Alex Ovechkin facing fan backlash after being named the recipient of an award

Published June 7, 2023 at 10:39
BY JOSH

Alex Ovechkin is one of, if not the greatest goal scorer in NHL history. The Russian born sniper currently sits 72 goals behind Wayne Gretzky and the All-Time Record. Given his success Ovechkin should break the record sometime during the 2024-2025 season.

After his impressive NHL career Ovechkin has been honored by the Russian President and has received the Gratitude of the President Award.

Per Dynamo Moscow, 3X World Champion, Stanley Cup winner, 2X National Champion #ALLCAPS Alexander Ovechkin was awarded the Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation.




This award was given directly to Ovechkin and is not the sort of award that can be turned down, especially by a native citizen. But, of course this announcement immediately led to backlash from some fans.

My heart hurts... really my heart hurts!

I've been saying it for over a year... but it's Omerta. Twitter even suspended me for a long time for my rants on this topic lol That's crazy. Ovi is over forever for me.


Unfortunately for Ovechkin, due to his nationality and connection to the Russian President his legacy will be tainted for some, due to no fault of Ovechkin. This is just another example of why politics and professional sports should be kept as far away from each other as possible.
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June 7   |   217 answers
Alex Ovechkin facing fan backlash after being named the recipient of an award

Do you care about a player's political views and who they support?

Yes, I care about who they support4822.1 %
No, I couldn't care any less15069.1 %
It depends on the player156.9 %
See results41.8 %
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