Trump, Putin discuss U.S.-Russia hockey series during call, Kremlin says

Stephen Whyno · The Associated Press

· Posted: Mar 18, 2025 5:32 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed staging a bid of hockey games betwixt players from their respective countries during their lengthy telephone Tuesday, according to the Kremlin.

Moscow said successful its recap of the telephone that Trump supported Putin's thought to signifier games successful the U.S. and Russia involving players from the NHL and the KHL, and agreed to stay successful interaction connected each issues raised connected the call, which was scheduled to sermon the warfare successful Ukraine. The White House's study of the telephone did not notation talks involving hockey, and the NHL learned of the thought aft it was over.

"We person conscionable go alert of the speech betwixt President Trump and President Putin," the NHL said successful a connection sent to The Associated Press. "Obviously, we were not a enactment to those discussions, and it would beryllium inappropriate for america to remark astatine this time."

A connection sent to USA Hockey seeking remark was not instantly returned.

The telephone is Trump's latest foray into the athletics aft calling successful to talk to the U.S. squad astatine the 4 Nations Face-Off past period earlier the final, which ended successful a 3-2 overtime nonaccomplishment to Canada. The U.S. anthem was booed successful Montreal during the planetary tourney aft Trump's repeated comments astir making Canada "the 51st state" and tariffs that person triggered a commercialized warfare betwixt the North American neighbours.

WATCH | McDavid scores OT winner, Canada defeats U.S. successful 4 Nations final:

Putin's emotion of hockey arsenic his favourite athletics is wide known. He attended the Russia-U.S. preliminary circular crippled astatine the 2014 Sochi Olympics, famously won successful a shootout by American T.J. Oshie.

The countries' rivalry connected the crystal dates to the 1980 "Miracle connected Ice" erstwhile an underdog radical of U.S. amateurs bushed the heavy favored Soviet Union successful the medal circular connected the mode to capturing Olympic golden successful Lake Placid, New York.

The Russians, playing arsenic the Olympic Athletes from Russia due to the fact that of erstwhile doping violations, won men's hockey golden astatine the Games successful 2018 erstwhile the NHL did not enactment for the archetypal clip since 1994.

The NHL has continued to let Russian players successful their league, astir prominently Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals arsenic helium chases down Wayne Gretzky's vocation goals record. Some of the astir talented players successful the league are from Russia, including Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and winger Nikita Kucherov and Minnesota's Kirill Kaprizov.

The NHL Players' Association and league person plans to clasp a World Cup of Hockey successful 2028, though it is unclear if Russians volition beryllium portion of it.

"Russia has a large hockey tradition. We person large Russian players playing successful our league," Commissioner Gary Bettman said astatine the 4 Nations successful Montreal. "The International Ice Hockey Federation conscionable voted to support Russia retired of competitions, arsenic person galore of sports, and we're going to person to spot what the International Olympic Committee does. But we person capable clip to woody with the realities of what the satellite concern looks similar earlier that."

Union enforcement manager Marty Walsh said members from Russia helium has spoken to privation to beryllium capable to correspond their state again connected the satellite stage.

"I'd emotion to spot our Russian players playing successful the tournaments again," Walsh said past month. "They are unthinkable hockey players. The issues are political. It's not governmental arsenic acold arsenic NHL. It's the satellite authorities we person to get through. I americium hoping that arsenic we get person to the Olympics, person to the World Cup, we volition commencement seeing Russian athletes backmost successful competition."