Ovechkin said that fans would like to see Russia at the World Cup in Canada

Fans would like to see the Russian team at the World Youth Championships, which will be held in Canada. This opinion was expressed by the captain of “Washington Capitals” Alexander Ovechkin, whose words are cited by Ottawa Citizen.

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 nearest competition is the World Youth Championships, which will be held in Canada in the cities of Edmonton and Red Deer in December 2026 - January 2027. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that the Russians will be denied visas for the tournament.

“It is his thoughts and his decision. I don’t know how it’s going to turn out, but I’m pretty sure that if you asked the fans, they would say they want to see the best players on the field, and the fans want to see the young players who will be future stars, future NHL players. But it's not up to us, Ovechkin said.

He added that athletes want to represent their country: "It doesn't matter if it's a World Cup, an Olympics or a European Championship - you just want to get on the pitch and play and represent your country.".

Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev said that the Russian side has a backup plan in case of refusal to obtain visas for hockey players to participate in the youth world championship in Canada: “We have a plan B.” We won't disclose it. It will be good for Russia and bad for Canada. Because it will be deprived of the right to host international competitions.”.

On November 8, the Norwegian Hockey Federation (NIHF) announced that the country’s youth team had been removed from the upcoming World Cup due to Russia’s admission, but expressed hope for a review of the decision. The Swiss Ice Hockey Federation said that the country’s youth team will not play against Russia at this tournament.