Russia is at the center of another embarrassing international incident and this time it has nothing to do with Vladimir Putin running around shirtless and wrestling with a panda.

Actually, I don’t know if the Russian President has ever tangled with a panda bear or not, but I know the Russian men’s national hockey team is about to get pinned for doing something incredibly dumb.

After getting blasted by Canada 6-1 in the finals of the International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Championships in Prague, the majority of the Russian team skated off the ice before the playing of the Canadian national anthem.

That’s right. They didn’t feel like sticking around to watch the Canadians receive their gold medals and they decided they didn’t have to stand there and listen to O Canada, either.

Oh, brother. In hockey etiquette, that’s like fist bumping the Queen. You just don’t do it.

And now, the Russians are facing sanctions because of it.

“Once we arrive back home after the world championships we will look into this question and we will get in touch with those in charge at the Russian Ice Hockey Federation,” IIHF President Rene Fasel said in a statement to the Russian news agency TASS.

“The IIHF has its own protocol and some sort of punishment will be handed down. When I saw what happened, I was very upset. In the 29 world championships that I have had the honor of attending, this is the first time I have seen something like this. What the Russian team did was completely out of order.”

It should be noted that a handful of the Russian players, including Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin, remained on the ice and showed their respect.

Still, the Russian team’s General Manager called the incident “a shame.”

“Nothing forced our team to leave the ice and it was simply an organizational mistake and it was our mistake and not the one of the organizers,” Andrey Safronov told TASS.

“We are feeling very ashamed and uncomfortable now and on the behalf of the national team I bow to the Canadians. I am lost for words and can say only that there was nothing of a premeditated nature in the incident.”

That’s very nice of him to say, but what the players did was still wrong and now the Russians are going to get penalized for it. All because they wouldn’t stay out on the ice for an extra minute and show some respect for the winning team.

(Reach The Heat Index at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @azbobbymac and listen to him live every Monday at 5:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Radio with Roc and Manuch on AZ Sports Talk and every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. on Fox Sports 910 on The Freaks with Kenny and Crash.)