The Washington Capitals handed the microphone to Alex Ovechkin‘s sons Sergei and Ilya before Wednesday’s home opener, letting them announce their father onto the ice for the last opening night of his career. The clip traveled widely as a warm family moment. Dominik Hasek read it as something else entirely.
The Czech Hall of Famer was careful to separate the children from his target.
“It is not Ovechkin’s children’s fault that their father is a supporter of murderers and the worst Russian criminals, led by Putin,” Hasek wrote on X.
His criticism was aimed at the organizations.
“What the Capitals and the NHL did yesterday involving Ovechkin’s sons is absolutely atrocious. Both boys were knowingly exploited by the Capitals to support Russia’s imperialist war and justify the worst Russian crimes,” he wrote.
Hasek went on to name Gary Bettman, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis and the league’s other owners, arguing they understood what the ceremony represented, and claimed the boys would one day come to understand it themselves. He finished by saying the NHL would “pay a heavy price” for it.
Why does Dominik Hasek criticize Alex Ovechkin?
He has been doing this since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, calling repeatedly for the NHL to bar Russian players and describing their continued participation as an endorsement of the war. Last month he argued that Ovechkin should be refused entry to Canada and the United States after the captain appeared in a campaign video for United Russia.
This particular complaint also isn’t new. In February 2023, after Ovechkin’s then four-year-old son Sergei took a shot on Roberto Luongo during All-Star weekend, Hasek said the league had “sunk to rock bottom” and that Bettman “must pay for this heinous act.”
READ MORE: Alexander Ovechkin got an introduction he won’t forget
Ovechkin’s own position has been consistent for years. He founded the Putin Team movement in 2017, called for peace days after the invasion began while declining to criticize the Russian president directly, and has repeatedly said he is not in politics.
Neither the Capitals nor the NHL has responded to Hasek’s latest statement. Ovechkin described the introduction as a special moment and said his sons had been nervous beforehand.
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