Alex Ovechkin appears to take a shot at Putin after milestone

On Tuesday night, Alex Ovechkin scored his 767th NHL goal, passing Jaromir Jagr for third on the career list. Only Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe now have scored more NHL goals as the Washington Capitals’ captain needs 35 goals to pass Howe and 128 to break Gretzky’s record.

Ovechkin spoke with media members afterwards and mentioned that he was happy to have reached the milestone in a team win. However, he might have attempted to take a shot at Russian president Vladimir Putin as he answered questions after the game.

As you know, Ovechkin has been feeling the heat since Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine last month, was booed during a trip across western Canada for not taking more of a stand against Putin. Ovechkin’s Instagram page currently features a profile photo of himself next to Putin. Back in 2017, Ovechkin founded “PutinTeam,” a social movement to show support for the country’s head of state. Over the weekend, ESPN’s Emily reported that Ovechkin has kept Putin in his Instagram profile picture, despite pressure to remove it, citing fear for the safety of his family in Russia.

When reaching the milestone and passing Jagr on Tuesday night, this is what Ovechkin said about the threats he might get from Putin in regards to his family, hinting at what the Russia president is doing to him. 

“Obviously it’s always fun when you get a milestone and you get a win. Obviously it sucks when my kids didn’t see it, my wife didn’t see it, my parents, but they’re watching at home. They’re happy, and that’s the most important thing.”

Jagr congratulated Ovi for the milestone in a recorded message and joked about a potential comeback to chase the Great Eight. It is great to see that Jagr, who has sought to be a staunch supporter of Ukraine and its people, can share this important moment with a Russian player.