Ukrainian-Canadian protesters came out in droves on Tuesday as Russian NHL player Alex Ovechkin played in his first game in the country this season, which will be his last in the league.
Ovechkin has been outspoken in his support for Vladimir Putin, and his game against the Ottawa Senators came weeks before the World Juniors will be held in Alberta as Russian athletes’ participation remains up in the air.
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“I don’t know what to say,” Ovechkin said of the protests before the game.
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“It’s absolutely not acceptable,” Mike Ryndzak, a member of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress said of Ovechkin playing in Ottawa, via CBC. “It’s a war. Destruction and devastation is going on as we speak and for them it’s business as usual.
The UCC last month called on Canada to ban Ovechkin “and other supporters of Russia’s genocide against Ukraine.”
As for the World Juniors, Canada officials originally said Russian players would be barred from playing next month despite the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) lifting the ban. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) said it disagreed with the CAS but said last week it is “taking the necessary steps required” to comply with the CAS ruling to allow Russia to play.
Prime Minister Mark Carney originally said Russian athletes would not be permitted to play.
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“It’s his thoughts, his decisions,” Ovechkin said of Carney.
“But I’m pretty sure if you’re going to ask the fans, the fans want to see the best players out there. And the fans want to see young generation players who are going to be future stars, future NHLers. But it’s not up to us.”
Russia did not compete in Olympic hockey earlier this year, the first since 2014 that had NHL players, nor was it included in the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off. Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, four days after Olympic competition ended.
Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, Norway, Latvia and Denmark came out with statements signing up for a boycott of games against Russia as long as the war in Ukraine is ongoing. Germany, the host of the 2027 men’s world championships, also suggested backing out if Russia was allowed to play.
Putin put out a statement through the state-run Russian outlet TASS calling out organizations that are preventing Russian athletes from competing for their country.
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Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer, announced last month that this would be his final season in the NHL.
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