Alexander Ovechkin, one of hockey's most celebrated figures, appeared in a campaign video for Vladimir Putin's United Russia party on the eve of Russia's parliamentary elections — a quiet but visible act of alignment that extends a pattern stretching back nearly a decade. The appearance arrived as Ovechkin prepared to cross the Atlantic for his 22nd NHL season, carrying with him both a historic scoring legacy and an unresolved contradiction: a man who insists he is not political, yet whose political choices have been consistent, public, and consequential. In an era when athletes are increasing