From death threats to corporate backlash, Russian NHL players in difficult spot
WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin bolted out of the tunnel for pregame warmups Thursday night, the first Washington Capital onto the ice. The usual complement of No. 8 jerseys bearing his name dotted the crowd, and in a few hours that crowd would chant his name. If Ovechkin peered across the ice and into the corner, he would have seen a small Ukrainian flag pressed against the glass, next to a placard with Vladimir Putin’s face superimposed over an image of Adolf Hitler.
Amid the churn of the NHL season, Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine has been inescapable for the league’s several dozen Russian players, including some of the top athletes in the sport, headlined by Ovechkin. They have faced online threats and alleged verbal abuse, prompting the NHL and some teams — including the Capitals — to bolster security. Sponsors have backed away from their connection to Russian players, while lower leagues have limited their participation.
Across the world, athletes and federations have ostracized Russian athletes, part of a global push to isolate Russia and Putin. FIFA suspended Russia from international competition. Facing pressure from athletes from other nations, the International Paralympic Committee banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Paralympics. Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich said he would sell the celebrated London football club Chelsea FC. Droves of leagues and federations have excluded Russian teams and athletes.
The bans have made Russian NHL players at once some of the most visible Russians in North America and some of the only Russian athletes competing on a major stage. While under immense, implicit pressure from the Russian government, they have faced backlash in arenas, on social media and in cities where they play.
“My clients have been receiving death threats,” agent Daniel Milstein, who represents more than two dozen Russian players, said Tuesday in a phone conversation. “My clients’ babies on Instagram have been called Nazis. My clients on the streets in different towns, on the road or at home, have been told to get the f out of the country and go back to Russia. And this is all in the last six days.”
Milstein has felt a distinct emotional toll. He is a Ukrainian Jew who fled Kyiv for the United States in December 1991, during the final days of the Soviet Union’s existence. He immigrated, he said, with one suitcase and 17 cents to his name. As his heart breaks for Ukraine, he is also speaking up for Russians who may lack the wherewithal to speak out for themselves.
“Most of them are in a tough spot, because they can’t publicly speak,” Milstein said. “Some of them are concerned for the wellbeing of their family members who are still at home. And so I can tell you one thing: Nobody wants war. With that said, they’re in a very difficult spot. One of the guys who said ‘no war’ publicly, his family was one of the families that has gotten ill wishes and death threats, too. Even he got it.”
Milstein said the NHL has been “phenomenal” in arranging extra security for Russian players. In a statement last week, the league condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine and announced it had suspended all business relationships in Russia and shut down its Russianlanguage media outlets. It also acknowledged the challenge Russian players face.
“We also remain concerned about the well-being of the players from Russia, who play in the NHL on behalf of their NHL Clubs, and not on behalf of Russia,” the statement read. “We understand they and their families are being placed in an extremely difficult position.”
“There’s stress,” said Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan, whose 23-man roster includes four Russians. “They’re constantly thinking about the situation back home and here. There are conversations with family, conversations with people they know in both countries. They have relationships with Ukrainian people, too. I think they’re just trying to process that.”
Many Russian players — including stars like Pittsburgh’s Evgeny Malkin and St. Louis’s Vladimir Tarasenko — have offered no public comment as their country cracks down on dissent. Calgary Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov is a notable exception. As the invasion began, Zadorov posted an Instagram photo consisting solely of the words “NO WAR” above his caption: “Stop it!”
Zadorov posted the image knowing it likely meant he would never play for Russia’s national team again, understanding it could endanger family members. Putin has often turned to sports for propaganda. A high-profile athlete protesting the government would draw especially fierce rebuke.
“It’s difficult for all the Russian players in the league,” MacLellan said. “There’s a lot of pressure put on them to have a political opinion either way, and they’re trying to balance out how they live their lives and what their political opinions are and the repercussions that could happen back home.”
New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin, a vocal critic of Putin and supporter of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, took a leave of absence last year after a former Russian coach made accusations, printed in a Russian newspaper, that Panarin assaulted an 18year-old woman in 2011. The Rangers called the allegation “clearly an intimidation tactic being used against him for being outspoken on recent political events.” It perhaps shouldn’t be surprising that most Russian players have since avoided political commentary.
No Russian player has faced harsher scrutiny in North America than Ovechkin. The Capitals have added security personnel for Ovechkin, who has long supported Putin in public. In 2017, Russia built a “social movement” called “PutinTeam” around Ovechkin. “I never hid my relationship with our president, always openly supported him,” Ovechkin wrote in announcing PutinTeam.
Ovechkin was criticized after a news conference this past Friday in which called Putin “my president.” Despite his history of promoting Putin, Ovechkin insisted he was only an athlete and asked for peace.
“Please, no more war,” Ovechkin said. “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.”
The profile picture on Ovechkin’s Instagram page remains him smiling and posing next to Putin, flashing a peace sign. One Capitals official asked rhetorically what would happen if Ovechkin, who lives with his family in Russia in the offseason, removed the profile photo.
“He’s been put under an incredible amount of pressure,” MacLellan said. “Because of his status, he’s put in a hard situation to probably handle the situation that I’m not sure he’s fully thought out. It’s hard for him. We talk to him. He gets pressured from all sides — from North America, from Russia, from family, from a lot of different people. He tries to sort it out how he can handle it. We try to support him.”
Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov, 21, grew up in Barnaul, Russia. Coach Rod Brind’Amour said he and Svechnikov have shared “one little conversation” about the pressures associated with the war. Brind’Amour said Svechinkov has not let the situation affect him on the ice, using the hockey rink as a bubble.
Svechnikov, though, has carefully considered his public stance. He planned to make his first public comments since the invasion Thursday in Washington. He decided after a morning stake session to wait another few days, a Carolina spokesman said, so he could further gather his thoughts.
Carolina forward Jordan Martinook, an alternate captain, has noticed the criticism other Russian hockey players have received. He emphasized that Svechnikov had no control over the situation and vowed to defend him if necessary.
“We’ll support him as much as he needs,” Martinook told reporters. “If anybody tries to make him feel bad about the situation, then he’s got 23 brothers in there that will stick up for him.”