'He's made it clear': Wayne Gretzky backs PM Carney's call to bar Russia from world juniors
Wayne Gretzky says he backs Canada's decision to bar Russia from the upcoming world junior hockey championship in Alberta.
'I think a lot of the players and the people of Canada feel the same way,' says hockey icon
The Canadian Press
·
Listen to this article
Estimated 1 minute
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
Wayne Gretzky says he backs Canada's decision to bar Russia from the upcoming world junior hockey championship in Alberta.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said earlier this week Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be permitted to represent their countries on Canadian soil while the war in Ukraine continues.
The decision came after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Russia must be reinstated to international hockey competition, starting with the world juniors. Russian and Belarusian teams have been banned since Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Prime Minister says Russia will not be allowed to compete at 2026 world juniors in Alberta
Canada dismisses fears of international blowback over Russian world junior hockey ban
Speaking at a Friday ceremony hosted by Upper Deck to rename the Hockey Hall of Fame's resource centre in honour of his late father, Gretzky said he understands the position Carney has taken.
WATCH | Prime Minister shuts down Russian involvement in 2026 world juniors:
Carney says Russia won't be allowed to play in upcoming world juniors
November 3|
Duration
0:55
Prime Minister Mark Carney said while Russia and Belarus are supporting 'this illegal and unjustified war in Ukraine,' no athlete representing either country will be allowed to compete in Canada, including at this winter's World Junior Hockey Championship in Alberta.The Great One praised Carney for making his position clear, saying "good for him" before adding, "I think a lot of the players and the people of Canada feel the same way."
The world juniors are scheduled to run from Dec. 26 through Jan. 5 in Edmonton and Red Deer.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.