One of the greatest goaltenders of all time and Hockey Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek isn’t going to give Washington Capitals star and NHL legend in his own right, Alex Ovechkin, a pass for where his loyalties may lie.
The 57-year-old, who emerged from what was Czechoslovakia before the fall of the Soviet Union (now the Czech Republic) to star in net for the Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, and Detroit Red Wings, criticized Ovechkin after his comments over the weekend when asked about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“It’s a hard situation. I have family back in Russia and it is scary moments,” Ovechkin said. “But we can’t do anything. We just hope it going to be end soon and everything is going to be all right. Please, no more war. It doesn’t matter who is in the war — Russia, Ukraine, different countries — I think we live in a world, like, we have to live in peace and a great world.”
Ovechkin is a long-time known supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin and even has a picture of the two together as the profile picture on his official Instagram account. While Putin has been the aggressor by attacking a sovereign nation, Ovechkin attempted to toe the line without condemning the dictator.
“What!? Not only an ablist, a chickens—t, but also a liar! Every adult in Europe knows well, that Putin is a mad killer and that Russia is waging an offensive war against the free country and its people,” Hasek wrote. “The NHL must immediately suspend contracts for all Russian players! Every athlete represents not only himself and his club, but also his country and its values and actions. That is a fact.
“If the NHL does not do so, it has indirect co-responsibility for the dead in Ukraine. I also want to write, that I am very sorry for those Russian athletes, who condemn Putin and his Russian aggression in Ukraine. However, at the moment I also consider their exclusion a necessity.”
