The Impact of NHL's Ban on Russian Hockey Coverage: A Journalist's Perspective

Natasha Ivanova, a Russian-born American residing in Florida, has always loved hockey, and her dream job was to cover the National Hockey League for other hockey lovers in her native Russian language. Her dream came true—until the NHL put her career on an indefinite hold.

The official NHL website, game broadcasts, and social media haven’t worked in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The league blocked its TV and digital programming in the Russian language. The NHL’s official statement read, “The National Hockey League condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and urges a peaceful resolution. Effective immediately, we are pausing our Russian language social and digital media sites and TV broadcasting programming.” Millions of Russians, loyal to the NHL for decades while rooting for teams with Russian star athletes, were left without NHL coverage in the Russian language.

The league expressed “concerns for players and their families on behalf of the NHL clubs and not on behalf of Russia.” While Russian athletes continue playing for their NHL clubs without restrictions or sanctions, Russian journalists can cover the NHL only for American and Canadian media outlets, not for Russian ones.

The NHL refuses to give game credentials to journalists reporting to Russian media.

UNF communication professor Dr. David Deeley said the NHL didn’t violate freedom of speech. “The NHL is not a government agency. The First Amendment doesn’t apply here,” he said. “Sports is about money and business. Ovechkin’s jerseys still sell well.”

Alex Ovechkin, who created a social movement called Team Putin in 2017, is the Russian president’s favorite athlete and one of the greatest goal-scorers in NHL history. At the beginning of the Russia- Ukraine war, Ovechkin was publicly criticized by many European and North American hockey fans and players for keeping his avatar picture with Putin on his Instagram page. Ovechkin’s current salary is $12.5 million with the Washington Capitals of the NHL. The National Hockey League didn’t request that he or other Russian players make any statements about the invasion.

Dmitriy Sakov, who immigrated with his family from Russia to Turkey after the invasion, is one of the most experienced Russian hockey editors. After the NHL blocked its website and game broadcasts in the Russian language, he lost his job.

“I was so happy when the NHL announced its partnership with a Russia-based TV production company. I got my dream job. I got paid for sharing my love of hockey with other fans,” Sakov said.

Watching the NHL games allowed hockey fans to relax and forget about the war news. “It’s a tough time for millions of people. Since the league banned Russian broadcasts and social media, we lost our chance to influence fans positively. I lost a source of income,” Sakov said.

An anonymous source who works for the league said that the NHL was under pressure to make a statement on the invasion of Ukraine and reacted too fast and broadly, losing one of the most populated hockey markets.

Journalist Natasha Ivanova still attends hockey games in the United States. She covers them for hockey fans on her social media account, which has more than 56,000 followers, and for Russia-based sports media. Without NHL accreditation, however, she must buy game tickets or ask the NHL players she knows to reserve tickets for her to get in. Her previous articles and video interviews are still available on the NHL website, but her newer interviews and reports can’t be

published on the NHL website or approved by the league she has covered for many years.

To change her focus, Natasha Ivanova moved from the dynamic Miami area to Jacksonville to support her husband, who works there. While uncertain about her future covering the NHL, Ivanova has decided to upgrade her communication skills by getting another degree from a local university.

Back in 2022, some fans and experts criticized the National Hockey League for supporting its Russian-born players, keeping their contracts active, and not pressuring them to make anti-war statements. But the criticism has died down, and the players are still playing.