The NHL has maintained the ban on the import of the Stanley Cup in Russia for Russian players

Russian hockey players will still not be able to bring the Stanley Cup home if they win the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs. This was announced on May 17 by Bill Daley, the league's deputy commissioner.

According to him, the organization's policy in this regard has not changed in 2026. The decision not to allow players from the Russian Federation to deliver the main league trophy to the country was made by the NHL leadership back in 2022.

This season, five clubs are competing to win the tournament. The four teams consist of Russians. Forwards Valery Nichushkin and Zakhar Bardakov play for Colorado, while defender Alexander Nikishin, forward Andrey Svechnikov and goalkeeper Pyotr Kochetkov play for Carolina. Forwards Ivan Barbashev and Pavel Dorofeev play for Vegas, while forward Ivan Demidov plays for Montreal. Buffalo also continues to fight for the title, which tied the score in the second round series against Montreal (3-3).

"This year, this policy has not changed," he told TASS in response to a question about whether the NHL still adheres to the decision made in 2022 not to allow Russian players to bring the league's main trophy to their homeland.

The last time Russian hockey players brought the Stanley Cup to the country was in 2021 after the Tampa Championship. From September 6 to September 8, the trophy was in Moscow, where it was delivered by Alexander Volkov and Nikita Kucherov. Later, thanks to Mikhail Sergachev, the cup visited Nizhnekamsk, and Andrei Vasilevsky brought it to Ufa.

Last shift: who will finish the season in the second round of the Stanley Cup

"Carolina" and "Colorado" look like favorites, while "Minnesota" and "Montreal" are ready to impose a fight.

On May 17, the Montreal Canadiens lost to the Buffalo Sabres in the sixth game of the second round of the NHL playoffs with a score of 8:3 (2:3, 3:0, 3:0). As a result, the score in the series to four wins became equal — 3:3. The decisive seventh match of the confrontation will be held in Buffalo.