The NHL uses a goal gun belonging to Vladimir Putin’s supporters in its marketing.
During Christmas week, Aleksandr Ovetškin became second in the NHL’s all-time scoring statistics. PDO
One of the significant stories of the current NHL season is that of the Washington Capitals forward Aleksandr Ovechkin journey towards Wayne Gretzky a goal record of 894. By Christmas, the Russian striker would overtake himself as second on the all-time list Gordie Howen after hitting his 802nd career hit.
The NHL plans to make the most of this delicious situation. On Tuesday, it published a video on its YouTube channel, the Finnish title of which is “The hunt has begun”. The video is a compilation of Ovechkin’s journey towards the second place in the scoring statistics and the promise that the forward is ready to break Gretzky’s record, which seemed almost impossible. The pursuit was also celebrated on Twitter.
However, the extraordinary and historical situation is overshadowed by the attacker’s warm relationship with the Russian president to Vladimir Putin. Ovechkin is a staunch supporter of Putin and even after the start of the war of aggression in Ukraine, he kept a joint picture with his president as his profile picture on his Instagram account. Publications containing birthday wishes to Putin have also remained on display.
In Europe, Russian athletes have been treated differently since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, but in North America the situation is different. The Russian players have been allowed to play as usual in the NHL, and many fans think that sports and politics should not be mixed together. Ovechkin also supports this idea, as he has not wanted to comment on Russia’s military actions or talk about politics in general.
A tricky subject
Aleksandr Ovechkin has avoided questions about the ongoing war in Ukraine. PDO
Now that Ovechkin passed Howe on the goals list, the striker’s political role has become even more of a topic of conversation in North America. A well-known reporter for the New York Post Larry Brooks wrote his own his analysis about the Russian striker’s achievements and the values he represents.
– It is impossible to celebrate Ovechkin, who for years has been linked to Vladimir Putin, who is guilty of genocide, and his politics, and tried to lead an organization that supports him in 2017.
In 2017, Ovechkin was the advertising face of PutinTeam, which supports Putin’s presidential election campaign. He also sided with Putin in 2014 during the occupation of the Crimean peninsula. The NY Post reporter does not want to ignore these political actions while the Russian player is basking in the spotlight at the moment.
– Would a German-born baseball player have been celebrated in the USA in the 1940s if he had publicly admired and supported Adolf Hitler In the 1930s, the reporter thinks.
Ovechkin will soon have his name in the record books again, as he is just two shots away from the most empty-net goals. The current record of 56 is held by none other than Gretzky.
– Ovechkin is chasing history and is an icon. This should be a great ride for any sports fan to follow. But it’s not that simple. What is worthy of admiration? He’s not a hero, Brooks decides.