NHL makes decision on Russia after new All-Star – Sports News
The NHL has determined that Russian athletes might be eligible for the worldwide All-Star Game (Image: Getty)
Russian hockey stars might be allowed to compete within the revamped NHL All-Star Game in 2027, regardless of the ban in place limiting the national workforce from competing in worldwide occasions.
The NHL introduced that an worldwide five-team match will happen during All-Star Weekend, that includes groups representing Canada, Finland, Sweden, the United States, and a ‘World’ workforce. The information was shared previous to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The Vegas Golden Knights beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4, with Russian star Ivan Barbashev scoring one of the targets. Pavel Dorofeyev can also be one of Vegas’ high abilities, and each might function within the new All-Star occasion scheduled for Feb. 5-6 at UBS Arena.
The 2027 midseason traditional will happen in Elmont, New York, after the Winter Olympics disrupted the occasion this 12 months. Following the success of the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025, the NHL is sticking with an worldwide theme, however this time will permit stars from different nations to characterize the World Team.
“We’re extremely excited to bring this event to New York,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman stated on Tuesday earlier than Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. “We think the format we’ve created will be fun.
Bettman and Bill Daly announced the revamped event for 2027 (Image: Getty)
“It’ll be entertaining. It’ll be great for the gamers and the followers. We know there have been some suits and begins on this, however we predict collectively we figured this out.”
Deputy commissioner Bill Daly then confirmed that Russian players will be eligible for the World Team, despite still being banned from participating in international events. Russia has been a hockey heavyweight for decades, but was banned by the International Ice Hockey Federation in 2022.
The revamped All-Star event will feature each team competing in a 3-on-3, round-robin exhibition tournament, with nine skaters and two goaltenders per roster. Each team will play four 5-minute games, and the eventual champion will earn $2 million in prize money.
The NHL 4 Nations Face-Off was a huge success in 2025 (Image: Getty)
Fans will be able to vote for eight players from a 30-player pool selected by the NHL and the NHLPA to represent each team. The league and the players’ association will then select the final three players to complete each roster.
“Four Nations was a form of a prelude into the Olympics,” said Marty Walsh, NHLPA executive director. “This All-Star Weekend might be a prelude to the World Cup of Hockey within the following 12 months.”
The World Cup takes place in 2028, but conversations are still ongoing over Russia’s potential participation. The IIHF is reviewing Russia’s participation on an event-by-event basis throughout the 2026-27 season, including the All-Star event.
The international ban has also restricted Russia from competing at the World Championships and the World Juniors, as well as from participating in the Olympics. The ban stems from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Russia hasn’t played international hockey since the 2022 Winter Olympics (Image: Getty)
The IIHF has no governance over the World Cup, but Bettman insisted that the NHL would listen to the international ice hockey community. “I do not assume there’s full readability on what they’ve executed and what it means, in order that’s why we’ll have to attend and see additional,” Bettman said.
However, it’s been reported that some nations, including Czechia, Finland, and Sweden, could boycott an NHL international event if Russia were permitted to play. Daly said he spoke with the IIHF about the report, but the federation doesn’t anticipate any issues.
“We’re getting a little too far forward of ourselves as a result of they have not made any determinations with respect as to if the Russians are going to take part in any of the worldwide tournaments scheduled for 2026-27,” Daly said.
“We’re going to monitor it and it will be related to our course of in figuring out the World Cup of Hockey. But clearly within the decision that got here down, I feel might be useful long run if what you are searching for is potential Russian participation.”
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