The White House considered deporting Russian NHL players: why the idea was abandoned

According to glavcom.ua: The administration of former US President Joe Biden considered the possibility of removing all Russian NHL players from the US to influence President Vladimir Putin of Russia in the context of a prisoner exchange. This was reported by the publication 'Glavkom' citing The Wall Street Journal.

Before the prisoner exchange in August 2024, the Biden administration was contemplating the expulsion of all Russian hockey players from the US to exert pressure on Russia and achieve their release. However, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan rejected this idea, as the exchange was accompanied by the return of an American journalist and sailor.

“The release of the Russian killer occurred through a request to Germany or a possible deportation of Russian stars from the NHL,” The Wall Street Journal reported.

The Biden administration decided not to expel Russian hockey players but to conduct the largest prisoner exchange since the Cold War. The proposal to expel the players, including Alexander Ovechkin, was rejected in favor of other methods of pressure on the Kremlin.

As a result, the issue of expelling Russian NHL players was not referred for consideration, as it was decided to focus on the prisoner exchange with Russia.