GOP congressman demands NHL address Ovechkin's Putin party campaign ad

On Tuesday, Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina sent a letter to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman objecting to Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin's appearance in a campaign advertisement for United Russia, the political party backed by Vladimir Putin. Wilson called the participation "shameful" and asked the league to clarify what policies, if any, govern active players who appear in political advertisements for foreign governments or regimes.

The advertisement in question aired ahead of Russia's parliamentary elections scheduled for September 18-20. Ovechkin does not speak in the video. He stands silently behind Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov while Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the state-controlled network RT, also appears. The Capitals said Ovechkin was approached while spending the offseason in Russia and was asked by his country to participate. The team did not specify who made the request, did not say whether anyone in the organization knew about it beforehand, and did not answer whether anyone facilitated or approved his involvement.

Wilson's letter, which copied Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, does not call for Ovechkin's suspension or a fine. Instead, Wilson wants the NHL to explain its standards for players representing the league and their communities, and to make clear that Ovechkin's participation does not reflect the league's or the team's position. In a subsequent interview with Fox News, Wilson was more pointed. "For Ovechkin to be campaigning for a person who is indeed the new Hitler of the 21st century, it's just inconceivable," he said. When asked whether he wanted the NHL to suspend Ovechkin, Wilson did not directly answer.

Ovechkin's public alignment with Putin is longstanding. He founded "PutinTeam" in 2017 to rally support for the Russian president, and his Instagram profile photo remains an image of the two men together. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ovechkin called for peace but declined to criticize Putin, saying at the time, "Well, he is my president. But, like I said, I'm not in politics. I'm an athlete." The Capitals noted that Ovechkin lives with his family in Moscow during the offseason and plans to return there after his NHL career ends.

Wilson argues that the Kremlin has a documented history of using athletes and international sporting achievements to promote the Russian government abroad. He points out that the broader United Russia campaign features Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's commissioner for children's rights, for whom the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant in 2023 over alleged unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied territory. "An NHL superstar appearing in campaign propaganda for Putin's political party cannot simply be dismissed as an activity wholly disconnected from the League," Wilson wrote.

When asked how Ovechkin's appearance differs from an American athlete supporting a U.S. politician, Wilson responded: "The difference is that the American politician is not a mass murderer." He acknowledged that free speech protections exist but argued there should be consequences for promoting what he called a war criminal. Wilson said he is working with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, who agrees the participation "is just not right," though Wilson did not describe what action, if any, they intend to pursue.

As of publication, the NHL had not responded to Wilson's letter or questions about its policies governing political activity by players. Ovechkin did not provide comment through the Capitals. Wilson said he has not received a response from the league but is willing to give it time to answer. The question of what, if anything, the NHL will do remains open.