Hasek wants NHL’s Russians suspended
Hall of Famer rips Capitals star Ovechkin
Hockey Hall of Famer and former Blackhawk Dominik Hasek has called for the NHL to “immediately suspend contracts for all Russian players” in the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Czech legend also had some choice words for Capitals Russianborn star Alex Ovechkin, a supporter of Vladimir Putin.
Hasek, who played in the NHL for 16 seasons and is widely considered one of the best goaltenders of all time, called Ovechkin an “alibist,” a “liar” and a “chicken [expletive]” after Ovechkin failed to publicly denounce Putin and his country’s aggression.
“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, 57, tweeted Saturday.
A day earlier, Ovechkin was asked whether he supports Putin amid the invasion.
“He’s my president, but . . . I’m not in politics,” Ovechkin told reporters Friday. “I’m an athlete, and I hope everything is going to be done soon. It’s a hard situation right now for both sides . . . . I’m not in control of the situation.”
Although Ovechkin said “it’s hard to see the war,” Hasek said Ovechkin and other complicit Russian players should be “immediately suspend[ed]” from the league.
“Every athlete represents not only himself and his club, but also his country and its values and actions. That is a fact,” Hasek tweeted. “If the NHL does not do so, it has indirect co-responsibility for the dead in Ukraine.”
Hasek acknowledged that a sweeping suspension of Russian NHL players would unfortunately include those who “condemn V. Putin and his Russian aggression in Ukraine. However, at the moment I also consider their exclusion a necessity.
“I am very sorry for those Russian athletes.’’
Ovechkin had started a social movement supporting Putin ahead of the 2017 Russian presidential election, and a photo of the two is the winger’s profile picture on Instagram.
On Friday, Ovechkin said he hoped there soon would be peace.
“It’s a hard situation. I have lots of friends in Russia and Ukraine, and it’s hard to see the war,” he told reporters Friday. “I hope soon it’s going to be over and there’s going to be peace in the whole world.”
Ovechkin’s wife, children and other family members are in Russia, so he has been following the situation.
He said it was too early for him to decide whether his family would stay there.
“I don’t want to see nobody get hurt, nobody get killed,” he said of the war. “I hope it’s going to be over, and we’re going to live in a good world.”
He continued: “Please, no more war. It doesn’t matter who’s in a war. Russia, Ukraine, different countries. I think we live in a world, like, we have to live in peace and a great world.”