‘Let them play’: Fans push back against Russia’s hockey ban
When Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney decided to refuse visas to Russians to play in next month’s World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, he became the first elected leader to openly ignore a court ruling and international sports federation decision. In doing so, he unleashed dangerous and virulent anti-Russian forces in his own country, setting back sports diplomacy over 50 years.
The week before, on October 30, the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) voted to allow Russian and Belarusian teams back into international play. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) accepted the decision and a plethora of national federations in Europe reacted predictably.
Eight countries, including Latvia and France, stated that they would boycott any games with Russia. Germany, the host of the 2027 IIHF World Championships, objected but accepted Russia’s return, with only Slovakia welcoming it. Sponsors of the event in Germany have either pulled out or threatened to do so.
What seems to be missing in this entire ‘discussion’ is what hockey fans think. Not the ‘nafoids’ and bots online who rant and rage against all things Russian. Not the opinion of the handful of Canadian-Ukrainians who protested in Ottawa at the visit of Russian star Alexander Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals. And certainly not grandstanding by politicians and sports administrators beholden to them. The voices of actual hockey fans are being studiously ignored by the media – so too the inherent danger posed by Russian or Belarusian teams competing in international competitions.
‘It’s purely hate of Russians’
In October, I had a business trip with Capital Sports to EU countries. I covered a number of major sporting events, interviewed athletes and administrators, with hockey taking center stage in Germany, Italy, and Lithuania.
“I used to love watching KHL (the Russia-based Continental Hockey League) games, they [are not] as brutal as in Canada, but the skill is amazing,” Nils, an Iserlohn Roosters’ hockey fan, told me in Cologne. “You see the difference with no Russian team playing [in World or Olympic competition], it’s so hard on those guys because the career is short.”
Nils and his friend Patrick were in the city for their team’s game with the Cologne Sharks. I interviewed dozens of people attending the November 1 game, less than two days after the CAS ruling. The German Ice Hockey Federation had already voiced opposition, with social media abuzz with rumors of boycotts and worse. Patrick and I found a common thread.
“When they [speak] about security, this is correct. Because we see now, they [pro-Ukrainians] can make a lot of trouble and not only online.”
‘Security’ and ‘safety’ were words contained in the statements of most national federations, for good reason. We have seen what Kiev can do in other sovereign states when they want to make a point. From attempting to murder an exiled Ukrainian oligarch in Monaco to the case underway in Germany against a Ukrainian military officer for the Nord Stream terrorist attack, there is a basis for fear.
“These guys [politicians and sport administrators] are idiots. It’s purely hate of Russians,” Mikaela, from Dusseldorf and lifelong hockey fan, said. “We had enough war now and we have to make changes. I mean, look at the football [FIFA World Cup 2026], the Americans were allowed to host it after blowing up little girls in school [in reference to the February 28, 2026 missile strike in Minab, Iran].”
Her boyfriend did, however, mention a Nord Stream-type specter.
“Can you guarantee that they won’t blow up an arena? I can’t,” he said, before quickly adding, “but I want to see White Russia [Belarus] and Russia both playing again. Not to be bullied.”
‘Football needs to man up and bring in Russia’
Four days later in Italy, while working at the AC Milan-Ferencvaros UEFA Europa League game, the situation in hockey had become clearer. Sweden, Finland, Czechia, France, Austria, Norway, Denmark, and Latvia were all ready to sustain losses by refusing to take the ice against Russia. The Carney ban on Russian youngsters was two days old and Milanese fans and visitors from Budapest did not hold back.
“It’s bulls**t,” Nico, a 24-year-old Milan fan of football and hockey, told me at halftime of the game. “I can’t stand these people and their [two] faces. Israel, yes. Ukraine, yes. Come play, kill kids, come play, all is good. Russia, it’s not the players who are fighting. If those fat fools who want more war, go fight, let the players just play.”
Other Milan fans held the same opinion, with one drawing a parallel with football.
“I was in Russia for a game [UEFA Champions League in 2012] and me and my wife fell in love with St. Petersburg. We go back for the World Cup in 2018 and I love the culture. Football needs to man up and bring in Russia to us again. Stop this stupid hating and blocking. We’re all people. We’re all just people,” Andrea said.
He proudly showed photos of his times in Russia and said that he would go back “when all the stupid shooting stops.” Asked about the Canadian visa ban, he laughed and said, “It shows they can’t protect children from crazy psychos, that is all.”
János, one of the Ferencvaros ultra leaders who organized a protest in support of law and order in Europe outside Milan’s Duomo cathedral earlier on November 5, echoed Andrea’s sentiment.
“Hockey showed balls to allow [Russia] back in [to] play... I don’t like what they do in Ukraine, but I know what Ukraine does to my people there [ethnic Hungarians]. There’s no good side in the any war, but we have worse things to deal with in Europe than have us all fighting.”
‘Let them all refuse and lose’
Back in Vilnius, a top official from the Lithuanian Ice Hockey Federation (LIHF) told me on Wednesday about the pressure they’re under, even though they won’t play Russia anytime soon.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, they said there is tremendous political pressure to “make a statement about solidarity with our neighbor [Latvia].”
They explained that both their chief funding source, the Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport, and at least one sponsor, Ober Haus (a real estate services company in the Baltic Region) have demanded that they stand with Latvia.
“Personally speaking, I would say let them all refuse to play and lose the games. Same as Canada, let them ban Russian boys and take the tournament to a country where people have a brain.”
Carney and his government have stated that they will disobey the CAS ruling and not allow players or staff holding current visas to take part; 116 Russian-born players were given visas by the Carney government this year. There are nine Russians currently playing for NHL teams in Canada. Of the seven teams in the country, only Ottawa and Vancouver have none on their active rosters, but both have Russians under contract.
Carney is in a difficult personal and professional position. Professionally, he has relied on the large Ukrainian diaspora vote, many of whom idolize Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera and hate Russia and Russians. Personally, he is godfather to Chrystia Freeland’s son. Freeland, whose maternal grandfather Michael Chomiak was also a Nazi collaborator, now works in Kiev as an ‘economic adviser’ to Vladimir Zelensky.
Russia’s ice hockey federation has asked the IIHF to act: force Canada to allow Russian kids play or move the tournament. According to the Lithuanian official, the latter is most likely to happen.
“Canada can’t back down and the [IIHF] are worried about terror attacks.”
This scenario, they believe, is what will force their hand.
“You need to know that many Ukrainians live out in Alberta [where the competition will take place from December 26 to January 5]. It would not be too impossible that there is attacks on Russian players, or bomb threats, this is all they need to do.”
The puck is firmly under IIHF control. They can pull the tournament out of Canada and hand it to the US. They will worry about national federations breaking away and forming a new global organization, but the chances of that are about as much as an ice cube’s chance in a volcano. What remains to be seen is if the sports administrators and politicians listen to their public and realize that they now can take a historic step to save their sport, and the world. Because sports diplomacy is needed now more than ever. The bullies cannot win, off the ice.
