Trump, Putin Discuss Potential US-Russia Hockey Series Amid Ukraine Conflict

A recent call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin included a discussion about staging a series of hockey games between players from their respective countries, according to the Kremlin, as per The Associated Press.

The call, ostensibly scheduled to address the ongoing war in Ukraine, took an unexpected turn with the discussion of international hockey.

Moscow stated that Trump expressed support for Putin’s proposal to organize games in both the US and Russia, featuring players from the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). The Kremlin added that the two leaders agreed to maintain communication on all matters raised during the call.

However, the White House’s official summary of the call made no mention of hockey-related discussions. The NHL also confirmed they were not informed of the exchange prior to its conclusion.

“We have just become aware of the conversation between President Trump and President Putin,” the NHL said in a statement. “Obviously, we were not a party to those discussions, and it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time.”

This isn’t Trump’s first foray into the world of hockey. He previously called in to address the US team at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament last month. During that international tournament held in Montreal, the US anthem was met with boos following Trump’s comments regarding Canada and tariffs.

The potential hockey series evokes memories of the historic rivalry between the two nations, most notably the “Miracle on Ice” at the 1980 Winter Olympics, where the underdog US team defeated the heavily favored Soviet Union.

Currently, Russia remains banned by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) from all tournaments due to the conflict in Ukraine. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) permitted individual Russian athletes to compete as neutrals at the summer Olympics in Paris, but a decision regarding the 2026 Milan Olympics, where NHL players are slated to return, is still pending.

Despite the international ban, the NHL continues to allow Russian players to compete in the league. Notable examples include Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, who is currently pursuing Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record, as well as Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy and Nikita Kucherov, and Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov.

The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association are planning a World Cup of Hockey in 2028.

“Russia has a great hockey tradition. We have great Russian players playing in our league,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said recently. “The International Ice Hockey Federation just voted to keep Russia out of competitions, as have many of sports, and we’re going to have to see what the International Olympic Committee does. But we have enough time to deal with the realities of what the world situation looks like before that.”

Marty Walsh, executive director of the NHL Players’ Association, expressed a desire to see Russian players back on the international stage.

“I’d love to see our Russian players playing in the tournaments again,” Walsh said last month. “They are incredible hockey players. The issues are political. It’s not political as far as NHL. It’s the world politics we have to get through. I am hoping that as we get closer to the Olympics, closer to the World Cup, we will start seeing Russian athletes back in competition.”

Historically, NHL and KHL teams have participated in exhibition games, such as the Premiere Challenge in 2010. NHL teams also faced the Soviet Red Army team in exhibitions in the 1970s, and the USSR played Canada in the Summit Series in ’72 and ’74.