- Rep. Joe Wilson sent Gary Bettman a letter asking the NHL to review Alex Ovechkin’s appearance in a United Russia campaign ad
- The Capitals say Ovechkin was asked by his country to film the spot while he was home in Moscow this summer
- Read below for what the letter asks the league to clarify and when Ovechkin faces the media
A sitting member of Congress wants the NHL to look into its all-time goal scorer.
Rep. Joe Wilson, a South Carolina Republican, sent a letter Wednesday to commissioner Gary Bettman and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis over Alex Ovechkin’s appearance in a campaign advertisement for United Russia, the party of Vladimir Putin. Wilson posted the full letter on his own X account.
The ask is specific. Wilson wants the league to review the matter and spell out what policies, if any, govern active players appearing in political advertising for foreign political parties. He also asked the NHL and the Capitals to state plainly that they do not endorse the party. Under his signature, Wilson handwrote “Putin is a convicted war criminal!”
Ovechkin appears in one of five campaign clips released ahead of Russia’s parliamentary elections on September 18-20, standing in a group behind foreign minister Sergey Lavrov. RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan, actor Vladimir Mashkov and singer Tatyana Kurtukova are in the same spot. Former NHL defenseman Viacheslav Fetisov turns up elsewhere in the campaign.
Washington addressed the ad earlier in the week. Team spokesman Sergey Kocharov framed the shoot as something that happened while Ovechkin was home for the offseason, in a statement issued by the club.
“Alex Ovechkin is a Russian citizen who lives in Moscow with his family during the offseason and will live there following his retirement. This summer, while in Russia, he was asked by his country to participate in a video campaign.”
None of this is new ground for the Capitals captain. He launched the PutinTeam movement in 2017 and has kept a photo alongside Putin as his Instagram profile picture for years. Wilson cited both in the letter.
Criticism has come from well outside hockey circles. D.C. restaurateur and longtime Capitals fan Jose Andres weighed in on the ad over the weekend:
Media day is Thursday, which puts Ovechkin in front of reporters roughly 24 hours after the letter went public. The Capitals open camp at MedStar Capitals Iceplex, and here is the full rundown:
The league has not responded publicly to the letter. Ovechkin reported back to Washington last week and turns 41 on Thursday, and he starts the season with 929 career goals, every one of them in a Capitals sweater.
