Report: Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin Support NHL vs KHL Matchup

The leaders of the United States and Russia recently discussed the idea of top players in the NHL and KHL facing off.

Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] United States forward Brady Tkachuk (7) celebrates a goal against Canada during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game against Canada at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images / Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

The leaders of two of the most powerful nations voiced their desire for international hockey competition. According to reporting from Wall Street Journal White House Reporter Meridith McGraw, United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin share a desire for the two countries to play against each other.

McGraw reported that at the end of the Kremlin readout following a meeting between Trump and Putin, the United States is interested in organizing matches as well.

“Donald Trump supported Vladimir Putin’s idea of organizing hockey matches in the United States and Russia between Russian and American players playing in the NHL and KHL,” the Kremlin readout stated.

Russia is currently barred from international competition. The International Ice Hockey Federation, the governing body that controls international hockey competition, recently ruled that Russia and Belarus would remain barred form international events through 2026 due to current geopolitical issues in Europe. The IIHF had not issued a response to Putin and Trump’s statements at the time of this article’s publishing.

The NHL, however, did issue a brief response to this news. The NHL was not present for this conversation and chose to offer no definitive comment on the situation. Insider Chris Johnston shared the league’s response via his X account.

”We have just become aware of the conversation between President Trump and President Putin,” they stated. “Obviously, we were not a party to those discussions, and it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time.”

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