Commentator goes two whole games without using Ovechkin's name in protest of war in Ukraine

Finnish commentator Tero Kainulainen who calls play by play in his native Finland recently went two entire games calling Washington Capitals games without mentioning the name of the Capitals' superstar captain Alex Ovechkin. Kainulainen maintains that he did so as a form of silent protest against Russia's war in Ukraine and in response to Ovechkin's relative silence on the matter.

"I did myself a little challenge before tonight’s NHL match at PIT vs. WSH. I tried not to mention the name of the guest captain. I succeeded in my challenge," Kainulainen explained on social media (translated from Finnish).

Ovechkin, of course, is felt by many to be the most visible, most popular athlete in all of Russia and his relative silence on the topic of war in Ukraine has been seen as problematic by many fans and analysts. 

So... what did Kainulainen do when Ovechkin had the puck or made a play worth commenting on? Well, he called the game as he normally would but used terms like “captain of the Capitals” and “gray beard” to describe Ovechkin rather than call him by name. 

I'll be honest, when I first heard about this story I thought it was a little silly. After all, what kind of impact is Kainulainen expecting to make here? But, Kainulainen explains himself that the act is mostly symbolic and, of course, isn't meant to end war or even to make Ovechkin stand up and finally take a stance. Rather, the purpose of Kainulainen's silent protest was to bring back awareness of what's happening in Ukraine without making some grand gesture or some empty statement.

"Words are the most valuable resources in the world, but silence can also be heard far and wide,” he explained on social media. 

It's hard to argue with that... and quite frankly, it's refreshing.

In a world where everyone has an opinion and it can be broadcasted in milliseconds for the entire world to see, it's refreshing to see someone be more thoughtful and methodical with how they choose to spread their message. Kudos to Kainulainen for breaking through the literal noise and getting his message across for all the see and hear in a unique way.