Alexander Ovechkin answered some difficult questions earlier in the week about his native country Russia invading Ukraine, and one NHL Hall of Famer is not happy with the way the Washington Capitals star has handled the situation.
Former NHL goaltender Dominik Hasek, who spent most of his career with the Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings, unloaded on Ovechkin in an animated Twitter rant on Saturday. The 57-year-old Czech called Ovechkin “chicken s—” and called for all Russian NHL players to have their contracts suspended.
“What!? Not only an alibist, a chicken s–, but also a liar!” Hasek wrote in response to Ovechkin’s comments (edited by LBS for profanity). “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. The NHL must immediately suspend contracts. The NHL must immediately suspend contracts for all Russian players! Every athlete represents not only himself and his club, but also his country and its values and actions. That is a fact. If the NHL does not do so, it has indirect co-responsibility for the dead in Ukraine.”
Hasek said he feels “very sorry” for the Russian athletes who have condemned Russian president Vladimir Putin’s actions. However, he feels “their exclusion is a necessity.”
Hockey reporter Rick Westhead has confirmed that the Twitter account does, indeed, belong to Hasek.
Hasek’s opinion has obviously not been very popular. Some people were unhappy with the way Ovechkin answered questions about Russia’s invasion. That doesn’t mean every professional Russian athlete should be unemployed.
Hasek won a gold medal at the 1998 Olympics while playing for the Czech Republic. He also won two Stanley Cups with Detroit and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014.
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