Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin left the United States after his team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The hockey player plans to spend a significant part of his vacation in his native country, where his family was waiting for him. Here he spends time with children, goes to football and basketball.

At this time, a campaign is gaining momentum across the ocean to denigrate the Russian NHL superstar and prevent him from entering the United States.

Americans are furious at his decision to vacation at home. Now that’s a misdemeanor!

Americans worry about Ovechkin

In Russia, Ovi was not going to lead the life of a hermit, the day before he could be seen at a football match in Moscow with the participation of Dynamo and Sochi. And after the end of the meeting, the athlete awarded the “white-blue” bronze medals. The football program of the legendary hockey player does not end there – on May 29, Alexander is going to be present at Luzhniki, where Dynamo and Spartak from the capital will meet in the Russian Cup final. And on May 22, the striker went to basketball, visiting the final match of the VTB United League between CSKA and Zenit.

Photo: © Alexey Eremin / Match TV

In the United States, Ovechkin’s return to Russia is also being monitored. The Washington Post devoted a detailed article to our hockey player, where considerable attention was paid to the moment of the athlete’s vacation in Russia. Americans sincerely worry that Alexander, during the time spent at home, will become a victim of “Russian propaganda.”

Ovi already spoke out on political issues in a way that many in the United States would like. In particular, he was criticized for the lack of an unequivocal position and joint photos with the president on social networks. And then there is the sinister propaganda, from which no proper Internet platforms can protect the athlete. And what, then, to expect from Alexander upon his return to Washington?

“Revoke his visa”

– When the president of the country congratulates you on your victory in a public appeal, it is worth a lot. I am very happy about it. He is my president,” Ovi said in June 2018 after the hockey player won the Stanley Cup.

Photo: © Dave Sandford / Contributor / National Hockey League / Gettyimages.com

Much has changed in the world in four years, but in Alexander’s worldview, to the displeasure of the Americans, there has been no fundamental shift. In February 2022, after a lengthy statement about the situation in Ukraine, the three-time world champion answered a provocative question in the following way.

— Putin? He is my president,” the hockey player told The Athletic.

In the United States, this answer was recognized as unsatisfactory. In the American press, the Russian athlete was defended in places, explaining to readers that his family was held hostage in Russia, and therefore he could not openly say what he thought. However, between the lines every now and then hinted that it would be great to hear from Alexander quite specific political statements.

But then the representatives of the press, who, perhaps, even guess that, if desired, the hockey player could have taken all his close relatives to America for a long time to spite any KGB employee. But ordinary readers, after reading the text, had reasonable questions in the spirit of why such an ideologically incorrect hockey player should return to Washington in principle?

In the comments, Ovi was called very bad, worried that such a person would write his name into history by breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record, and some even demanded that his visa be cancelled.

“Why don’t we just take Ovie’s passport until Brittney Greiner is released from captivity?”

Ovechkin should publicly distance himself from the problems he created

“Ovi is a very bad person. It’s good that I don’t support Washington and I don’t have to look for excuses for him

– Cancel his visa

“It’s time for him to do the right thing or not show up in our arena anymore.”