A prominent Russian hockey player playing in the U.S. National Hockey League has been excluded from an official White House celebration over domestic abuse charges, the TASS news agency reported Tuesday.
Vyacheslav Voinov cannot take part in any official events for the team because he was disqualified by the NHL after domestic abuse charges were filed against him, the agency reported, citing Luc Robitaille, president of business operations for the Los Angeles Kings.
Voinov was arrested last October in California's Redondo Beach, with charges of assaulting his wife leveled against him a month later. The NHL disqualified him immediately after he was arrested.
On Monday, U.S. President Barack Obama personally congratulated all the Los Angeles players for winning the Stanley Cup, the most prestigious award in hockey.
Voinov faces up to nine years in prison for the charges against him, which he has denied.
Jury selection in the case is set to begin on March 2, with the trial to begin shortly after, TASS reported.
As long as Voinov is disqualified, he is prohibited from training along with his other team members, though he continues to train separately, Robitaille was cited as saying.
