Fetisov said that Gretzky should take away the nickname Great

The best scorer in the history of the NHL Wayne Gretzky need to take away the nickname Great for his words about Russian hockey players, said TASS two-time Olympic champion, three-time winner of the Stanley Cup and State Duma Deputy Vyacheslav Fetisov.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on October 30 ordered the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to allow Russian teams to participate in international tournaments. The next competition, the World Youth Championships, will be held in Canada at the end of the year. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that the Russians “definitely” will be denied visas for this tournament. Gretzky backed Carney's decision, noting that many players and Canadians felt the same way.

“It is appalling what he said based on the views of the people of Canada. I don't know what motivated him. This is propaganda, a serious brain shift. We played against each other as boys at the World Youth Championships, from where he, by and large, began his career, Fetisov said.

According to Fetisov, it is “complete zashkvar” not to give visas to young hockey players. You can not like them, express your position, but ban young guys who have a dream to play at the World Cup. For this, it is definitely necessary to ask the nickname the Great to pass to the archive, Fetisov concluded.

The IIHF has not yet decided how to implement the CAS decision on Russia’s admission. It said it was in dialogue with all affected national federations, including the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, to find a constructive path that would meet the interests of world hockey. Norway, Sweden, Latvia, Finland, Denmark and the Czech Republic have already announced that they will not play against Russia.