Alex Ovechkin's ex-Capitals teammate Viktor Kozlov speaks out on the Great 8's ties to Vladimir Putin

Alex Ovechkin is widely regarded as the greatest Russian-born hockey player ever. The Moscow native has not only lived up to lofty expectations but he has blown past them, becoming a worldwide sports legend.

However, amidst the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Ovechkin has often found himself in the crosshairs of criticism as one of, if not the most famous, Russian athletes globally. For some people, Ovechkin's previous support of President Vladimir Putin has changed how they view the Great 8 and whether he should be celebrated amidst his pursuit of the all-time goal-scoring record.

One of his former teammates, Russian Viktor Kozlov, does not believe that should be the case. Dan Robson and Rob Rossi wrote a recent article for The Athletic, where they spoke to Kozlov about Ovechkin's relationship with President Putin amid the war with Ukraine and asked him if that complicates his story.

“In Russia, it’s not a controversy. We love our president. This is Alex’s decision. He decided to be in the picture with our president. That’s respectable, too.” - Viktor Kozlov said.

When first asked about the ongoing war, Alex Ovechkin said, "Please, no more war. It doesn't matter who is in the war." Asked whether he still supports Putin, he said, "He's my president, I'm Russian, right? I am not in politics. I'm an athlete." He has not been questioned or commented on the matter in some time. However, he voiced his displeasure about Russia not being allowed to participate in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.

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Alex Ovechkin's chase of Wayne Gretzky has hit the final countdown stage

Alex Ovechkin needs four goals to match Wayne Greztky's status as the NHL's all-time goal-scoring leader.

The 39-year-old scored his 890th career goal from a deflection in front during Sunday's 8-5 defeat to the Buffalo Sabres. Ovechkin has nine regular season games and five goals to surpass Gretzky's 894 tally. Tying him would entail a 0.44 goals-per-game pace to finish the season while surpassing him requires a 0.56 goals-per-game clip. Both of these are things Ovechkin is more than capable of doing.

In year 20, the veteran Ovechkin has amassed 63 points (37 goals, 26 assists) in just 57 games. Given the output rate, he could have registered a 10th NHL season with 50-plus goals hadn't he missed 16 games with a fractured fibula.

Alex Ovechkin has an opportunity to rewrite history in Tuesday's Capitals vs. Bruins game at TD Garden in Boston. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST.