NHL Suspends Deals with Russian KHL Due to Ukrainian Invasion

The National Hockey League (NHL) continued to distance itself from all things Russian hockey on Monday by announcing a suspension of ties with the Russian-based Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

In a memo to all of its member franchises, the NHL instructed teams to cease contact and communication with their associates in the KHL and any Russian-based player representatives.

CSKA Moscow’s Kirill Kaprizov skates by the Gagarin Cup trophy displayed at the arena during game 2 of the Gagarin Cup 2019 final series. (ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images)

Last week, the league announced that it would at least temporarily divorce itself from its business dealings with leagues, businesses, and contractors associated with Russia due to Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

“The National Hockey League condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and urges a peaceful resolution as quickly as possible,” the league said in a statement. “Effective immediately, we are suspending our relationships with our business partners in Russia and we are pausing our Russian language social and digital media sites. In addition, we are discontinuing any consideration of Russia as a location for any future competitions involving the NHL.

“We also remain concerned about the well-being of the players from Russia, who play in the NHL on behalf of their NHL Clubs, and not on behalf of Russia. We understand they and their families are being placed in an extremely difficult position.”

(ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images)

The league has received demands, most notably from legendary goalie Dominik Hasek, to terminate the contracts of the nearly 40 Russian hockey players currently playing in the NHL. Though, at least so afar, the league has resisted going that far.

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