(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

PRAGUE (AP) The war in Ukraine threw a wrinkle into the National Hockey League's planned return to Europe next month to play its first games outside North America since the start of the pandemic.

The Czech Foreign Ministry told two NHL teams opening their seasons in Prague that any Russian players would not be welcome because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It may not amount to an outright ban and league officials downplayed the potential impact, but it added a layer of uncertainty to a Global Series the NHL is proud of.

The Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks are set to play regular-season games Oct. 7 and 8 at Prague's O2 Arena as part of the series that is intended to put the world's top players on display, primarily in Europe. There are not many Russians on the two rosters: Nashville has forward Yakov Trenin and San Jose has Alexander Barabanov, along with Evgeny Svechnikov, who is in training camp on a tryout agreement.

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