NHL bans Stanley Cup travel to Russia

MOSCOW, Jun 16 National Hockey League (NHL) Deputy Commissioner Bill Daley during a press conference on Thursday, he said that Russian and Belarusian hockey players were denied the opportunity to bring the Stanley Cup to their countries. The Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning meet in the 2022 Stanley Cup final. Russian forward Valery Nichushkin plays for the Avalanche, goaltender Andrey Vasilevsky, defender Mikhail Sergachev and forward Nikita Kucherov play for Tampa. By tradition, all players of the winning club receive a trophy for a few days for their use. «We have already notified both clubs that the Stanley Cup will not go to Russia or Belarus this year. Perhaps in the future we will give the players such an opportunity», ESPN journalist Kristen Shilton quotes Daily. Vasilevsky, Sergachev and Kucherov are two-time Stanley Cup winners with Tampa. Earlier, Bill Daly said that the likelihood of the Stanley Cup traveling to Russia in the upcoming offseason is extremely small.