Dominik Hasek requests for Capitals’ Alexander Ovechkin suspension in NHL over Russia-Ukraine crisis

Dominik Hasek requests for Capitals’ Alexander Ovechkin suspension in NHL over Russia-Ukraine crisis

Dominik Hasek and Alexander Ovechkin

The National Hockey League (NHL) Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek has called for the suspension of all Russian players, including Washington Capitals’ right-winger Alexander Ovechkin. The former goaltender reckoned this after Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine.

The 57-year-old, who is a native of the Czech Republic, took to Twitter to criticize the Capitals star. Notably, Ovechkin has aligned himself with Putin in the past but asked for “no more war” when speaking with reporters on Monday.

“Well, he’s my president. But, how I said, I’m not in politics. I’m an athlete,” Ochevkin stated. “How I said, hope everything’s going to be done soon. It’s a hard situation right now for both sides. Everything, like how I said, everything I hope is going to end, and I’m not in control of the situation.”

FS Video

He added: “Please, no more war,” he urged. “Doesn’t matter who’s in the war. Russia. Ukraine. Different countries. I think we live in a world like we have to live in peace and a great world.”

“Indirect co-responsibility for the dead in Ukraine”

Hasek went on to seek a suspension for all Russian players at the NHL while saying that “every athlete represents not only himself and his club, but also his country and its values and actions.”

He tweeted: “What!? Not only an ableist, a chicken s–t, but also a liar!” Hasek tweeted in a thread. “Every adult in Europe knows well that Putin is a mad killer and that Russia is waging an offensive war against a free country and its people.

“The NHL must immediately suspend contracts for all Russian players! Every athlete represents not only himself and his club, but also his country and its values and actions. That is a fact. If the NHL does not do so, it has indirect co-responsibility for the dead in Ukraine.

“I also want to write that I am very sorry for those Russian athletes, who condemn V. Putin and his Russian aggression in Ukraine. However, at the moment I also consider their exclusion a necessity.”

Also Read | “Please, no more war” – NHL star on Alex Ovechkin on Ukraine-Russia crisis