring. T
He also pointed out the IIHF doesn’t hold its men’s worlds in North America because it would conflict with the NHL playoffs”. We want the same respect,” Tardif said”. The will to arrange a contest together, we will do it in the Olympic Games, is still there. But what we want is a relationship — equality in the relationship. We made a suggestion at the end of December, but we’re then starting the conversation, and I’m hoping we’ll have the same level of success as the Olympic Games.
