I'm not sure why the Russian Hockey Federation (FHR) ever thought the answer to this would be yes, but the organization reportedly asked the NHL for an exemption for NHLers from that country to participate at the Winter Olympics in February. The NHL decided in December that its players would not be attending, mostly due to the number of games that have had to be postponed due to COVID-19 and the scheduling issues that followed.
"No hockey player with a valid NHL contract will participate in the upcoming Olympics," said NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly in response.
"No exceptions are planned for specific groups of players," Daly added.
This should have been obvious, as an exemption for Russian players would have led to every other country seeking the same thing. That said, reports state the FHR went for it anyway.
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The rumour was started by MatchTV in Russia, which stated that the IIHF and FHR had reached an agreement to allow any players on the initial long list from the NHL to participate with the blessing of the NHL. IIHF President Luc Tardif has since stated that no such agreement was in place.
"There is no agreement between the IIHF and FHR on the participation of players from the NHL in the Olympics," said Tardif.
"IIHF simply cannot give such permission. Only the NHL or its clubs can make that decision," he added.
Source:
Sports.ruADS
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