An N.H.L. spokesman did not respond to requests for comment from Commissioner Gary Bettman. But the league is working with police services in some of its 32 team cities to provide extra patrols around the arenas and homes of players.
Milstein said his Russian clients on N.H.L. rosters want nothing to do with the war in Ukraine but fear the consequences of speaking out.
Russia-Ukraine War: Key Things to Know
Card 1 of 4Chernobyl nuclear facility. The International Atomic Energy Agency said that the defunct power plant had been disconnected from electricity, though there was no need for immediate alarm. A power loss could affect the facility’s ability to keep the water that cools radioactive material circulating and lead to safety issues.
Evacuation efforts. Russian and Ukrainian forces said they were working on a temporary agreement to allow evacuations from six cities. In Mariupol, attempts to negotiate a cease-fire have fallen apart amid artillery fire and bombing.
On the diplomatic front. Vice President Kamala Harris began a three-day trip to Poland and Romania, as the United States and its NATO allies urgently try to find a way to help Ukraine defend itself without getting pulled into a wider war against Russia.
The ruble’s descent. To prop up Russia's currency, which has been declining as a result of Western-imposed sanctions, the Central Bank of Russia announced new rules for foreign-currency accounts in Russia, seemingly intended to curb people’s ability to convert rubles into other currencies.
“Of course, they’re worried not only about their families but also they are extremely worried about what is happening in Russia,” he said. “My clients don’t want the war, my clients want world peace. My clients are concerned for all the people in Ukraine and Russia, everybody.”
The hockey equipment maker CCM said last week it would stop using Ovechkin and other Russian players in global marketing campaigns.
Russian and Belarusian players and teams have been barred from all international competitions by the International Ice Hockey Federation. They also face calls for sanctions from fans, some governments and even the Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky.
Gretzky, 61, and still one of the most influential people in hockey, called for Russia to be barred from the rescheduled 2022 men’s world junior tournament shortly before the I.I.H.F. barred the country. He later explained on the Toronto radio station Sportsnet 590 that he was thinking of the large numbers of people of Ukrainian descent who live in Canada, especially Edmonton, where the tournament will be played in August.
“I just couldn’t relate to how we were going to welcome a country that is at war, to a city that has tons of Ukrainian family members that are still living in Ukraine,” said Gretzky, who won four Stanley Cup championships with Edmonton. “And I got some pushback from people that said, ‘Why punish the Russian kids?’