Alex Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leading goalscorer, has appeared in a campaign advertisement for Russia’s United Russia party, which supports Vladimir Putin, as the hockey star prepares for the new NHL season.
Images published by the Russian business newspaper Vedomosti showed Ovechkin alongside prominent pro-Putin figures including Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, the leading parliamentary candidate on United Russia’s list, and Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the Russian state-backed propaganda outlet RT.
Ovechkin’s Support for Putin
Ovechkin, age 40, has been a longtime supporter of Putin. In 2017, he launched the social movement “Putin Team,” describing it as a group for “people who are proud of their country and want to make Russia stronger.” At the time, he praised Putin’s “trust in and respect for his people,” as well as his “fairness and righteousness” and genuine care for the country.
However, since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Ovechkin has expressed a more cautious stance. He has said he hopes the war “is going to be over and we are going to be living in a good world,” while still referring to Putin as “my president.” The conflict has led to hundreds of thousands of deaths, marking a devastating backdrop to Ovechkin’s political associations.
Career Highlights
Ovechkin has spent his entire NHL career with the Washington Capitals, who drafted him first overall in 2004. He signed a one-year contract extension in July ahead of the upcoming season. As the team’s captain, he led the Capitals to win the Stanley Cup in 2018.
In 2025, Ovechkin surpassed Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goal-scoring record by netting his 895th goal, breaking a longstanding milestone that many believed would never be reached.
