On Monday afternoon, the National Hockey League released a statement regarding the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The NHL has announced that, effective immediately, all relationships with their Russian partners will be suspended. In addition, the League will be discontinuing their Russian language digital and social media platforms and Russia will no longer be hosting any competitions involving the NHL.
A little over 5 percent of NHL players are Russian and as a league with players of many different nationalities, it's important to acknowledge that not every player who comes out of Russia agrees with the actions taken by Russian President, Vladimir Putin.
On Monday morning, player agent Dan Milstein revealed something alarming with regard to Russian players playing in North America. Apparently some of them have received very real threats. In response, the NHL has announced its intention to ramp up security to ensure the safety of these players and their families.
The players whose families remain in Russia, that's a whole different issue. For obvious reasons, players need to be careful what they do or say in the media for fear of something being taken out of context.
