Russians in Stanley Cup Final making an attempt to concentrate on hockey amid nation’s battle in Ukraine

LAS VEGAS (AP) – Sergei Bobrovsky insists he has not thought of the place he would take the Stanley Cup if he and the Florida Panthers win it. He hasn’t been this shut earlier than.

Countryman Ivan Barbashev has, celebrating in Moscow with the trophy in 2019. After the Cup was banned from going to Russia final yr after the nation’s invasion of Ukraine, he figures it may be the identical if he and the Vegas Golden Knights beat Bobrovsky and the Panthers within the ultimate.

Bobrovsky and Barbashev are the one Russian gamers left within the NHL playoffs, and so they go into the ultimate that begins Saturday in Las Vegas with their concentrate on hockey and never the battle now in its fifteenth month.

“I think it’s not the spot, it’s not the good point to talk about right now,” Bobrovsky stated at media day Friday. “Right now we (are) focusing on hockey. It’s not about politics or what’s going on anywhere. It’s a big hockey celebration, Stanley Cup Final. I’ve never been in that spot before, and I want to enjoy this opportunity and enjoy this atmosphere.”

Russians within the NHL have largely stayed silent concerning the battle because it started in February 2022, fearing retribution again residence because the Kremlin continues to crush dissent and punish those that protest or converse out in opposition to what President Vladimir Putin has referred to as a “special military operation” in Ukraine.

Russia has been barred from worldwide competitors since, and questions stay a couple of doable World Cup of Hockey in 2025 and what to do about lots of the sport’s high gamers who come from there, together with Washington’s Alex Ovechkin, Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin and Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy and Nikita Kucherov.

Commissioner Gary Bettman has constantly stated the NHL’s gamers from Russia are in a tough place and that the league doesn’t need to make it any more durable on them than it already is. Bettman has rejected any notion, like one proposed by Hall of Fame Czech goaltender Dominik Hasek, of banning Russians due to the battle and has stated these gamers signify their NHL groups fairly than their nation.

The league did sever all enterprise ties in Russia instantly after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Stanley Cup has since not been allowed to go to Russia or shut ally Belarus that has assisted within the battle, and that coverage continues.

“To be honest, I don’t really care,” Barbashev stated. “I haven’t really thought about it. I don’t think the Cup is gonna go to Russia because it didn’t make it there last year. It is what it is, so I’m not really thinking about it.”

Bobrovsky, within the ultimate for the primary time at age 34 and a front-runner to be the playoff MVP given his stellar play in web, is narrowing his thought course of even additional. His play has been stellar, and he’s not even desirous about successful 4 video games – simply the subsequent one.

“My mind is really short now,” Bobrovsky stated. “I’m really focused on the present and preparing myself for (games) and approach it one game at a time. And we’ll see what’s going to happen. Right now, it’s not about the Cup, it’s about the focus and get ready to play hockey.”

Barbashev adopted the same mentality not lengthy after the battle started. The first week or so, he acquired some messages about it however has not since.

“With the time just moving on, you don’t really think about it,” he stated.

Barbashev set profession highs with 26 objectives, 34 assists and 60 factors throughout the 2021-22 season with the Blues, who traded him to Vegas previous to the commerce deadline this yr. Now 27 and a pending free agent, he’s trying to maintain his thoughts on the sport.

“To me, it was really important to focus on hockey, and that’s what I did last year,” Barbashev stated. “I had a really good season, basically a breakout year, and I just stick with hockey and try not to think about it.”

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