OREANDA-NEWS  Forward of the Vancouver Canucks National Hockey League (NHL) club Vasily Podkolzin spoke about the attitude of foreign teammates to the suspension of the Russian national team. His words are quoted by Izvestia.

The hockey player said that the partners have a negative attitude towards the disqualification of Russians, since international tournaments have lost a strong team. "The Swedes tell me that the World Cup is still not the same without Russia. The level has dropped without our national team," he said.

Podkolzin was selected by Vancouver in the 2019 draft. He signed a three-year contract with the team last May.

In February, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) extended the suspension of the national teams of Russia and Belarus for the 2024/2025 season. The reason for this decision was the current security risks.