OREANDA-NEWS. Former defender of the National Hockey League (NHL) clubs Dmitry Kalinin spoke about the attitude towards Russians in Canada. His words were published on Sport24.

Kalinin remembered the 1998/1999 season when he played in the Quebec Junior League for the Moncton Wildcats. The former hockey player noted that there was no hazing in the team. Moreover, players from Russia were treated with caution.

According to the Russian ex-defender, he did not experience difficulties in everyday life either. “We lived with Canadian families. I can't say anything bad about the Quebec league. Conditions were normal even at that time. We were well fed, we were strong enough to play, ”concluded Kalinin.

The hockey player said that the attitude of the Canadians towards the Russians was not biased. On the contrary, they always expected something special from the Russian guys - better performance. Kalinin is sure that when you get into a team overseas, especially in the NHL, you constantly, every day, have to prove that you are worthy to play there.

In September 2020, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ilya Mikheev also compared Russia with Canada. According to the athlete, the difference in the level of public attention to hockey is very noticeable. He said that 30 journalists came to each training session, and it was hard not to notice. He noted that hockey players are constantly being interviewed, cameras are being filmed all the time. According to him, there is a contrast with Russia in this regard.