What is NHL star Alex Ovechkin's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin?

Alex Ovechkin is a Russian-born ice hockey player for the Washington Capitals. He is the captain and left winger for the team. He is considered to be one of the greatest scorers of all time. He has 812 goals to his name and is No.2, behind Wayne Gretzky in the Most Goals scoring category.

Ovechkin has been an outright supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In 2017, when Putin was running for his re-election campaign, Ovechkin initiated a social media movement called Putin Team. He expressed his pride in being a part of the Russian national team and extended his immense support for the Russian leader. Ovechkin's Instagram profile picture is one with President Vladimir Putin.

"Being part of this team makes me proud and it's similar to the feeling you get when you put on a Russian national team jersey, knowing that the whole country is rooting for you." he wrote in Russian

Alex Ovechkin met Anastasia Shubskaya on social media in 2014 and married her in Russia in 2016. President Putin sent the couple a wedding gift as well as a telegram, which was read aloud at the reception.

Ovechkin stated that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a difficult situation, and he wishes for the war to end soon and for the world to be at peace.

Many other Russian athletes spoke out against military activities. Nikita Zadorov of the Calgary Flames took a strong stance against war.

Russian star tennis player Andrey Rublev grabbed a marker and wrote "No war please" on a TV camera lens after his match at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Fedor Smolov of the Russian football team wrote "No to war" on Instagram with a broken heart emoji and the Ukrainian flag.

Alex Ovechkin's Career as a Capital

Alex Ovechkin was brought into the league as a young protege of the Russian Superleague. He was drafted first overall by the Capitals in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. In his first season with the Capitals, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy for scoring the most goals (52) as a rookie. He has scored 50 goals in nine seasons and is tied with Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky for the most 50-goal seasons in NHL history.

Ovechkin has won the Stanley Cup once and is also a three-time recipient of the Hart Memorial Trophy.