Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is facing calls for a ban from the National Hockey League (NHL) after appearing in an advertisement supporting Vladimir Putin's United Russia party. The 40-year-old hockey player was pictured in the campaign alongside pro-Putin figures, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the state-controlled RT network.
According to The Guardian, the campaign advertisement first appeared in the Russian business newspaper Vedomosti. Ovechkin, a Moscow native and the NHL's all-time leading goalscorer, has openly supported Putin for several years, including launching the 'Putin Team' social movement in 2017 to back Putin's presidential campaign.
Social media users have expressed dissatisfaction, with some calling for Ovechkin to be banned from the NHL and the USA, and others criticising the Washington Capitals for their perceived support. In July, Ovechkin signed a one-year contract extension with the Capitals, where he has played since 2004.