Opinion: Ovechkin's Political Actions Have Tainted His NHL Legacy

For years now, Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin has been rightfully regarded as one of the greatest goal-scorers of all time. But as dangerous as he is on the ice, the Russian superstar has been playing a far more dangerous game — one with real-world implications — off the ice.

And it could be doing irreparable harm to his Hall of Fame legacy.

Ovechkin appeared in an ad last week for a Russian political party that is aligned with Russian president Vladimir Putin. That decision was not out of character for Ovechkin, who has publicly supported Putin long before Russia invaded Ukraine.

With this latest show of support, however, Ovechkin has opened himself up to fair and legitimate criticism — and it's time he be held responsible for his actions as a popular hockey player who has used his platform in backing a war of aggression. 

Ovechkin cannot have it both ways any longer.

He can't say he is a hockey player — not a politician — but then also appear in a political ad. He cannot claim he wants peace while also supporting his president's senseless war. He cannot feign innocence or ignorance. He cannot hide in his hockey bubble.

And neither can the Capitals, who issued a statement in response to the backlash the franchise and its captain has received following his appearance in the ad.

"Alex Ovechkin is a Russian citizen who lives in Moscow with his family during the offseason and will live there following his retirement," the team said in the statement. "This summer, while in Russia, he was asked by his country to participate in a video campaign.

"As the longest-tenured athlete in Washington, D.C. and a pillar of the community, his focus and ours is on the season ahead and the continued impact he makes on the ice and in our city."

Meanwhile, Capitals general manager Chris Patrick came as close to a rebuke of Ovechkin's actions as we've ever publicly seen from a Capitals employee, telling ESPN's Robert Klemko that "I doubt we'd be standing where we're standing right now if he had run it by us."

Does that sound like a GM who is happy with what Ovechkin has done? 

Ovechkin, who still has a picture of himself with Putin as his profile picture on Instagram, may have received a free pass in the past. But this time, he has seriously erred. This issue is not going to go away. Nor should it.

Had the Capitals taken a harder stance against their golden goose years ago, either by asking Ovechkin to denounce the war or at the very least remaining neutral, they might have prevented this latest debacle from taking place. 

This writer holds no ill will against Russian NHLers. Most of them have no political interests. You don't see any endorsements of Putin from Los Angeles Kings star Artemi Panarin, or Boston Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov, or the Tampa Bay Lightning's Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy.

In fact, Panarin and Zadorov have been openly critical of Putin. Zadorov in particular has been extremely vocal about the current Russian regime.

"I think it's important for me to speak personally," Zadorov said in 2023. "I think hopefully I can change something in this world. It just sucks what's going on over there right now. I think it's just important to be vocal."

Some people want to tell you they don't want politics in sport. In some ways, sports is an escape from the realities of the world.

However, every act, in some way, is political. By ignoring an issue of this magnitude, you effectively take a political stance. So the notion that Ovechkin is making these decisions with no understanding of the political implications that come from it is preposterous.

Ovechkin can try all he wants to claim that he wants peace and love for all. But appearing in a propaganda ad is a very strange way to go about it. 

We understand why some fans will look past this and still see Ovechkin as a hockey hero. That's the beauty of sports. It lionizes athletes and puts them on pedestals of importance. 

What the athlete does once they are on that pedestal is up to them. 

From this writer's perspective, Ovechkin is not a hero and he deserves no excuses. He has made abysmal off-ice choices of his own volition, and now he must be accountable for them — regardless of what that might have done to his reputation.

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