Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is considered the face of the NHL right now. Outside of the rink, fans of hockey will see less of the Russian star.
CCM Hockey, who provides equipment to the best hockey players in the world, will stop promoting Ovechkin and other Russian NHL players in reaction to the Ukraine Invasion this week, according to TSN’s Rick Westhead.
“We are very sad to witness, like the rest of the world, what is happening in Ukraine,” CCM chief executive Marrouane Nabih said in a statement to TSN. “Although Mr. Ovechkin is not responsible for the Russian government’s actions, we took the decision to not use him (or any Russian player) on any global CCM communication at this point.”
Ovechkin wore CCM equipment in the first six years of his NHL career before switching to the Bauer brand. However, he returned to CCM in 2017.
Additionally, MassMutual “will no longer air” Ovechkin’s popular commercial with Capitals teammate Nicklas Backstrom, according to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski.
The commercial started airing at the start of the NHL season and had been airing during NHL broadcasts in the U.S.
Ovechkin has been vocal in his support of Russian president Vladimir Putin throughout his career. In 2017, Ovechkin campaigned for Putin, highlighting a social media movement called “Putin Team.”
Ovechkin’s Instagram profile photo features him posing with Putin.
Last week, Ovechkin called for peace saying “please no more war.”
Ovechkin was later asked if he still supports Putin.
“Well, he is my president,” Ovechkin said per The Athletic. “But how I said, I am not in politics. I am an athlete and you know, how I said, I hope everything is going to be done soon,” Ovechkin said. “It’s (a) hard situation right now for both sides and everything. Everything I hope is going to end. I’m not in control of this situation.”
