Rep. Joe Wilson Praises NHL's Stance on Ovechkin's Putin Ad, Urges Capitals to Follow Suit

South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson has lauded the National Hockey League's response to Alex Ovechkin's appearance in a campaign advertisement for Russian President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party. Wilson is urging the Washington Capitals organization to clarify that Ovechkin's involvement does not reflect their stance.

"I am grateful Commissioner Bettman took the opportunity to condemn war criminal Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine," Wilson stated. "At this point the League has done everything reasonable to make it clear they do not endorse the regrettable position held by Mr. Ovechkin. I hope the Capitals organization takes the opportunity to do the same."

In a letter to Wilson dated September 28, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stated that Ovechkin participated in the video in a "personal capacity" and reaffirmed the league's opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "The NHL's position on Russia's invasion of Ukraine is clear and remains unchanged," Bettman wrote. "Since the outset of the war, the League has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and called for a peaceful resolution as quickly as possible."

Ovechkin's Campaign Appearance

The controversy originated from a United Russia campaign video featuring Ovechkin alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Russian state-controlled network RT. The advertisement aired in advance of Russia's parliamentary elections.

Wilson had previously sent a letter on September 15 to Bettman, with a copy sent to Capitals owner Ted Leonsis. In it, Wilson described Ovechkin's participation as "shameful" and requested that the league review the matter. "American hockey fans deserve better leadership from their star players," Wilson commented on social media.

Wilson sought clarification from the NHL regarding policies on active players' involvement in political advertisements for foreign parties or regimes. He also requested that the league and the Capitals unequivocally state that Ovechkin's appearance did not represent the organizations' official positions. Wilson's letter did not call for any disciplinary action such as a suspension or fine.

Bettman's response distinguished between the personal political activities of individual players and the NHL's official stance. "Mr. Ovechkin is a Russian citizen, and his participation in the video was in his personal capacity," Bettman wrote. "The NHL is an international league, with players from many countries who bring with them their own individual views and perspectives. The League does not speak for its players on political matters, just as individual players do not speak for the League."

The Commissioner's letter did not announce any disciplinary measures or outline a specific policy concerning players' participation in foreign political advertisements. It also did not address whether the Capitals were aware of or had approved Ovechkin's involvement.

Capitals' Previous Statement and Ovechkin's Stance

The Capitals previously issued a statement on September 15, indicating that Ovechkin was approached about the campaign video during the offseason. "This summer, while in Russia, he was asked by his country to participate in a video campaign," a Capitals spokesperson, Sergey Kocharov, said in a statement. Kocharov also mentioned that Ovechkin spends his offseasons in Moscow with his family and intends to return there after his NHL career.

Ovechkin addressed his participation on September 17, stating, "Well, they asked me to do that. I said yes." Ovechkin has a history of publicly supporting Putin, having launched the "PutinTeam" movement in 2017 to garner support for the Russian president and using a photograph with Putin as his Instagram profile picture.

Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ovechkin called for peace, characterizing himself as an athlete rather than a political figure. The Capitals' earlier statement noted that Ovechkin was approached about the video while he was in Russia for the offseason. Wilson's current request is for the team to clearly state that Ovechkin's support for Putin does not represent the organization.