Two-time Olympic hockey champion Boris Mikhailov said the withdrawal of the national teams of Russia and Belarus from international competition for the 2023/24 season was expected.
“I was 90% sure that we would be suspended for another season,” he said, as quoted by the ‘Championship’.
Mikhailov noted that the International Ice Hockey Federation, which made this decision, acts on orders.
“The International Ice Hockey Federation has become manual – it’s going in the wrong direction. It’s not developing the sport at all. It’s not an independent organization: it does what others tell it to do,” said the famous hockey player and coach.
According to Mikhailov, without the Russians and Belarusians, the 2024 World Cup in Prague will be held at a lower level, and the fans will be upset by the absence of these teams.
