After initially claiming his career was over in early March, soon correcting that to clarify he was simply a free agent, Russian winger Ilya Kovalchuk today made it official that, at the age of 41, he would be stepping away from hockey for good, following an illustrious career highlighted by one Olympic and two World Championship titles.
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Tag Archives: Russia
🇨🇦 🇫🇮 🇸🇪 🇺🇸 IHLC To Miss Four Nations Face-Off Final
Just as it was uncertain that the IHLC would even be contended at the Four Nations Face-Off to begin with, necessitating a Finland win with less than a week before the tournament began, the IHLC will now be leaving North America, by virtue of Sweden‘s 2-1 round robin final victory over the United States, meaning that the IHLC will not be paired with the Four Nations title.
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World Cup Of Hockey Set To Return In 2028
On the eve of the inaugural (and potentially only) Four Nations Face-Off, the NHL and NHLPA today announced the return of the World Cup Of Hockey, set to debut in February 2028 as a mid-season, rather than preseason, tournament, and recurring every four years thereafter.
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🇯🇵 🇸🇪 🇩🇪 Japan, Sweden, Germany Clinch Final Milan 2026 Women’s Olympic Qualifying Spots
After three months of Olympic qualifiers, with 24 teams competing across two rounds of play, came to a conclusion today for the final three spots in Milan, with the spots being clinched locked up by Japan, Sweden and Germany for the 2026 Olympics.
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🇷🇺 🇧🇾 IIHF Extends Russia, Belarus Ban Into 2025-26 Season
Following an IIHF Council meeting, the International Ice Hockey Federation today confirmed that their ban on Russian and Belarusian teams, dating back to their invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, was extended through the 2025-26 hockey season.
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🇫🇮 🇷🇺 IHLC Classics: Hagman’s Helsinki Heroics
From time to time, TheIHLC.com will feature detailed recaps and boxscores of some of the most legendary games in international hockey history, considered to be “IHLC Classics.” Today, in honour of Finnish Independence Day (itsenäisyyspäivä), we look back at the Leijonat’s thrilling home ice Gold Medal victory at the 1998 World Junior Championships, with Niklas Hagman’s overtime snipe securing the title in Helsinki.
🇫🇮 Finland 2-1 Russia 🇷🇺 (OT)
World Junior Championship Gold Medal Game
Hartwall Areena, Helsinki 🇫🇮
Saturday, 03 January 1998
Finland achieved its first World Junior Championship Gold in 1987, but at that time the rankings were decided by playing in series.
The playoffs only entered the World Junior Championship program for the 1995-96 Games, and what would be more comfortable than to settle World Cup Gold at home in extra time of the final?
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🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇷🇺 Hockey Hall Of Fame Inducts Class Of 2024
The Hockey Hall Of Fame tonight inducted their 2024 Class, inducting five legendary players to their ranks with a number of tremendous international achievements.
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🇨🇦 Tyler Ennis Confirms Retirement From Hockey At 34
After injuries hampered his NHL prospects, sending him to two seasons in Europe, Canadian journeyman winger Tyler Ennis today confirmed his retirement from hockey at age 34, following a 15 year pro career with seven different teams, along with a pair of Gold medals won with Team Canada.
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🇱🇻 🇩🇰 🇸🇰 Latvia, Denmark, Slovakia Clinch Final Milan 2026 Men’s Olympic Qualifying Spots
After nearly a year of Olympic qualifiers that began last December, with 30 teams competing across three rounds of play, came to a conclusion today for the final three spots in Milan, with the spots being clinched locked up by Latvia, Denmark and Slovakia for the 2026 Olympics, in a carbon copy clinching scenario from three years earlier.
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Nathan MacKinnon Captures Top Honours At 2024 NHL Awards
The National Hockey League officially closed the 2023-24 season with their NHL Awards ceremony at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, with eleven IHLC holders representing four countries taking home trophies handed out over the past month, culminating with tonight’s gala.
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🇷🇺 Pavel Datsyuk Officially Announces Retirement Following Hall Induction
Just a day after being announced as an inductee to the Hockey Hall of Fame this November, Russian forward Pavel Datsyuk, who has been prevented by injury from playing since 2021, officially announced his retirement from the game at age 45.
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Hockey Hall Of Fame Announces Class Of 2024
The Hockey Hall Of Fame today announced the newest members that will join as the Class of 2024 on 11 November, with Pavel Datsyuk, Jeremy Roenick and Shea Weber representing the male players, while Natalie Darwitz and Krissy Wendell become the first pair of women to be inducted in the same year since 2010, all to join the ranks of the Hall in Toronto.
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Florida Panthers Avoid Collapse, Capture Stanley Cup
Capping their thirtieth season in the National Hockey League, the Florida Panthers today avoided an epic, historic collapse in Game Seven the Stanley Cup Final, capturing their first Stanley Cup over the Edmonton Oilers, who forced the decisive game after coming back from a 3-0 series deficit, with a narrow 2-1 victory on home ice.
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🇨🇦 🇫🇮 🇸🇪 🇺🇸 2025 Four Nations Face-Off Schedule Released
The schedule for the NHL’s mid-season 2025 tournament, the Four Nations Face-Off, was announced today prior to the start of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, with Boston, United States and Montréal, Canada set to host their respective host nations, along with Sweden and Finland, next February, a tune-up to the NHL’s Olympic return at the 2026 Olympics.
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🇷🇺 Gusev, Nikishin, Nabokov Highlight 2024 KHL Closing Ceremony
The Kontinental Hockey League formally wrapped their sixteenth season tonight in Moscow with their annual Closing Ceremony, awarding the league’s top teams, players and executives for their performance this year, with six IHLC winners, all from Russia, taking home trophies.
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🇷🇺 Metallurg Magnitogorsk Sweeps To 2024 Gagarin Cup Victory
After a near-elimination in the conference finals, Metallurg Magnitogorsk today completed a four-game sweep of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the 2024 Gagarin Cup finals, capturing their third title and first in eight years.
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🇷🇺 🇧🇾 IIHF Extends Russia, Belarus Ban Into 2024-25 Season
During an IIHF Council meeting, the International Ice Hockey Federation today confirmed that their ban on Russian and Belarusian teams, dating back to their invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, was extended through the 2024-25 hockey season.
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An IHLC Lineage Correction – 1992 Olympics
As part of our continuous improvement to always refine the International Hockey Lineal Championship, we came across an improper lineage in the 1992 season that has now been corrected, impacting in particular lineage during the 1992 Olympics in Albertville, France.
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Vegas Golden Knights Capture First Stanley Cup
Only six years after becoming the NHL’s 31st franchise, the Vegas Golden Knights have captured the Stanley Cup in five games against the stalwart Florida Panthers, winning their first championship on home ice in a 9-3 blowout victory.
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🇷🇺 🇨🇿 Jaškin Big Winner At 2023 KHL Awards
The Kontinental Hockey League formally wrapped their fifteenth season tonight in Moscow with their annual Closing Ceremony, awarding the league’s top teams, players and executives for their performance this year, with eleven IHLC winners from Russia and Czechia taking home trophies.
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International Hockey Lineal Championship 