Gleb Pugachyov and Alexander Zharovsky at the upcoming CMJ: It’s a possibility

Marc-Olivier Cook
Gleb Pugachyov and Alexander Zharovsky at the upcoming CMJ: It’s a possibility
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

For several years now, Russian athletes have been barred from participating in international competitions because of the war in Ukraine.

That's true in hockey, soccer, basketball—you name it. 

But now, things could change, as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided to ease its restrictions on Russian athletes. And that could be good news for the Montreal Canadiens, in a way.

I say this because the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) might allow Russia to participate in the next World Junior Championship, which will take place next winter in Edmonton.

And if that's the case, we might see players like Alexander Zharovsky and Gleb Pugachyov take on the world's other young prospects. That would be interesting!

That would be great news because we know the World Junior Championship is an important milestone in a young player's career.

That's where we often see players make a name for themselves, and it's where we get the chance to witness a player's development. Because we all agree that it's harder to track Zharo and Pugachyov's development in Russia…

Again, we'll have to wait and see what the IIHF decides on this matter.

But allowing the Russians to play in that tournament could also help break the deadlock looking ahead to the future. And of course, we'll be following this with interest… because I'm not the only one excited about the prospect of seeing the Canadiens' two prospects compete in the next World Junior Championship.

That would be really cool, at least. 


In a nutshell

– Nice.

– Check this out!

– Note to self.

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