Trump open to Putin’s proposal for NHL–KHL exhibition games

November 26, 2025 Oliver Obel

According to a summary released by the Russian government, Putin floated the idea of hosting games in both countries that would feature NHL players and athletes from the KHL, Russia’s top professional league.

The readout said the leaders discussed “hockey matches in the USA and Russia between Russian and American players playing in the NHL and KHL.”

When reached by ESPN, the NHL said it had no involvement in the discussion and added that weighing in would be inappropriate at this stage.

Cross-league games: a brief history

As ESPN has previously reported, the leagues have only rarely shared ice. The New York Rangers played Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the 2008 Victoria Cup in Switzerland, and the NHL arranged two more exhibitions in 2010

one in Russia and another in Latvia. Those matchups were limited even before politics overtook sports.

Hockey ties break after the invasion

Following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the NHL directed clubs to halt dealings with the KHL and with agents based in Russia, according to earlier ESPN reporting. The league also ended its broadcast partnerships in the country.

International bodies took similar steps. The International Ice Hockey Federation has kept Russia and Belarus out of its tournaments since 2022 and recently extended the ban through the 2025–26 season.

In announcing the decision, the IIHF said that “the current security conditions do not allow the necessary requirements for the organization of tournaments guaranteeing the safety of all.”

The suspension overlaps with preparations for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, where NHL players are slated to return. Whether Russian or Belarusian athletes can take part remains a decision for the International Olympic Committee, which has signaled that conditions—not politics—will guide its call.

A political backdrop on the rink

Trump has appeared in hockey headlines for reasons unrelated to Russia as well. ESPN reported that he phoned Team USA before the championship game of the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off in Boston, where the Americans lost 3–2 in overtime to Canada.

That tournament unfolded against a charged political climate. Trump’s tariff proposals affecting Canada, along with his remark about making the country “the 51st state,” fueled crowd reactions, including boos during national anthems.

After Canada’s win, head coach Jon Cooper said the players felt the weight of the moment: “Canada needed a win, and the players beared that on their shoulders… This wasn’t a win for themselves. This was a win for 40-plus million people.”

Sources: ESPN, U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Russia.