Washington hockey idol under pressure to maintain support for Putin

When walking the streets of Washington, it is common to see T-shirts with the name of Alex Ovechkin. He is the captain and main idol of the city’s hockey team, the Washington Capitals.

Ovi, as he is called, has played for the team since 2005. He was instrumental in winning the franchise’s first NHL title in 2018, and set several records throughout his career, such as being the league’s top scorer in the 21st century. With that, he became one of the best known names in the sport played on ice.

The Capitals idol is the son of Soviet athletes. His mother, Tatiana Ovechkina, won two Olympic medals in basketball. His father, Mikhail, played football. He was born in 1985 and grew up on the outskirts of Moscow, during the period of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the formation of present-day Russia. His brother Sergei, who encouraged him to play hockey, died when he was ten.

Ovi began his athletic career at Dynamo Moscow, where he played for four years. In 2005, he was signed by the Capitals. In Washington, he scored 52 goals in his first season and was the tournament’s third-highest scorer. He began to be admired there by the crowd, who have celebrated his many achievements since then.

At age 36, Ovi has started the current season on his way to becoming the third-highest scorer in NHL history. He reached the goal by scoring his 766th goal on Tuesday night (8), but the achievement came at one of the most complicated moments of his career.

The player has been pressured by fans in recent matches, both in home games and away duels, for not having condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and for being close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Last Tuesday (8), the crowd in Calgary, Canada, booed when he entered the court and most of the time the sound system announced his name.

The Calgary Flames have paid tribute to Ukraine in their home games, such as playing the country’s anthem. Russian Nikita Zadorov, who plays for the team, published a request to stop the war.

Complaints also accompany Ovi in ​​Washington matches. On the last day 3, fans showed a Ukrainian flag and a poster linking Putin to Hitler. Despite this, there were shouts of “O-vi” when the player scored a goal.

Former goalkeeper Dominik Hasek, one of hockey’s legends, publicly criticized Ovi and called him a “liar and a coward”. “The NHL must suspend the contracts of all Russian players. If the NHL does not do this, it will have indirect responsibility for the deaths in Ukraine”, defended Hasek.

The roughly 50 other Russian players who play in the NHL have also come under pressure. “My clients have received death threats,” Daniel Milstein, who manages more than 20 Russian athletes, told The Washington Post. “Many of them are in a difficult position because they cannot speak publicly. Some are concerned about the well-being of family members who are still in the country,” he said.

Ovi usually spends his holidays in Russia, where his wife, two children and parents live. In the face of threats, the Capitals strengthened the player’s security. They also gave public support to him and his other Russian athletes. “We know they are being put in a difficult situation,” the club said in a statement.

The war has also affected business. Sportswear supplier CCM said it will no longer use Russian players in advertising. And insurance company MassMutual pulled an ad featuring Ovi from the air.

To avoid controversy, athletes from Russia have avoided talking about the war. At the beginning of the month, the Capitals idol made an exception and gave a press conference. He made a plea for peace but avoided criticizing Putin. “It’s a tough situation. I have many friends in Russia and Ukraine. It’s hard to see the war. I hope it ends soon and there is peace in the whole world. Please, no more war”, he asked.

Asked if he continued to support the Russian leader, he said yes. “He’s my president. But I’m not in politics, I’m an athlete. I hope it all ends soon. It’s a tough situation for both sides,” he said.

Ovi maintains a profile picture on Instagram in which he appears next to Putin. In 2017, the player launched an initiative called Putin Team, to bring together athletes, artists and other celebrities who supported the reelection of the Russian leader. “I have never hidden my relationship with our president. I have always supported him openly,” he said at the time.

“Alex, I’ve been your biggest fan for the last 20 years, but this is embarrassing. It’s one thing if you don’t want to say anything about it for fear of what might happen to your family, but having a picture of a war criminal on your profile. It’s disgraceful. I will organize boycotts of all games until you choose humanity over $$$”, commented user Willie Nelson, in one of Putin’s several photos on the athlete’s profile.

In addition to Putin, Ovi has photos with Neymar and Ronaldinho Gaúcho on his Instagram profile.

After the start of the war, the NHL suspended its commercial relations with Russia, which will stop the games being broadcast in the country. The entity said it was concerned about Russian players. “They act on behalf of their NHL clubs, not Russia. We understand that they and their families are in an extremely difficult position,” it said in a statement.

Internationally, the IIHFF (International Ice Hockey Federation) canceled games in Russia and banned the country from playing international tournaments.

If the current crisis is overcome, Ovi could still aim to be the all-time leading scorer in NHL history. The current record, of 894 goals, belongs to Wayne Gretzky, who retired in 1999. There are 128 left to equal it, a number that Ovi usually scores in the sum of a season and a half. It remains to be seen whether external issues will be able to prevent this or whether they will be forgotten over time.