On Thursday, Alex Ovechkin expressed his support for “peace and love” following his appearance in a commercial for a political party associated with Vladimir Putin during the offseason.
The advertisement for the United Russia party surfaced this week, just days before the Washington Capitals hosted their annual media day. Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer, is returning for his 22nd season with the Capitals.
In the ad, Ovechkin is shown standing next to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with renowned Soviet hockey player Viacheslav Fetisov also featured.
“I’m Russian, and I support my country,” Ovechkin stated on Thursday. “I’m for peace and love, and I hope that it doesn’t matter who you are. I hope everyone understands that everyone wants peace, and everyone hopes that everything will be alright in the world.”
Ovechkin mentioned that he didn’t think twice about taking part in the advertisement.
“They asked me to do that. I said yes,” he explained. “So it’s as simple as that.”
Chris Patrick, the general manager of the Capitals, briefly commented on the situation.
“It’s a tough situation, and I understand why people are upset,” Patrick remarked. “That’s probably all I should say as the general manager of a hockey team, rather than someone who is well-versed in geopolitical matters.”
Previously, in 2017, Ovechkin expressed his support for the Russian president when he initiated the “Putin Team” social movement. At that time, he told reporters, “I just support my country.”
‘No more war,’ Ovie pleaded in 2022
In February 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, Ovechkin stated, “Please, no more war,” when questioned about the situation. Regarding his connection with Putin, he said, “He’s my president, but I’m not involved in politics. I’m an athlete.”
Such responses have often disappointed some of Ovechkin’s critics, including Dominik Hasek, the Hall of Fame goalie from the Czech Republic, who has urged the NHL to suspend contracts of Russian players. Following Ovechkin and Fetisov’s involvement in the commercial, Hasek labeled it as support for the war.
On Thursday, Latvia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs announced Ovechkin’s inclusion on a “personae non gratae” list, barring him from entering the NATO-aligned nation neighboring Russia.
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has appeared in a campaign commercial backing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s political party, United Russia. The NHL has avoided commenting on the ad, saying it would leave that to the team.
This week, Russia’s parliamentary election features United Russia alongside nine other parties that all endorse Putin’s agenda. The only party that opposed the war in Ukraine has been excluded from the ballot.
Supporters of Ovechkin have raised concerns about the potential risks he might face for opposing Putin and the Russian government. Both the Capitals and Ovechkin have emphasized that he plans to reside in Russia in the future.
“I’m going to stay there. I’m going to live there, my kids are going to live there, my family. So I’m for peace and love, and I hope everything will be alright,” Ovechkin, who celebrated his 41st birthday on Thursday, stated. “My home is Russia. D.C. is my second home. I have many friends. I grew up here as a person, and I love D.C. This is my second home. So I hope everything will be okay, and as I said — peace and love for everybody.”
There was speculation that last season might have been Ovechkin’s final one, but he opted to remain with the Capitals for at least another year and remains uncertain about what the future holds beyond the 2026-27 season.
“I’m currently focused on training camp,” Ovechkin said. “I need to make the team.”