FHR President wants neutral ground game between his country and Canada

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TJ Tucker
July 6, 2024 (6:20 PM)

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Vladislav Tretiak, President of the Russian Hockey Association, praises Canadians and wants Russia and Canada to pay an exhibition hockey game on neutral ground

Vladislav Tretiak never played a game in the NHL, but he's still a well-known name for many hockey fans, and is widely considered the best goalie Russia ever produced. At 72, he now serves as the President of the Russian Hockey Federation (FHR), which is the governing body for hockey in that country. Tretiak made some interesting comments about Canada and Canadians in a recent interview.

"Jacques Plante with Vladislav Tretiak before the Summit Series, 1972"

As reported by Sport24.ru, Tretiak said the hockey world needs to see Canada vs Russia again, and is proposing an exhibition game to take place in a third country.

"There are thoughts: we would play the Canadians somewhere in a third country, like the [United Arab] Emirates. It would be interesting. Well, okay, not the main teams, but at least the youth, 20-year-olds."

Tretiak added the Canada vs Russia hockey rivalry is the greatest in all of sports, and said he believes Canadians would be far more open to a match against Russia than most other countries.

"Canadians are less involved in politics, we can play with them. Moreover, they know that no matter what the World Championship is, no matter where Canada and Russia are, the main match is Canada vs. Russia. With all due respect to the Finns, Swedes, Czechs... It's like CSKA vs. Spartak, an eternal rivalry, the highest TV rating."

Tretiak is not wrong about the TV ratings. There's little doubt a true best-on-best of even junior players from the two countries at this time would score big ratings in both. It would be well worth the watch from a pure hockey standpoint. Russia is, of course, currently banned from competitions organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), due to the ongoing situation in Ukraine.

POLL
JUILLET 6 \| 308 ANSWERS FHR President wants neutral ground game between his country and Canada Would you watch a Canada vs Russia series right now, even if it's just for bragging rights?
Yes	222	72.1 %
No	73	23.7 %
Not sure	13	4.2 %
List of polls

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