Tretiak says Russia will seek compensation if barred from world juniors in Alberta

Russian hockey federation president Vladislav Tretiak has stated that Russia intends to seek compensation from Canada if its team is barred from the upcoming world junior championship in Alberta. This threat comes in response to Ottawa's announcement on Wednesday, indicating that Russian players will be denied participation, even if they possess valid Canadian visas. This decision is despite a recent ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport that reinstated Russia to international hockey.

Tretiak's comments were made during a meeting of the presidential sports council, where he expressed Russia's intention to demand compensation from Canada and Germany, the host of the 2027 men's world championship. He also threatened to move the tournaments and seek sanctions against the organizers. Tretiak, a renowned Soviet goaltender and Olympic gold medallist, alleged that the federation has sought the ethics council of the International Ice Hockey Federation to investigate and punish national federations organizing boycotts against Russia.

Further exacerbating the situation, Russian President Vladimir Putin informed the same sports council meeting that national federations are refusing to play against Russian teams under pressure from their respective governments. Several hockey federations, including Finland, Sweden, Czechia, and Norway, have declared their teams will not face Russia. The world juniors are scheduled to commence on December 26 in Edmonton and Red Deer.