U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin talked about organizing several hockey matches featuring teams from their own nations. their lengthy call On Tuesday, as reported by the Kremlin.
Russia stated in their summary of the conversation that Trump endorsed Putin's proposal to host joint events in both countries featuring athletes from the NHL and KHL, and consented to maintain ongoing communication regarding every topic addressed during the discussion. This call had been arranged primarily to address the conflict in Ukraine. However, the White House’s account of the call made no reference to discussions about ice hockey. It came as news to the NHL when they heard about this plan post-call.
“The National Hockey League has only recently learned about the discussion between President Trump and President Putin,” stated an official release sent to The Associated Press. “We did not participate in these talks, thus it wouldn’t be appropriate for us to provide commentary presently.”
A request for commentary sent to USA Hockey has not yet received a response.
This call marks Trump's most recent venture into the sport following his previous efforts. calling in to speak at the 4 Nations Face-Off last month prior to the final, where they faced the U.S. team before concluding the tournament a 3-2 overtime loss To Canada. The United States national anthem faced boos in Montreal during the international tournament following President Trump’s recurring remarks suggesting Canada become "the 51st state" and the imposition of tariffs that sparked a trade dispute between the neighboring North American countries.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Stephen Whyno, The Canadian Press