Dominik Hasek launches unhinged attack on Ovechkin and the NHL.

A Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender and an icon of the sport for his time spent playing in North America has just inserted himself into Alex Ovechkin's chase of Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal scoring record in one of the worst ways imaginable.

On Saturday, legendary National Hockey League goaltender Dominik Hasek took to social media to comment on Ovechkin's chase for the record, but rather than extending congratulations to Ovechkin during his big moment, Hasek would use the moment to launch an unhinged attack on Ovechkin himself, the NHL, as well as the countries of Canada and the USA.

In a message that was published in the very early hours of Saturday morning, Hasek would condemn Ovechkin, the NHL, Canada and the USA for not using their platform to condemn the actions of the Russian government, even going so far as to suggest that they should be held responsible for the deaths of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers. It was a lengthy and disturbing rant on the part of Hasek, and for the sake of preserving his message only very minor edits for clarity have been made.

From Hasek:

In the coming days, a Russian citizen, who has never condemned the Russian imperialist war in Ukraine, will break the NHL goal scoring record. Because this person has never officially condemned the Russian war and Russian crimes, he will have to live with the knowledge for the rest of his life that because of his public appearance (his game last 3 years and 40 days -since the beginning of the Russian aggressive war) a huge number of people, including his fellow Russian citizens, were killed and maimed in the war. Whether he is happy about it, indifferent to it, or sorry, we do not know. However, what we do know for sure is that the NHL not only enabled him to do this, but even supported him in doing so for 3 years and 40 days! Therefore, the NHL bears enormous responsibility for the hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) of people killed and maimed in the Russian war in Ukraine. The NHL must pay for this. I would also like to point out that the countries in which this Russian citizen was allowed to play NHL games also bear responsibility for the people killed and maimed. That is, the USA and Canada. These are the facts. Please share so that people understand what responsibility the NHL, the country USA and Canada bear and so that this advertisement for the Russian imperialist war is stopped. Together we can save many human lives.

One fan who noticed Hasek's comments was to quick to point out that Ovechkin's family, who still reside in Russia, could be put in danger if he were to make any statements condemning Russian president Vladimir Putin.

"Maybe he has family in Russia he doesn't want to create trouble for," wrote the fan. "But you probably didn't take the time to sit down and think about that."

In a response even more disturbing than his original attack, Hasek showed no care at all for Ovechkin's family members and even suggested that Ovechkin's play on the ice was directly responsible for the deaths of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers.

"This has absolutely nothing to do with what I wrote," said Hasek dismissing the concerns about Ovechkin's family without a care. "The NHL did not give him a chance to officially condemn the Russian war and he will live the rest of his life knowing that people died because of his play. That is a fact. Because of the NHL's approach (that NHL allow Russian citizens who did not condemn the Russian war to play) many people were killed. That is a fact. That is why the NHL has to pay for it."

Of course suggesting that an individual athlete like Ovechkin, or even a league like the NHL, should bear responsibility for the actions of a foreign government during war time is nothing short of heinous. This is of course before I even mention the fact that Ovechkin has publicly commented on this issue, calling for peace as far back as February of 2022.

"I would say it is a hard situation," said Ovechkin at the time. "I have lots of friends in Russia and in Ukraine and it's hard to see the war. I hope soon it's going to be over and there is going to be peace in the whole world."

Ovechkin also addressed the idea that he, a professional hockey player, could influence the actions of the Russian government at that time.

"I'm Russian right? " Ovechkin acknowledged. "Some things I can't control you know? It's not in my hands. I hope it's gonna end soon and there's going to be peace in both countries. I don't control anything."

Ovechkin would repeatedly express his desire to see the war come to an end during the 3-minute post game interview in which he made these comments, and you can hear them for yourself in the video below.

Neither the NHL or Ovechkin have issued a statement on the comments made by Hasek over the weekend at the time of this writing.