The IIHF Is A Comedy Troupe

At some point, the IIHF has to show some teeth if they're going to be considered anything more than a corrupt set of gatekeepers when it comes to the game of hockey at the international level. Their latest attempt at keeping Russia on the straight and narrow is nothing more than a ridiculous platitude for a country who cares not about rules or societal norms, and it's at this point where the big countries who make the IIHF a pile of money should step in and demand serious punitive measures for Russia's latest garbage.

You may have read or heard about stories from Russia where KHL teams and arenas have featured large banners supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine such as the one to the left. That sign reads, "For Russia! Nazism will not pass!" which is entirely from Putin's playbook when it came to his rationalization of sending Russian troops into Ukraine. As we know, Ukraine isn't under Nazi control by any means, but Putin has his people convinced, and that's being sold to them every time they attend a KHL game.

The IIHF Ethics Board opened an investigation after complaints were filed about the signs and banners seen at KHL games. We already know that the Russian Ice Hockey Federation is suspended from all IIHF-backed tournaments for at least another year, so it's not like they had much to lose if the IIHF were to demand the propaganda be taken down or prevented from being shown inside Russian arenas. After all, what else could they lose if they were already banned from playing internationally?

As stated in their report, "The IIHF Ethics Board had referred the case to the IIHF Disciplinary Board concerning the potential violation of the IIHF Ethics Code due to propaganda for the war in Ukraine by clubs and leagues under its jurisdiction that were brought to its attention in March 2022, and the failure of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation to take any action to stop or report such violations."

In short, the IIHF Ethics Board believed that Russia violated the ethics code and wanted the IIHF Disciplinary Board to follow-up with some sort of measure(s) after the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (RIHF) did nothing to discourage the propaganda displays. Pretty simple, right? The broke the code, so they should be punished.

The Deciding Panel of the IIHF Disciplinary Board reviewed the evidence from the Ethics Board as well as input from the Russian Ice Hockey Federation along with the various exmaples of the propaganda seen at arenas, and found that the RIHF "took no action and did not advise any of the leagues or teams under its jurisdiction to ensure that any signs in the arenas or postings on team or league social media accounts did not promote or support the war". In response to this, the IIHF Disciplinary Board also found that "the images in this matter constitute a breach of Article 2.2.1 (Dignity) of the IIHF Ethics Code".

Pretty cut-and-dry case, I'd say. So what's the punishment?

"The Deciding Panel determined that the appropriate sanction in this matter is a reprimand to the Russian Ice Hockey Federation."

Excuse me? A reprimand is the appropriate sanction? How does that change anything when Putin and his hockey team-owning friends don't care about the IIHF's little slap on the wrist at all? I am baffled and astounded that the IIHF did nothing with the mountains of evidence they could and should have at their fingertips. This makes no sense.

If you want to hurt Putin and his desire to be the world's ultimate autocrat, the people have to turn against him. To do that, removing the chance of glory through sports is vital. In saying that, the international hockey ban for the RIHF should have been extended another year. On top of that, the RIHF would have a three-month deadline to not only get the KHL to comply, but for every other league within Russia's borders to comply with the IIHF Ethics Code as well. If they miss that deadline, everything up to and including the 2026 Winter Olympics would certainly be in jeopardy for Russia hockey teams with no chance for reversing the decision.

I get that the IIHF doesn't want to get involve in politics, but to simply stick their heads in the sand and ignore that they could play a significant role in pressuring Russia to end the invasion of Ukraine seems awfully irresponsible. The fact that Russia was using hockey in a political manner means that the IIHF's response is entirely hypocritical to the situation, but to simply "reprimand" Russia is nearly condoning the behaviour since they really have nothing to lose when it comes to international hockey. And if they have nothing to lose, why would the RIHF comply at all?

I'll be shocked if anything changes in Russia. If the IIHF isn't going to issue a stiff punishment after suspending Russia from all international events for at least another year, what's the point in having an Ethics Code to which countries are supposed adhere? Whatever reason there may be for having the Ethics Code seems pretty irrelevant if the IIHF isn't going to back it with serious punishment for breaking that code.

War is no joke as Ukraine will tell you. Issuing a stern warning to a country who has broken rules time and again is a joke of a punishment, and Russia is laughing at you, IIHF. Maybe stop being a joke of an organization?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!