Prior to the first game played by the Soviet Union national ice hockey team, star player Sergei Fedorov defected and signed a five-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings. Soviet administrator Yuri Korolev insisted that his player was stolen by premeditated actions, rather than defecting on his own "under normal circumstances". He said that "having this happen on the eve of the goodwill games, is like a spoon of tar in a barrel of honey",[1] also stating that only players aged 28 and older are allowed by the Soviet government to join NHL teams.[2] With the Soviet Union crumbling, Fedorov was asked to join the team for the 1991 Canada Cup just one year after his defection, which he accepted to represent his country.[3]
