CCM Hockey to stop using Ovechkin, Russian players in global marketing

TSN Senior Correspondent

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CCM Hockey will stop using Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin and other Russian NHL players in any global marketing initiatives, the company said late Monday.

CCM chief executive Marrouane Nabih said the equipment company made the decision following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week.

“We are very sad to witness, like the rest of the world, what is happening in Ukraine,” Nabih wrote in an email to TSN. “Although Mr. Ovechkin is not responsible for the Russian government’s actions, we took the decision to not use him (or any Russian player) on any global CCM communication at this point.”

Nabih did not respond to subsequent questions about CCM’s contracts with Ovechkin and other Russian players, including

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin and Capitals defenceman Dmitry Orlov.

In 2017, three years after Russia annexed the Crimea region of Ukraine, Ovechkin campaigned for Russian president Vladimir Putin, starting a social movement called “Putin Team.”

“Be a part of this team,” Ovechkin wrote in an Instagram post at the time. “To me it’s a privilege, it’s like the feeling of when you put on the jersey of the Russian team, knowing that the whole country is rooting for you.”

In a press conference on Feb. 25, Ovechkin was asked whether he still supported Putin and whether he would condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Like, I’m Russian, right?” Ovechkin said. “Sometimes some things I can’t control. You know, it’s not in my hands… Please, no more war. It doesn’t matter who is in the war, Russia, Ukraine, different countries... We have to live in peace and a great world.”

Asked about his support of Putin, Ovechkin responded, "He's my president, but I'm not in politics.