Russians in Prague are not a danger. Critic Hašek is furious: The NHL will also bear the consequences
Much ado about nothing. That’s probably how the anabasis of the Russian hockey players, who are preparing for the NHL double-header in Prague, can be summed up. Initially, it looked like they would not be allowed into the Czech Republic. In the end, however, it turned out that there was nothing stopping them from traveling to Prague. They have visas. The bubble burst.
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Tomáš Hertl will bring his Sharks with Russian performers to Prague
| Photo: CTK
The war started by Russia has been raging in Ukraine for half a year. Most sports federations have banned Russians from their events to prevent athletes from promoting President Vladimir Putin’s dictatorial regime.
But the NHL did not intervene. Hockey is the showcase of Russian sport. Although the management of the most famous hockey league on the planet condemned the invasion of Ukraine, it did not limit the participation of Russian players in the overseas competition. So there is no reason why Russian hockey players cannot play for San Jose and Nashville for the NHL games in Prague, which are played at the O2 Arena on October 7 and 8.
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Although there is one catch here. Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský claimed that Russians should not enter the Czech Republic without new Schengen visas. “It is true that Russian players should not be granted visas on the territory of the Schengen area,” he said. However, if they have a valid visa, they should be admitted.
End of doubts
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent an official letter to the NHL, in which it pointed out that neither the Czechia nor any other state of the Schengen area should have issued visas for Russian players to enter the territory. A strong response came from overseas. “Either we all go or nobody. It’s not the players fault. I don’t think they should be punished for that,” San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier sent a message to the Czech Republic.
The situation escalated. The Global Series is a spectacular event and it would be a global shame if it were to be cancelled. What’s next? Will the Czechs rather take a step back? All doubts were dispelled only a week before the event by Tomáš Pojar, advisor to Prime Minister Petr Fiala for security.
“This is a private event, they have visas, so from the state’s point of view there is no reason not to let them in. National security is definitely not threatened by their presence,” Pojar told Seznam Zprávám. “And I’m not even mentioning that, in addition to Schengen visas, they have long-term American work visas and live in the USA.”
And you don’t mind Putin’s war? The NHL in Prague has a problem, the dispute over the Russians is escalating
The legendary Dominik Hašek, a great critic of the NHL because of its attitude towards the Russians, sees it differently. “It’s the NHL’s decision to disrespect us. They will also have to bear the consequences,” he responded on Twitter. “It increases Russian confidence and determination, which is aimed at aggression. This increases the danger to us and allies and leads to higher loss of life.’