Russia won its case, and now nobody wants to play it

The Court of Arbitration for Sport can order the IIHF to let Russia back in. It can't make anybody line up across from them. By Tuesday night, six of the 16 nations in next year's men's World Championship had said they won't, and that turns a legal win into a schedule nobody can play.

Here's how fast it moved. CAS ruled on Oct. 30 that the IIHF has to reinstate Russian teams, starting with the World Juniors that open Dec. 26 in Edmonton and Red Deer. Finland started rallying other federations on Monday. Sweden's board followed on Tuesday, a few days after saying it wouldn't boycott.

"The Three Crowns will not play Russia in coming world championship tournaments," Swedish federation head Anders Larsson said.

Norway joined the same day. Its association said Russia "should be excluded from all international championships as long as the war in Ukraine continues and remains unchanged," and cited player and staff safety.

Denmark and Latvia are in. The Czechs signaled support, and Austria is weighing it.

The money and the hosts

This isn't only federations. Nokian Tyres says it will stop sponsoring the World Championship if Russia takes part. AJ Products, a sponsor since 1989, wants its logo off the boards if Russia plays.

Germany's federation says it could give up hosting the 2027 men's Worlds over cost and security. Turku says it won't co-host the 2028 World Juniors with Russia in the field.

When the sponsors, the host and a third of the field all walk the same direction, the ruling stops being the hard part.

The kids go first

Here's the ugly piece. Russia's return starts with teenagers, and it starts in Alberta in 53 days. Hockey Canada says it's still seeking clarity from the IIHF. The federal government opposes Russia's return, while Alberta's premier, Danielle Smith, says the province will comply with the ruling.

And somebody has to make room. Norway was the last team to qualify for the World Juniors. "If RUS is added, it is a huge possibility that NOR is out," Norway's general secretary, Petter Salsten, wrote. A team that earned its spot on the ice could lose it in a courtroom it never entered.

The Russian stars aren't the ones paying for any of this. Kirill Kaprizov has 15 goals in 16 games, per NHL data. Nikita Kucherov has 18 points in 13 games while asking out of Tampa. None of them is playing the World Juniors, and plenty of them will be busy in May anyway.

Meg Halloran: The women's Worlds in Denmark go on without Russia this week. The real test on our side is the U18 Women's Worlds in Czechia in January, where the federation is already talking to its government about entry for Russian players.

Ferda take

The IIHF built this mess by never writing a rule it could defend in court, and now its members are writing one for it in public. A Worlds where six teams forfeit to the same opponent isn't a tournament. It's a protest with a schedule.

The call: Norway plays in Edmonton, and Russia doesn't. And Russia doesn't play a game at the 2027 men's Worlds either, one way or another.