Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin did not directly address a planned protest outside the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa over his support for Russian President Vladimir Putin, but says Russian players “just want to play” for their country. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) organized a rally at 5:30 p.m. called “Rally: No War Crimes in Ottawa” ahead of the Capitals game against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night. A group of protesters were spotted outside the stadium holding signs with the words “Putin War Criminal” and “Ovechkin is not ‘just a hockey player.’” Ovechkin was asked how he felt about the planned protest outside the Ottawa arena before the game. “I just heard about this morning and I don’t know what to say,” Ovechkin told reporters Tuesday morning. “You know, lots of protests going on around the world.” Orest Zakydalsky of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress says the Ukrainian community plans to gather outside the arena to protest the “presence in Canada of Alexander Ovechkin.” “And express our disgust with his support for Russian President Putin,” Zakydalsky told CTV News Ottawa on Tuesday afternoon. “Express our hope that our government will stop letting him enter Canada.” Zakydalsky says the Ukrainian Canadian Congress believes the government has “all the authority” to prevent Ovechkin from entering Canada. “It is the first time he’s been in Canada since he made political ads with the political party that supports Vladimir Putin and is the political basis of the Russian regime and its policies, which include Russia’s war against Ukraine,” he said. Ovechkin appeared in a commercial for a party aligned with Putin in September, standing behind Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. In 2017, Ovechkin voiced support for Putin when he launched a movement called “Putin Team.” Zakydalsky says the group will hand out flyers to people entering the Canadian Tire Centre. The Ottawa Senators told CTV News Ottawa it was aware of the planned demonstration outside the arena, adding the club will “have appropriate measures in place to ensure the safety of our fans.” Last month, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress called on the federal government to deny Ovechkin entry into Canada after he appeared in a commercial for a party aligned with Putin. “That the National Hockey League celebrates Ovechkin and ignores his support of a genocidal regime is a moral stain on the NHL. But the NHL’s cravenness in no way absolves the Government of Canada from its responsibility to enforce the law and protect the security of Canadians,” Alexandra Chyczij, national president of the UCC, said in a statement on Oct. 8. “The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship has the authority to bar supporters of genocide from entry into Canada. The UCC calls on Canada to act today and bar entry to Ovechkin and other supporters of Russia’s genocide against Ukraine.” The federal government said last week it would use its immigration powers to prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from entering Canada to compete under their national symbols. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) tells CTV News Ottawa that it assesses visa applications on a case-by-case basis. “Canada has consistently condemned Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine and remains firmly committed to supporting Ukraine and its people,” a spokesperson for IRCC said in an email. “Canada also opposes the official representation of Russia and Belarus in international sporting competitions for as long as Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine, with Belarus’s complicity. This includes athletes competing as representatives of their countries.” Global Affairs Canada says it has imposed sanctions on more than 3,500 individuals and entities and over 700 vessels “that are complicit in the violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and in “gross and systematic human rights violations.” “Canada unequivocally condemns Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine and remains unwavering in its commitment to Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, including its territorial waters,” a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa. Two online petitions on the House of Commons website, sponsored by Liberal MPs Yvan Baker and Bardish Chagger, call on the government to impose sanctions against Ovechkin, including barring him from entering Canada. ‘We just want to play’ Ovechkin says Russian athletes want to represent their country at world and Olympic championships like players in other countries. On Oct. 30, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled the International Ice Hockey Federation must reinstate Russia for competitions, after the country had been barred from international competitions since the invasion of Ukraine. “As an athlete, we just want to play,” Ovechkin said. He was asked about Prime Minister Mark Carney saying Russian players won’t be allowed to represent their country at the World Junior Hockey Championship in Alberta in December and January. “It’s his thoughts, his decisions, and I don’t know how it’s going to work out,” Ovechkin said. “I’m pretty sure if you’re going to ask the fans, the fans want to see the best players out there, and the fans want to see young generation players who are going to be future stars. But you know, it’s not up to us.” Canada’s Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden told reporters on Monday that the “prime minister was extremely clear that sport will not be used for propaganda on Canadian soil.” Ovechkin told reporters that “nobody” is being used as a propaganda tool by Russia. “You want to represent your country. Doesn’t matter which — world championship, Olympic games, European championships. You just want to go out there and play, represent their country,” Ovechkin said. Ovechkin announced in October he will be retiring at the end of the season after a 22-year career. He broke Wayne Gretzky’s goal record in April 2025 and has 930 goals in his career. With files from The Canadian Press
