Greg Wyshynskimar 18, 2025, 05:27 PM ET
Closegreg Wyshynski is a senior NHL writer at ESPN.
President Donald Trump supported President Vladimir Putin’s idea of hosting a hockey game between the US and Russia during a call Tuesday, according to a summary released by the Kremlin.
According to the Russian government, Trump and Putin discussed the US-Russian hockey match between Russian and American players who play in the NHL and KHL, the professional hockey leagues of Russia.
“We just noticed a conversation between President Trump and Putin,” the NHL said in a statement to ESPN. “Obviously we are not parties to those discussions and it is inappropriate to comment at this time.”
The NHL and KHL have played exhibition games in the past. In 2008, the New York Rangers faced Swiss Metalag Magnitogorsk as part of the short-lived European Victoria Cup. In 2010, the NHL held two games against the KHL team as part of the “Premier Challenge” series. The Carolina Hurricanes faced Russia’s Scacent Petersburg, with the Phoenix Coyotes facing Latvia’s Dyna Moriga.
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The NHL’s relationship with Russia changed dramatically in February 2022 after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The league suspended its deal with the KHL in March 2022 and instructed its teams to stop contacting the KHL team and Russian-based agents. Additionally, the broadcast contract with Russian television has ended.
Russia has been frozen from the hockey world since its invasion of Ukraine. Since 2022, it has been banned along with Belarus from the International Hockey Tournament by the International Ice Hockey Federation. The ban was extended last month from the 2025-26 season, citing security concerns.
“Current security conditions do not allow the required requirements for all safety-guarantee tournament organizations, so IIHF should maintain the current status quo until further notice,” IIHF said in a statement.
The ban will take place through the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, where NHL players are scheduled to participate for the first time since 2014. Despite the IIHF ruling, the International Olympic Committee will be joined by Russia and Belarus in the game, under any conditions.
Trump recently called Team USA on the morning of the NHL 4 Nations Face Off Championship Game in Boston to wish them good luck. The US lost overtime to Canadian rival 3-2.
The tournament has partially thanked Trump’s tariff plans that affected the Canadian economy and Trump’s tariff plans that influenced his statement on turning Canada into a “51st state,” with each national anthem being booed during the game.
“Canada needed a victory, and the players had it on their shoulders. They took it seriously,” said Team Canada coach John Cooper. “This was different. This wasn’t their own victory. It was a victory for over 40 million people. They knew it, and they delivered.”
