Two-time Olympic champion and three-time Stanley Cup winner Vyacheslav Fetisov shared his thoughts on the exclusion of the Russian national team from the 2026 Olympics.

“It’s simply absurd, a sign of disrespect and lawlessness. How else should one react? Missing the Olympics would be devastating for all of our hockey players, especially for Ovechkin, who might have had his last opportunity to win gold. This is outrageous; they should be ashamed of such a decision,” Fetisov expressed, as quoted by Odds.ru.

The Russian Olympic Committee plans to challenge the exclusion of the Russian hockey teams in international legal forums. It was previously reported that the French national team would replace both the men’s and women’s teams from Russia at the tournament.