(Arlington) The majority of Russian players in the National Hockey League (NHL) have so far remained silent on the invasion of Ukraine by the regime of President Vladimir Putin. A silence largely explained by the fear of reprisals against their families.
Posted at 8:23 p.m.
Of the 41 Russian-born players currently playing in the NHL, only Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin and Calgary Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov have spoken out about the outbreak of war. This short list should not grow significantly longer given the real threat to athletes and their families.
“It’s tough for all the Russian players in the league,” said Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan, who has three other Russians on his roster. There is enormous pressure on them to express a political opinion one way or the other. They have to weigh the way they want to live their life and express their opinions on the one hand and the consequences this could have on them on the other. It’s a very difficult situation for these guys. »
Several agents who represent Russian hockey players have told The Associated Press about the challenges the armed conflict poses for their clients, but declined to be named for fear of the possible consequences.
They said gamers have been warned not to speak out about Ukraine due to the political climate in Russia, where the government is considering criminalizing the spread of what it considers to be false information about its military operation in Ukraine.
Agent Dan Milstein, who represents more than a dozen Russian and Belarus players who have played at least one NHL game this season, including Tampa Bay Lightning Stanley Cup champions Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Milstein says he has received email and social media threats since telling ESPN that several of his clients were being harassed.
“It’s just me, the Ukrainian agent, who gets all this,” shares Milstein, who was born in Kyiv and left Ukraine as a political refugee when the Soviet Union collapsed. “It was difficult for some (players). Some find refuge in sports by jumping onto the ice to play hockey. But could you imagine jumping on the ice and competing knowing that your wife and newborn are at home, unprotected? »
Ovechkin’s wife, children and parents are in Russia. The parents of his longtime Pittsburgh Penguins rival, Evgeni Malkin, also still live in Russia.
PHOTO ROB CARR, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
Alexander Ovechkin
Milstein said he appreciated the efforts of the National Hockey League, Players Association, teams and police departments. Earlier this week, the NHL issued a statement in which it shared its “concerns about the well-being of Russian players who play in the league and represent their organization and not Russia. We understand that they and their family are placed in an extremely difficult position.”
An NHL spokesperson added that the league wanted to stand by that statement, without elaborating further. On the side of the Players Association, it is noted that discussions have taken place with the league to strengthen security measures.
Whether it was the outing of Ovechkin, who is openly pro-Putin but pleaded for peace, or the post of Zadorov who claimed on Instagram “NO TO WAR” and “STOP IT!” ! ! “, the reactions were very numerous in both directions.
Ovechkin has been criticized for failing to condemn Putin’s actions when Zadorov could be banned from the Russian national team.
The only Russian NHL player to openly voice his opposition to President Putin, New York Rangers forward Artemi Panarin, deleted all traces of his criticism from his Instagram account and has since set it to private mode.
According to agents interviewed by The Associated Press, the majority of threats come from social media and they do not believe that Russian gamers in North America are in any more danger than the general population. Several insist on the fact that the threats weigh first on the relatives of the players, who are in Russia, in the event that they speak out against the war.
The majority of NHL players have been advised not to speak publicly about the Ukraine invasion. Ovechkin is obviously a special case given his status as one of the most popular and influential athletes in both Russia and the US capital.
At a press conference, he said: “Please stop the wars. It doesn’t matter who is involved in the war, Russia, Ukraine, other countries. I believe that we live in a world, where we must live in peace. »
MacLellan has made it clear that Ovechkin and his compatriots Evgeni Kuznetsov, Dimitri Orlov and Ilya Samsonov can count on the Capitals’ support.