Ukraine advocates ask Ottawa to sanction NHL’s Alex Ovechkin after Putin commercial
OTTAWA - Liberal MPs are criticizing a professional hockey player's endorsement of the Putin regime, but are not advocating for his ban from Canada. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress is urging Ottawa to impose sanctions and a ban on Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin for appearing in a commercial for a party allied with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ovechkin featured in a television advertisement standing behind Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who vowed "no mercy" against those who attack Russia. The UCC is echoing past calls from 2022 to ban Ovechkin for supporting Putin, whose forces invaded Ukraine in 2014 and launched a full-scale invasion in 2022. Ovechkin stated this week that he desires peace and participated in the ad due to a request.
Justice Minister Sean Fraser described Ovechkin as "at best wilfully blind" to Russian atrocities, but refrained from calling for sanctions. This report by The Canadian Press was initially published on September 18, 2026.
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Also reported by 2 other outlets
- Alex Ovechkin wants us to think he’s just a stooge theprovince.com
- Capitals say Alex Ovechkin is day to day with a lower-body injury winnipegfreepress.com
