Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer, appeared in an ad backing Russian President Vladimir Putin, bringing renewed attention to his controversial, longtime support for the authoritarian ruler.
The TV spot came to light just this week, showing Ovechkin standing in a group that included Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and retired Detroit Red Wings defenseman Viacheslav “Slava” Fetisov, professing their support of Putin’s United Russia party.
The Capitals confirmed that Ovechkin appeared in the spot and said his off-the-ice political work will have no impact on the coming NHL season.
“Alex Ovechkin is a Russian citizen who lives in Moscow with his family during the offseason and will live there following his retirement,” team spokesman Sergey Kocharov said in a statement Wednesday.
“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.”
Ovechkin has had a long, close relationship with Putin. Back in 2017, he launched the “Putin Team” social movement.
Russia has been an international pariah since Putin — who has run the country as president or prime minister since 2000 — launched the invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. Over 250,000 Russian soldiers, up to 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers and nearly 14,000 Ukrainian civilians are estimated to have been killed in the war.
Hall of Fame goaltender Dominik “The Dominator” Hašek has been particularly outspoken against the Putin regime and its supporters.
Hašek called Russia’s ongoing invasion “an imperialist war in Ukraine” and circled Ovechkin’s face in a picture of campaign supporters this week on X.
“Because of each of them, many Ukrainians and Russians will be killed,” wrote Hašek, a native of Pardubice, Czech Republic, who played 16 seasons in the NHL, nine of them with the Buffalo Sabres.
Ovechkin, a three-time Hart Trophy winner who turns 41 this week, has tallied 929 goals in 21 NHL seasons, all with the Capitals.
He overtook Wayne Gretzky on the all-time goal-scoring list when he found the back of the net during an April 6, 2025, game against the New York Islanders.
Ovechkin has hoisted the Stanley Cup once, leading Washington to the title in 2018. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy that year as playoff MVP.
The Capitals open training camp Thursday ahead of the 2026-27 campaign. Washington’s regular-season opener is set for Oct. 2 against the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.
