Ukrainian Canadians protest Ovechkin before Ottawa game

OTTAWA – The Ukrainian Canadian Congress planned a rally outside the Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday night to denounce Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin’s support for Russian President Vladimir Putin, as the NHL star made his first visit to Canada in what he has said will be his final season.

The demonstration, called “No War Crimes in Ottawa,” was scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ahead of the Capitals’ game against the Ottawa Senators, CTV News Ottawa reported. The Canadian Press reported the group’s event is aimed at Ovechkin’s backing of Putin, and that the 41-year-old could face some hostility from fans.

Orest Sakydalsky of the congress told CTV News Ottawa the group wants to “express our disgust with his support for Russian President Putin” and to “express our hope that our government will stop letting him enter Canada.” The group planned to hand out flyers to people entering the arena.

The Senators said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa that the club “will have appropriate measures in place to ensure the safety of our fans.”

Ovechkin was asked about the planned protest by reporters on Tuesday morning. “I just heard about this morning and I don’t know what to say,” he said. “You know, lots of protests going on around the world.” CTV reported he did not directly address the rally itself. “As an athlete, we just want to play,” Ovechkin said.

The congress has been pressing Ottawa to act against the Russian-born player for weeks. National president Alexandra Chyczij said in an Oct. 8 statement that the organization “calls on Canada to act today and bar entry to Ovechkin and other supporters of Russia’s genocide against Ukraine.”

CTV reported the criticism stems from a September commercial for a Putin-aligned party in which Ovechkin appeared behind Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He also voiced support for the “Putin Team” movement in 2017. Two online House of Commons petitions, sponsored by Liberal MPs Yvan Baker and Bardish Chagger, call for sanctions on Ovechkin, including a ban on entering Canada. The Liberal government has not promised to impose sanctions, Narcity reported in September.

The visit comes amid a wider debate over Russia’s place in international hockey. CTV reported that the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled on Oct. 30 that the International Ice Hockey Federation must reinstate Russia for competitions. Russia has been banned since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Russian players will not be allowed to represent their country at the world junior championship in Alberta in December and January.

Ovechkin was asked about Carney’s position. “It’s his thoughts, his decisions, and I don’t know how it’s going to work out,” he said. “I’m pretty sure if you’re going to ask the fans, the fans want to see the best players out there.”

Adam van Koeverden, Canada’s secretary of state for sport, told reporters on Monday that the “prime minister was extremely clear that sport will not be used for propaganda on Canadian soil,” CTV reported.

Ovechkin announced in October that he will retire at the end of this season, his 22nd in the NHL. Washington is scheduled to play in Ottawa again on April 8, according to The Canadian Press.

Earlier on this site: Finland rallies hockey nations against Russia’s IIHF return; Ovechkin’s 1,000th career goal; chants of “1 more year” as his retirement decision loomed.

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Sources: The Canadian Press via Global News; CTV News Ottawa via CP24.