The Capitals captain, who turned 41 on Thursday ahead of his 22nd NHL season, recently appeared in a campaign video for United Russia.
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On his 41st birthday, as he prepared to kick off his 22nd NHL season, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin explained why he appeared in a campaign video for United Russia, the country’s governing party that supports President Vladimir Putin.
“The thing about the video, I’m Russian,” Ovechkin said Thursday after the Capitals’ first training camp practice in Arlington, Virginia. “As soon as I’m done playing hockey, I’m probably going — not probably, I’m going to stay there. I’m going to live there. My kids are going to live there. Family. So, I’m for peace and love. I hope everything’s going to be okay.”
The video ran ahead of this weekend’s parliamentary election, the nation’s first since Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In the video, Ovechkin, a longtime supporter of Putin, stands behind Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov among other key Russian figures, including retired Detroit Red Wings defenseman Viacheslav Fetisov.
Ovechkin did not consider the ramifications if he declined the invitation, he said.
“Well, they asked me to do that. I said yes,” he said. “So, simple as that.”
So why did he say yes without hesitation?
“Well, I’d say I’m Russian, and I support my country,” he replied. “I’m for peace and love, and I hope in the world it doesn’t matter who you are. I hope everybody understands.”
Ovechkin has been under increased scrutiny for his support of Putin since the invasion of Ukraine. He’s stepped back from publicly addressing Russian politics since 2022, when he called for peace following the invasion.
Ovechkin reiterated Thursday that he’s for “peace and love” three times throughout his remarks on the subject. Coach Spencer Carbery said Ovechkin’s involvement in the video did not have an impact on the forward’s relationship with him or the team.
General Manager Chris Patrick said that it’s a “difficult situation and that he understands why people are upset” while declining to extensively discuss the subject.
“I may not be a popular sentiment among people critiquing him right now, but it’s a hard situation for him,” Patrick added.
The backlash from outside the organization, including from members of Congress, has grown. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-South Carolina) posted a letter to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on Wednesday asking for the league to review its policy on active players’ involvement in “political advertisements or propaganda on behalf of dictatorial political parties and foreign political regimes.”
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Ovechkin, eager to steer the conversation to hockey, tried to put the focus back on his birthday and the upcoming season.
When the previous campaign ended in April, with the Capitals narrowly missing the postseason, no one knew if Ovechkin was coming back for another season — especially since he had already become the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer.
Pondering his decision, Ovechkin watched as the team loaded up with talent, trading for forwards Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou and signing center Boone Jenner and defenseman Vincent Desharnais. The team was going for it, and Ovechkin wanted to be a part.
“It’s given us a chance to fight for a [Stanley] Cup,” he said.
Every year, he noted, gets harder and harder. And this season is even longer, with the schedule expanding from 82 games to 84 as part of the new collective bargaining agreement. The CBA also shortened training camp, so Ovechkin spent his offseason working on conditioning to try to combat his age and the new calendar.
“It’s truly impressive,” said forward Tom Wilson, the only other player remaining from the team that won the Stanley Cup in 2018. “A lot of guys at 41, we aren’t going to be doing that conditioning drill at the end of practice. We’re going to be on the dock with a beer somewhere.”
What Ovechkin’s production will look like remains to be seen. The increased depth gives Carbery more options and puts less pressure on Ovechkin, and the coach said he expects his usage to fluctuate as needed.
On Thursday, Ovechkin skated on a line with Dylan Strome and Ryan Leonard, who signed an eight-year, $84 million contract Tuesday.
“I’m impressed skill-wise, the talent that we have,” Ovechkin said. “It’s tremendous. It’s going to be a hard decision for [Carbery] to manage the lines. It’s nice. When you don’t have the players and you don’t have the depth, you don’t have the options. Right now, I think the team has options. It’s a good thing.”
The Capitals will kick off their preseason at the Boston Bruins on Sunday and begin the regular season Oct. 2 at the Carolina Hurricanes, the Stanley Cup champions.
That game could kick off Ovechkin’s season-long goodbye tour — not that Ovechkin has made any decisions about his future.
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“I’m focusing right now on training camp — I have to make the team,” he joked.
