Should Russian hockey players be expelled en bloc from the National Hockey League during the war in Ukraine?
Posted at 7:18 a.m.
Yes, answer some.
No, reply the others.
Between the two ? Little room for nuance. However, it is in this very small interstice that the best answer is to be found.
In the first camp, we find the supporters of the hard line. Those who want the immediate revocation of the work visas of all Russian hockey players in North America. They are numerous. Noisy. Their argument: all small gestures are essential to destabilize the Kremlin.
On paper, it holds up. In reality ? No. Sanctions do not all have the same deterrent power. Do you really think that Vladimir Putin will look for Alexander Romanov in the Canadian line-up before deciding to drive a missile into the heart of a children’s hospital in Kyiv?
Neither do I.
Also, Russian hockey players in the NHL are not all sandwich men for their president. Yes, the Poutinists exist. We’ll talk about that in two minutes. But there are also opponents of the regime. Especially Artemi Panarin. It would still be a shame if the New York Rangers star forward were kicked out of the NHL because of the murderous madness of a despot he had the courage to publicly denounce…
In the other camp, we find the militants of the status quo. They are convinced that no Russian NHL player should be expelled. In the name of what ? In the name of the great principle of the separation of sport and politics.
Nice formula. It fits well in an aristocratic pamphlet of the XIXand century. Except that since 1896, the world has changed. Just a little.
Today, politics and sport are inseparable. Like Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. Sometimes it’s subtle.
Think of the Canadian, who participates in the reconciliation effort with indigenous peoples or who raises funds for the victims of the war in Ukraine. But sometimes it lacks finesse.
We have lost count of the autocrats, oligarchs and dictators who buy clubs to soften their international profile. There’s even a word for it: sports washing. And guess who is a great world champion of sports washing ? Russia. It even created its own hockey league, the KHL, and granted a franchise to China to heal its relationship with the local government. These days, the KHL hammers its spectators with war propaganda, even in the middle of games. So for the separation of sport and politics, we will come back.
Opponents of the expulsion of Russian players also argue that it is xenophobic to discriminate against an athlete because of their country of origin. Basically, I totally agree. Except that’s a bit hypocritical.
No, not all people are free to choose the country in which they want to work.
Governments impose restrictions. Sports leagues too. Not just in Japan. Not just in Switzerland. Right here in Quebec. CF Montreal is subject to a foreign player limit. The Alouettes too. Same thing for junior hockey clubs or RSEQ university teams. And I point out that the Major League Baseball Players Association has just refused to allow prospects from countries other than Canada or the United States to be included in the amateur draft.
When was the last #manifencours on the subject?
…
That’s what I thought.
So, what do we do with the Russian players?
Where do we draw the line?
And above all, according to what criteria?
Russian athletes – especially hockey players – do not constitute a monolithic political bloc. They can be divided into three groups.
Dissidents – rare.
Poutinists – many.
The silent – majority.
We cannot ask dissidents to do more. They are already at a huge risk to their safety and that of their families. Silent people are under increasing pressure to speak out. To denounce the atrocities committed in Ukraine. An idea recently heard would be to link their permit to work here to a statement against the regime of Vladimir Putin.
I’m against. Athletes have the right to remain silent. Silence is also a political position. Maybe not the one you prefer. Certainly not the most effective way to destabilize Vladimir Putin. But it remains a legitimate and understandable decision, given the fate suffered by the dissidents.
Remain the Poutinists.
They are numerous.
And popular.
The best known of them here is Alexander Ovechkin. An exceptional hockey player, on his way to breaking the goalscoring record in NHL history. In Russia, he’s a gigavedette – and one of Vladimir Putin’s staunchest allies.
What you have to understand is that Ovechkin is no ordinary Poutinist. He is not just a political supporter, like the zillions of hockey players and baseball players who have declared their support for Donald Trump or Barack Obama.
The Washington Capitals winger is also an activist AND a former political organizer.
In 2017, he himself founded a political movement, Putin Team, to unite supporters of Vladimir Putin. This group then recruited important influencers. Who ? Ilya Kovalchuk. Evgeny Malkin. Figure skater Evgeni Plushenko. Pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva. Putin Team has enabled Vladimir Putin to strengthen his image among young people, in Russia and abroad.
You will tell me that was before the war, five years ago. It’s true. That Ovechkin should not be punished for his past engagements. It defends itself. Except that already, at that time, dissidents were poisoned. Opponents, imprisoned. Investigative journalists, killed. The cases were numerous and were exposed in the international press. Remember among others Alexander Litvinenko, infected with polonium in London. It is this regime that Ovechkin knowingly chose to help.
Why criticize him now more than five years ago? The same question arises about the oligarchs and other close associates of Vladimir Putin being punished by the West. Because with the war, the entire Russian political class is now under the microscope. Moreover, Ovechkin did not distance himself from Putin. Still Monday evening, his profile photo, on Instagram, showed him alongside Vladimir Putin.
Don’t get me wrong: Ovechkin has the right to politically support whoever he wants. However, by creating a political movement in support of a politician who subsequently chose to invade a country with a democratically elected government, and by not clearly distancing himself, Ovechkin also exposes himself to criticism and consequences.
The Capitals player defended himself two weeks ago for being in favor of war. “I’m not in politics,” he said, deliberately forgetting the movement he himself created. “I am an athlete, and I hope it will all be over soon. It is a difficult situation for both sides. I am not in control of the situation. »
Difficult situation for both sides? Let us agree that the suffering is not distributed equitably. Yes, the Russians are suffering from the economic sanctions imposed after the outbreak of the war. But millions of Ukrainians have had to leave their homes to escape the bombs. Many of their towns are under siege. Others are being destroyed altogether. His argument was not convincing.
I don’t think the NHL will crack down on Ovechkin. It’s not in the habits of the house. Governments, on the other hand, can act. It’s still amazing to see how a collaborator so close to Vladimir Putin was able to come and work so easily in Canada last week, when the West is increasing the sanctions against the close guard of the Russian president.