Finland's block on Russian athletes could affect NHL's return

According to Sportsnet.ca and East Idaho News, the NHL told The Associated Press that it will consider Finland's plans to prevent Russian athletes from entering the country when deciding whether to stage more regular-season games in Finland in the future. Finland and Norway both announced plans to refuse entry to Russian athletes on Thursday, coinciding with the day the Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken played the first of two NHL regular-season games in Helsinki, Finland. The Finnish restrictions are scheduled to take effect from Monday, which is after the current NHL games conclude.

Sportsnet.ca and East Idaho News reported that these government actions followed a backlash in Finland to Russia being reinstated in the ice hockey world championships, an event that is not run by the NHL. The Finnish foreign ministry stated that Russia uses sports as a propaganda tool and declared that Russians would only be permitted to work in Finland on tasks essential to national interests. Furthermore, the ministry's statement did not distinguish between Russian athletes on national teams, neutral athletes, or those on club teams in sports like hockey or soccer.

The NHL has previously played regular-season games in Finland as part of its Global Series in 2022 and 2024, though it has not yet confirmed any future games there. As of the opening day of the 2026-27 season in September, there were 53 Russian players on NHL rosters, comprising 7.3% of the league and representing the fourth-largest contingent from any country. During Thursday's games, Russian wing Andrei Svechnikov recorded an assist and Pyotr Kochetkov served as the backup goaltender for the Carolina Hurricanes in their 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken. Both teams are scheduled to play their second game in Finland on Saturday.

While the immediate NHL games avoid the restrictions, the broader impact of these border decisions is expected to touch other sports. The International Skating Union warned of a possible consequential impact on the figure skating world championships scheduled in Finland in March. Additionally, public broadcaster ERR reported that Estonia has written to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation to state that athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus will not be allowed to enter Estonia, which is set to host the world junior championships in Nordic skiing in January. ProXCskiing also reported that Sweden is moving to keep Russians out of the World Championships in Falun.