Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ripped the country’s national hockey team apart after an uninspiring performance at the 2017 IIHF World Hockey Championships.
After Belarus finished second-to-last in Group B, Lukashenko went on to call the team ‘absolutely spineless’ and that the players lack ambition. He also ridiculed the coaches by calling their work ‘disgusting’.
The president let it all out and continued, saying: “ Even if you lose, then play with soul and the people will forgive you. But when you go out there, you’ve lost the game before it even begins and your legs are shaking.”
The team avoided relegation from the Worlds but will not compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics after losing to Slovenia in a qualifying tournament last year. There were no current NHL players on the team’s roster, however former Montreal Canadiens twins Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn both participated.
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Perhaps the added pressure from Lukashenko will spark a stronger performance from the team in next year’s tournament. Their best outing came in the 2006 championships held in Riga, Latvia, where they finished in sixth place.
(H/T Sports Illustrated)
