NHL Star Defends Putin Party Appearance

Russian hockey star Alexander Ovechkin has defended his appearance in a campaign video for United Russia, the ruling party backed by President Vladimir Putin.

The Washington Capitals captain said he agreed to participate because he is Russian and supports his country. “I'm Russian, and I support my country”, he said. “I'm for peace and love, and I hope in the world it doesn't matter who you are, I hope everybody understands, everybody wants peace and everybody hope everything is going to be okay in the world.”

Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leading goalscorer with 929 goals, has long faced questions over his relationship with Putin and founded the “Putin Team” movement in 2017.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also appears in the video. Ovechkin’s participation has drawn criticism in the US.

Republican Congressman Joe Wilson asked the NHL to review its rules governing players’ involvement in political propaganda, while former goaltender Dominik Hasek described Ovechkin’s appearance as support for Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The Washington Capitals said Ovechkin had been asked to participate while in Russia during the offseason.

(Reuters, mja)