Dan Milstein, the agent for the NHL participant, who represents nearly all of Russian-born gamers within the league, advised ESPN that his purchasers face “alarming ranges” of harassment and he believes gamers eligible for recruitment are already being discriminated in opposition to attributable to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The discrimination and racism that these Russian and Belarusian gamers are going through proper now’s exceptional,” Milstein advised ESPN in an interview on Tuesday. “We’re going 30 years again. I’ve gamers calling me, dad and mom calling me. They’re apprehensive about whether or not they’ll be capable of play, whether or not they’ll be secure.”
Milstein, born in Kyiv, Ukraine, immigrated to the US in 1991 when he was 16 years previous as a political refugee. He’s now a US citizen and represents greater than 75% of NHL gamers born in Russia and Belarus, together with Tampa Bay Lightning stars Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevsky and New York goalkeeper Ilya Sorokin.
Milstein additionally represents firefighter Nikita Zadorov, one of many few NHL gamers to have spoken out in opposition to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The 26-year-old, born in Moscow, posted a “No to Battle” message on Instagram on Friday. Zadorov is already struggling repercussions from talking out, together with a collection of insulting messages to his account.
“Whereas a few of my purchasers can converse freely and are safely in North America, their households could be screened again residence and something can occur,” Milstein mentioned. “I’m a proud American, so I ask that we come collectively. My childhood house is being bombed whereas I speak to my associates again residence. I have never slept in six days as a result of this can be a very tough time. However persons are selecting the incorrect viewers. I can converse for my purchasers: they need world peace like Everybody else. They aren’t handled as such.”
In line with Milstein, one in every of his purchasers was on the street this week and was harassed by somebody on the road.
“He yelled at him, ‘Return to your nation,'” Milstein mentioned, “and he was referred to as a Nazi, in different phrases.” “Clients are referred to as Nazis. Folks want they have been lifeless. These are human beings. These are hockey gamers. These are individuals who contribute to our neighborhood, pay hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in taxes to assist the US and Canada and do all types of charitable work again residence. Cease seeing them as aggressors. racism.”
Milstein mentioned a lot of his NHL purchasers have acquired loss of life threats. The spouse of an NHL participant posted an image of their child boy on Instagram, then acquired direct messages telling her she had given beginning to “Nazi youngsters,” in accordance with Milstein.
“My purchasers are usually not nervous about themselves,” Milstein mentioned. “However once they’re on the street, they usually have a spouse and new child child at residence on their very own, there are main considerations.”
On Monday, the NHL issued a press release condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The NHL has suspended relations with enterprise companions in Russia, and has additionally briefly suspended the NHL’s Russian-language social and digital media websites. The Nationwide Hockey League additionally mentioned it was “involved concerning the welfare of gamers from Russia” – one thing Milstein mentioned the league had adopted via.
The agent mentioned all groups have to date met his and gamers’ requests for extra security, one thing he mentioned he was “extraordinarily grateful for”.
Whereas Milstein believes that hiring his gamers within the NHL is secure attributable to assured contracts, he questions the limitations to future gamers and future alternatives. On Tuesday, tools maker CCM mentioned it will cease utilizing Russian gamers for international advertising campaigns.
Milstein represents 15 Russian-born gamers within the 2023 NHL class he has predicted to be chosen, together with potential first rounds. He thinks many of those gamers are already seeing their inventory drop, and he wonders if some will drop out of the draft altogether due to the conflict.
“Some hockey executives have already expressed considerations within the upcoming draft about whether or not these gamers will be capable of get out. [of Russia] “I am making an attempt to grasp the distinction, and naturally public opinion is essential, however that is pure discrimination,” Milstein mentioned. “And that is the lifetime of younger folks we’re speaking about. Harmless younger persons are being punished now.”
The USHL and CHL are contemplating banning the recruitment of Russian gamers subsequent yr, one thing Milstein mentioned would “crush these teenagers’ desires and probably change their complete profession path.”
“I’ve a number of house owners and GMs in these leagues telling me they do not get together with it,” Milstein mentioned. “However additionally they inform me they can not say it publicly due to concern of public opinion.”
Milstein additionally represents dozens of gamers throughout the American Hockey League and the junior leagues in the US and Canada who’ve additionally expressed considerations of their present conditions.
One among Milstein’s purchasers within the Canadian Hockey League, a Belarusian, was booed by his crew within the locker room final week. The participant reported the incident to the final supervisor, and it recurred once more prior to now 48 hours.
“Folks have to comprehend that that is taking place,” Milstein mentioned. “That is racism and it should cease.”
