Last week, the Latvian Hockey Federation announced that two NHL players – goalkeepers Elvjas Merzlikin and Teodors Bļuger – would not play in the pre-Olympic qualification tournament in Riga due to personal reasons, without explaining the reasons for their non-appearance in detail. On Monday, the candidates for the national team started official training. Sunday and Monday Arena Riga scheduled test matches with Denmark. The pre-Olympic qualification tournament in Riga will start on Thursday, August 29. Latvia’s opponents will be Slovenia, Ukraine and France. In the four-team tournament, only the winner will get a ticket to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, which will take place in Milan and Cortina.
At the press conference on Monday, the head coach of the Latvian national team, Harijs Vītoliņš, refused to elaborate on the absence of Merzļikin and Bļuger from the national team. “If they want, they will tell themselves,” Vītoliņš was evasive. It was followed by a comment that it was not related to not wanting to play for the national team. “They will be in line for the next tournaments,” said the national team’s head coach. Defender Kārlis Čukste, who last season, will not play in the national team due to personal reasons
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2024-08-20 15:00:30