For the first time in five years, only one finalist team in the Stanley Cup play-offs includes Russian hockey players sports.
Florida Panthers, who will face the Edmonton Oilers in the decisive series of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, consists of Russian goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, defenseman Dmitry Kulikov and forward Vladimir Tarasenko.
The first match of the final series will be played on June 9 at 15:00 (Moscow time).
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.
It was previously reported that three Russian hockey players were killed. will play In the Stanley Cup finals.
What are you thinking?
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.