Citing Fear For Family's Safety Alex Ovechkin Declined Capitals' To Remove Putin photo

[Swede]

Link to tweet

?s=20&t=VYY9-RWAc7LQ3hSSBaUHYg

[Beakybird]

1. They should deport him.

[Enter stage left]

2. I can understand his fear. When you are dealing with someone who doesn't care...

if children, pregnant women, senior citizens or ANYONE, suffers or dies, you must fear for the family & loved ones you left behind.

Please don't condemn him for his concerns...put yourselves in his shoes, and walk 100 miles to a border, and what you would hope is safe haven, then see how you would feel.

[electric_blue68]

5. THIS. 😔 What worries he must have.

[GoCubsGo]

10. Yeah, you know things are bad when even taking the easy way out is a problem.

One would think that just deactivating his Instagram account would have been a simple solution, but apparently not. Makes me think that Ovi got a threatening phone call or two from the Kremlin. He wouldn't the first NHLer to have his family threatened for opposing Putin, or even remotely appearing to.

[Wingus Dingus]

16. I don't get the point of harassing him. Or any Russian who's

here on legitimate grounds and not doing anything wrong.

[SheltieLover]

3. Kick the ruskie off team & deport him

[Bleacher Creature]

4. So he knows full well what Putin is capable of, yet he still started a fan club for him.

I get the concern for his family, but this is just unforgivable. He knew all along who and what he was supporting.

[electric_blue68]

7. Well, you have a pertainent point, too.

[johnp3907]

8. "I don't want the blood on his hands to be from anyone I care about."

Except in Russian.

[OAITW r.2.0]

15. Did Putin or his PR team suggest it?

Why....I'll bet he/they did.

[OAITW r.2.0]

6. He is a political hostage that Putin will use.

Ovechkin is in a tough spot....I'll be discounting most everything he has to say about Mother Russia.

[Wingus Dingus]

13. Yep.

[Jerry2144]

9. As a VGK fan

Deport him.

But as someone who is striving to be a better human, I think I understand what he's going through. He is in our land performing a service for us and probably trying to improve life for his family and loved ones back in Russia. But his family is back in Russia. I believe Putrid Putin is capable of great evil. It would not be too big of a stretch to believe that Putrid Putin has his family (and any other Russian Ex-pat for that matter) under a close watch. We (meaning the free world) have to eliminate his threat to the world order.

Mr. Ovechikin: Let's end Putrid Putin's war, get your family safe as well as all families, Russian, Ukrainian, European, African, Asian, or American, safe. Then I'll go back to hating on you for playing for the wrong team. Meanwhile, I'll offer up my compassion to you for being caught as a pawn in this global chess match.

[gab13by13]

11. So does that mean he is still friends with Putin?

If the only reason he isn't removing the pic is he is afraid that Putin will harm his family, should not that make Putin mad?

[vercetti2021]

12. Dominic Hasek was correct

Hes a chicken shit. Hes a Putin lapdog and will always be that.

[gab13by13]

14. An old 2017 article,

but Evgeni Malkin is good friends with Putin. Don't know what he is saying now?

https://archive.triblive.com/sports/penguins/penguins-evgeni-malkin-finally-addresses-support-of-vladimir-putin/

[gab13by13]

17. Here's a recent one;

Does Malkin like Putin?
“I've never hidden my attitude towards our president, always openly supporting him,” Malkin wrote on Instagram at the time. “I am confident that there are many of us supporting Vladimir Putin. So let's unite and show everyone a united and strong Russia!”Feb 28, 2022

There are more than 40 Russians in the NHL.