Tretiak says Russia will seek compensation if barred from world juniors in Alberta

Detailed summary

Russian hockey federation president Vladislav Tretiak says Russia will seek compensation from Canada if its team is barred from next month’s world junior championship in Alberta.

MOSCOW - Russian hockey federation president Vladislav Tretiak is threatening to seek compensation from Canada and push for the relocation or cancellation of next month’s world junior championship in Alberta if Russia is barred from competing.

The warning comes after Ottawa confirmed Wednesday that Russian players would not be permitted to compete, even if they already hold valid Canadian visas, despite last month’s Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling ordering Russia’s reinstatement to international hockey.

Russia’s state news agency TASS reported Thursday that Tretiak told a presidential sports council meeting Russia would also seek compensation from Germany, host of the 2027 men’s world championship, if denied participation.

“There are rules: if a team does not take the ice, it receives a forfeit loss and sanctions are imposed,” Tretiak told TASS in comments translated from Russian.

“The IIHF has a way out — either allow us to participate or, if we cannot enter Canada, move the championship, not hold it at all or impose sanctions on Canada.”

Tretiak, a legendary Soviet goaltender and three-time Olympic gold medallist, also told TASS the Russian federation had asked the International Ice Hockey Federation’s ethics council to investigate and punish national federations organizing boycotts of games against Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told the same sports council meeting that national federations were refusing matches against Russian teams under pressure from their governments, according to TASS, which did not identify the countries involved.

Several hockey federations, including Finland, Sweden, Czechia and Norway, have said their teams will refuse to face Russia.

The dispute follows an Oct. 30 ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport ordering the IIHF to allow Russian teams to participate in five international tournaments, beginning with the world juniors in Edmonton and Red Deer on Dec. 26.

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