The NHL confirmed Friday it will assess Finland’s newly announced restrictions on Russian athletes when evaluating whether to schedule future regular-season games in Helsinki.
Finland and Norway announced Thursday they would refuse entry to Russian athletes. The Finnish restrictions take effect Monday — after the Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken play two regular-season games in Helsinki on Thursday and Saturday.
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The Finnish foreign ministry’s statement does not distinguish between Russian athletes on national teams, competing as neutrals, or playing for club organizations such as NHL franchises. Officials said Russians may enter Finland only for work essential to the country’s national interests and accused Russia of using sports as a propaganda tool.
As of opening day of the 2026–27 season in September, 53 Russian players — 7.3% of all NHL roster spots — were active, the fourth-largest nationality group in the league. Forward Andrei Svechnikov recorded an assist for the Hurricanes in Thursday’s 4–1 win over the Kraken; goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov served as Carolina’s backup. The teams play again in Helsinki on Saturday.
The NHL has held regular-season games in Finland in 2022 and 2024. No future games in Finland have been announced.
The Finnish restrictions follow domestic backlash over Russia’s reinstatement to the IIHF World Championships — a non-NHL event — and could affect other international competitions. The International Skating Union warned of possible consequences for its March figure skating world championships in Finland. Estonia notified the International Ski and Snowboard Federation it will bar Russian and Belarusian athletes from its January world junior Nordic skiing championships.
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