Tretiak Urges NHL Stars to Speak Up on World Cup 2028
The Russian federation chief says players like Ovechkin, Malkin and Kaprizov should publicly demand a spot at the 2028 World Cup to boost Russia's return.
Vladislav Tretiak has urged Russia's leading NHL players to say publicly that they want to play at the 2028 World Cup,
The Russian Ice Hockey Federation president was asked how realistic he considers Russia's participation in the tournament, which under the current format is run by the NHL rather than the IIHF.
"I have read in the press that the Americans and Canadians, even the Swedes, would in principle like to see our return. There are the Finns, the Czechs, the Latvians and other countries who are against it. But the good sign is that the leading hockey powers want to see us there, because they want to play the strongest teams. I think the NHL is interested in our participation too. We have very strong players: Ovechkin, Malkin, our goalkeepers, Kaprizov — the list could go on for a long time. But I think a lot also depends on the players themselves. They too need to say their word: 'We want to take part. We want to play. We have earned the right to play.' So far they have not spoken up about this very often. And I think that if they hear me today, they should say this too. The federation is one thing. But if the voice of our leading players is also heard, saying they want to play in this tournament, want to play for the national team, that will be a big plus for us," Tretiak said.
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