As reported by Rick Westhead of TSN, The Washington Capitals have provided extra security for Russian superstar and captain Alex Ovechkin and his family, as confirmed by Brian MacLellan, General Manager of the Caps.
This comes a day after MacLellan fiercely defended his team's captain.
Ovechkin, a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has faced tons of backlash since commenting on the Ukrainian-Russian conflict. One thing to keep in mind here, though, is that the entirety of the Ovechkin family currently resides in Russia, and saying anything against the government could potentially put his family in danger. The other thing to keep in mind here is the closure of Canadian and American airspace to Russian aircraft at the moment, this means bringing his family to the United States is virtually impossible.
POLL | ||
5 MARS | 409 ANSWERS Capitals provide Ovechkin with some extra security Do you still support Ovechkin as a player knowing that he supports Putin? | ||
No | 135 | 33 % |
Yes | 135 | 33 % |
I don't want to bring politics into it | 139 | 34 % |
List of polls |