Russia would have been bronze medal favorites at the Olympics and the team most likely to upset Canada or the United States.

There is no Russian hockey team at the 2026 Winter Olympics. From an on-ice perspective, it's the only negative of this year's return to best-on-best and having NHL players at the Olympics for the first time since 2014. Russia would've had one of the best teams in the tournament.

Hockey fans were divided on social media after Nikita Kucherov said the hockey at the 2026 Olympics is not a true best-on-best without Russia.

"The goaltending is so good it doesn't even matter about the rest of the players,” said one of the 118 players we polled.

About 88% of the National Hockey League (NHL) hockey players surveyed believe in the medal potential of the Russian national team at the Olympic Games. This was reported on February 6 by The Athletic based on the results of a survey of 118 NHL players representing different countries.

Russia is suspended from international competition due to the war in Ukraine, sidelining many who'd otherwise be playing.

Russian fans of “Heated Rivalry” could end up in prison if they display their love for the show, but the gay romance about two hockey players is a hit anyway.