Bettman: NHL is closely monitoring the situation with the admission of Russians, but no decisions have been made yet

NHL takes a wait-and-see approach after the CAS ruling

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league is closely monitoring the situation regarding the admission of Russian teams to international tournaments, but so far sees no need to make any decisions. His remarks were reported by Pittsburgh Tribune Live. 'Russian hockey players in the NHL play for their clubs, not for the Russian national team. The situation in the world changes every day,' Bettman noted.

What has changed in the status of Russian hockey players

The NHL commissioner's statement came against the backdrop of a significant shift in the question of Russian participation in international competitions. On October 30, the Court of Arbitration for Sport fully granted the appeal of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation and overturned the International Ice Hockey Federation's decision to suspend Russia. The IIHF said it would urgently assess the steps and time needed to implement the ruling and address its operational consequences. This was reported by Gazeta.Ru.

Context and uncertainty

The arbitration ruling was not the only change: on July 7, the International Olympic Committee temporarily lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and recommended that all federations remove restrictions on Russian athletes, declaring its earlier recommendations no longer relevant. At the same time, the final timeline and conditions for the return of Russian teams to the international stage remain uncertain: the IIHF has only promised to assess the necessary steps, and Switzerland, according to reports, has said it is in no hurry to evaluate the admission of Russian hockey players. The NHL's position, according to Bettman, for now amounts to monitoring developments.