02-24-2022, 12:02 PMThatguy91 Wrote: Some pretty terrible takes in this thread. Honestly, I am pretty disappointed.

Plenty of countries have done terrible things, and still do. That doesn't justify Putins actions. Thats a weak ass excuse. Most of the world has agreed to move past what Russia is and has been doing to the Ukraine since 2014. The Russian state has showed that it wants to descend back into some absurd neo-barbarian frame of mind where national conquest is still the most lofty achievement a nation can aspire to.

You wouldn't allow Germany to use a swastika on their IIHF teams logo, even though no Germans or German players on this site have ever taken part in the atrocities of that regime. It is not the general populous that we abhor, its the symbol and what it stands for that we take issue with. The Russian federation has showed over and over again that it does not respect the sovereignty of other nations nor international law. The Russian flag is not a symbol of its people, its a symbol of a vile, corrupt and tyrannical dictator and his close knit group of oligarch friends. That is what the flag represents. It stopped representing the people of that nation as soon as what little democracy they had in Russia died. It stopped representing the people of Russia when Putin became head of state for life.

For Gods sake, Putin has literally just ordered the deaths of thousands of people for nothing more than strengthening his personal image and his legacy AND he is currently holding the world hostage with threats of nuclear war and there are people that take issue with distancing our league from this? Some of you took so much offence to what Talls recently did that you pushed him off the site, but having fictional hockey players represent a country that has a 21st century Hitler as its head of state is okay? I think its time to take a long, hard look in the mirror.

Maybe its because the majority of users on this site are North American, but to the majority of Europeans right now, that flag represents nothing but fear and death. It represents the illusions of grandeur of one of the most deranged leaders in recent history who has shown that he is willing to set the world ablaze to satisfy his personal pride. If we are so concerned with making people feel comfortable and welcome in this league I don't think we need that represented here. Let Russia play as the OAR.

Nobody here is disagreeing with you. But to punish the users on Team Russia for something that has absolutely nothing to do with them is silly and unfair.