Edmonton Oilers hockey players advanced to the Stanley Cup final by defeating the Dallas Stars (4-2) in the Western Conference final series in the National Hockey League (NHL) play-offs.
In this match, they will face the Florida Panthers, who previously defeated the New York Rangers (4-2) in the East final.
Florida Panthers include Russian goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky, defenseman Dmitry Kulikov and forward Vladimir Tarasenko. The Edmonton Oilers have no Russian hockey players on their roster.
Before that, it was known that the NHL had extended the ban on exporting the Stanley Cup to Russia at the end of the season. The league was not initially planning to lift the restriction, according to league assistant commissioner Bill Daley.
The Stanley Cup is awarded to the team that wins the NHL play-offs. The current Stanley Cup champions are the Vegas Golden Knights, who finished the 2024 playoff series in the first round and lost to Dallas in the seven-game series.
In February 2024, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) extended the suspension of the Russian and Belarusian national teams. The organization stated that the IIHF Council will continue to monitor the situation and in May 2025 will consider the reintegration of the Russian and Belarusian national teams for the 2025/26 season.
Previously at Rangers was praised Florida’s Russian goalkeeper.
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Source: Gazeta
Gregory Robert is a sports aficionado and a writer for “Social Bites”. He provides in-depth coverage of the latest sporting events and trends, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the world of sports.