NHL indicates Finland’s block on Russian athletes could affect future games there

The NHL will consider Finland’s plans to prevent Russian athletes entering the country when deciding whether to stage more regular-season games there in future, the league told The Associated Press.

Finland and Norway both announced plans to refuse entry to Russian athletes Thursday, the same day as the Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken played the first of two NHL regular-season games in the Finnish capital, Helsinki.

The Finnish restrictions take effect from Monday, after the NHL games, and follow a backlash to Russia being reinstated in the hockey world championships, which is not an NHL event.

“We are aware of the government’s position and we’ll have to take that into account,” the league said on Friday when asked if the new restrictions would be an obstacle to future games in Finland.

The Finnish foreign ministry’s statement outlining the restrictions didn’t distinguish between Russian athletes on national teams, those competing as neutral athletes, or those on club teams in sports like hockey or soccer.

The ministry said Thursday that Russians would only be allowed to work in Finland on “tasks that are essential to Finland’s national interests.” It added that Russia “uses sports as a propaganda tool.”

The NHL has played regular-season games in Finland as part of its Global Series in 2022 and 2024 and hasn’t confirmed any future games there yet.

As of the opening day of the 2026-27 season in September, there were 53 Russians on NHL rosters, making up 7.3% of the league. That was the fourth-largest contingent of players from any country.

Russian wing Andrei Svechnikov had an assist for the Hurricanes in Thursday’s 4-1 win over the Kraken in Helsinki. Pyotr Kochetkov was Carolina’s backup goaltender. The Hurricanes and Kraken play again in Finland on Saturday.

The government decisions Thursday followed a backlash in Finland to Russia being reinstated for the ice hockey world championships, but its effects could mostly be felt in other sports. The International Skating Union warned of a “possible consequential impact” on its figure skating world championships in Finland in March.

Public broadcaster ERR reported Friday that Estonia had written to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation that athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus would not be allowed to enter the country. Estonia hosts the world junior championships in Nordic skiing in January.

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James Ellingworth, The Associated Press