Guberniev: the most important thing in the World Cup is Canada and Russia, all my life it has been and is so

Commentator Dmitry Guberniev commented on an article by the Canadian edition of the Toronto Star, which states that the organizers of the World Cup should not invite the Russian team to the tournament.

“These Canadian journalists are lying, the most important thing in the World Cup is Canada and Russia. It’s been that way all my life and that’s how it is. All this talk about the fact that Russia’s non-participation in the World Cup will not affect the entertainment is a lie.

Look, Sasha Ovechkin is still a top NHL star, Shesterkin is a goaltender with a Vezina in his pocket, Sergachev is a defensive savvy, Panarin is a New York City star. What can we talk about in general, when all these players are ours. We have dozens of first-class, top players who enjoy the entire hockey world. Well, what is the World Cup without Russian players?

But in hockey it’s just not possible. The World Cup without Russia is an incomplete tournament. This is a common lie spread by Canadian journalists, ”Sport24 translates Guberniev’s words.

Recall, on November 11, the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) published statements regarding the postponement of the Ice Hockey World Cup. In February 2025, the postponement of the tournament was announced.