NHL Hall of Famer Hašek says owners should ban Russian athletes during speech in Paris
Hockey Hall of Fame goalie Dominik Hašek is calling on NHL team owners to not let Russian players compete in the league.
Hašek, a two-time Stanley Cup winner, said today NHL owners should "not let Russian citizens, Russian players, step on the ice" in a video said to be from Volia Space in Parc de la Villette - the site for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games' Park of Nations. He urged the NHL and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to keep Russian athletes out of competition due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
"The NHL should, and could make a decision," Hašek said from Volia Space. "It’s not only about [NHL Commissioner] Gary Bettman. There are 31 owners of NHL teams, and I think that those people are the most responsible. They can sit in their room, and they can vote and make a decision, but they do not want to make that decision."
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These are the latest comments from an all-time hockey great who has recently criticized the IOC and other government bodies for letting athletes from Russia compete in the games in the first place.
Who is Dominik Hašek?
A native of Czechoslovakia (now Czechia - more widely known as the Czech Republic), Hašek is one of the greatest goalies in league history. He spent 16 years in the NHL, most notably with the Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings.
Nicknamed "The Dominator," he won the Vezina Trophy for the NHL's top goalie five times (1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001). He won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player twice in 1997 and 1998 and holds the highest career save percentage in NHL history at 0.9223.
He's a two-time Olympian and played a huge role in Czechia's gold medal in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. He allowed just six goals in six games to earn the country's first Winter Olympics gold medal.
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Hašek's comments on Russia in the Paris Olympics
Hašek initially spoke out against Russian athletes playing in the Paris Olympics on the first day of the games.
"Unfortunately, many Russian athletes who have never (officially) condemned the Russian imperialist war and Russian crimes can participate in the Olympic Games," Hašek said in a post on X, translated from Czech. "Their participation (public appearance) will be a huge advertisement for the actions of the Russian country."
Though he argued against their presence, Hašek did not blame the Russian athletes themselves for participating. Instead, he blamed IOC officials who he says could've banned "this war advertisement," something he reiterated Friday during his speech from Volia Space.
"This is a huge advertisement for Russia's war of aggression and Russian crimes, including the genocide of Ukrainian children," Hašek said in a video from Volia Space. "The Olympic Games have one of the biggest impacts. By allowing many Russian athletes to perform at the Paris Olympics, who have not officially publicly condemned the Russian imperialist war and Russian crimes, these Olympics have become a huge advertisement for all Russian crimes in Ukraine."
In addition to the IOC, Hašek specifically called out the European Parliament and French legislators for allowing Russian athletes to compete in the Paris Olympics.
"All of them had the opportunity to submit and approve a law or a regulation banning the entry or public appearance of Russian citizens on the territory of France," he said in his speech. "All these people, both the IOC officials and politicians elected by us citizens, had the opportunity to stop this huge advertisement for the Russian war and Russian crimes."
He acknowledged that many athletes may be afraid to speak out against the ongoing war in Ukraine out of fear for their friends and families. Because of that fear, he called on other retired athletes to speak out in support.
"You are all in a different position, and you could, and should speak up," he said in a video Friday. "You are not employees of anyone, and especially for the great athletes of the world. Be open."
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Russia's presence at the Paris Olympic Games Olympic Games
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 four days after the 2022 Winter Olympics, the IOC has banned both Russian and Belarus from sending national teams to the Olympic Games.
Athletes from Russia already had to compete under the "Olympic Athletes from Russia" designation in the 2018 Winter Olympics and "Russian Olympic Committee" designation in 2021 due to a doping scandal.
Only 15 Russian athletes are competing in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games compared to more than 300 in the Tokyo Games held in 2021.
What is Volia Space?
Volia Space is the hospitality house organized by the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine in the Park of Nations area at Parc de la Villette.
"In this Team Ukraine Hospitality House, every athlete can express themselves freely," Vadym Guttsait, president of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, said prior to the Olympics. "Often, actions speak louder than words; raising the flag will demonstrate to the world that Ukraine has endured, it has been, and always will be."
The Volia Space is set up near Czech House, the area for Hašek's home country.
USA Today has reached out to Volia Space for comment and will update with any further information.