By now, you know of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. If you’ve put on the news for a few minutes over the past few months, you’ll see the international stage putting the blame of the conflict on Russia. The United States has responded worth a series of economic sanctions on Russia and sending support to Ukraine.
Enough About World Politics, What About the NHL?
That international conflict is starting to make its way to the hockey world. While hockey leagues in those nations have already been affected in various ways, such as the KHL ending its regular season early to begin their playoffs, the NHL has largely avoided the conflict. The NHL’s involvement so far has been limiting their business operations with Russia (such as shutting down their Russian website) and releasing a statement.
Recently, NHL prospect Ivan Fedotov was arrested in Russia for not enlisting in their army. This lead to speculation of Minnesota Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov being a wanted man, but apparently he is safe following the Fedorov news. Now, the NHL’s very players are getting caught up in the very thing the league wants to avoid.
What’s Holding Them Back?
You’re probably thinking “why don’t these players just come back to the United States and stay here?’ It’s not that easy for some of them. Let’s assume that all these Russian hockey players want to come back to the United States. A major obstacle surrounds their specific type of Visa, and no we’re not talking about the credit card that we have massive amounts of debt on. Major league athletes (so in this example, NHL players) have a P-1 Visa. Minor league athletes (AHL players, other minor leagues, etc.) get what’s called an H-2B visa. Both allow the athletes to come to the United States to play and earn money, but an H-2b visa allows them to stay for much shorter periods of time, typically just their season.
Of course, many other factors come into play. Some foreign born players have since become United States citizens. Others routinely go back to their motherland during the offseason. How long they’ve been United States residents and if they started a family here? Are their wives United States citizens? How about their kids if they were born here? These are all factors that can make it easier for foreign born athletes to themselves apply for permanent residency and citizenship. Now that the legal portion of this article is done, we see what Jon Cooper left being a lawyer behind to be a hockey coach.
What About American Athletes Going Overseas?
Don’t forget there is a decent number of North American hockey players who go the reverse route to Russia to play in leagues such as the KHL. Surprisingly, little has been written about what might happen to KHL bound Americans this season. This except for a Hockey News piece from March about some players cancelling their contracts when the KHL started their playoffs so they could come home amid the Ukraine turmoil. Among those was former New Jersey Devils’ player Kenny D’Agostino.
Most American players seem to prefer the North American minor leagues over the overseas major leagues. Still, the infusion of ex-pat talent kept competition in the KHL high. There will be no shortage of Russian players to fill in for their American counterparts in the KHL, but some teams front offices might be dealing with drastically different rosters.