Alexey Ovechkin sold the most jerseys in the NHL in 2021 as fan respect for the superstar reached unprecedented levels. Ovechkin felt like a historical figure—one of the greatest players of all time—when he began the legitimate pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s record. Now that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is underway, Ovechkin’s popularity in the league appears to be on the decline due to his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
One of the clearest examples of how things have changed came Saturday, when the Columbus Blue Jackets fired number 61 Rick Nash in an emotional ceremony at the National Arena. Ovechkin congratulated Nash on the video. The two rivals fought for the Richard Trophy several times during their careers and also played together on All-Star teams.
ALL LOVE FOR RICK!@countrywide | @OhioHealth pic.twitter.com/bbJV8nD2WL
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) March 6, 2022
“Hi, Rick. Congratulations on your retirement. Huge honor. Number 61 will forever remain in Columbus,” Ovechkin said.
According to Mark Shaig of The Hockey WriterThe Blue Jackets crowd booed Ovechkin. The video was played on a jumbotron during a commercial break.
Tonight Marc-Andre Fleury with lyrics for Rick Nash. Alexei Ovechkin too. Ovechkin whistled. #CBJ
— Mark Scheig (@markscheig) March 6, 2022
Another Blue Jackets fan on Twitter described Ovechkin as “booed sharply“.
Back home in Washington, Capitals fans didn’t seem to greet Ovechkin much, though some flags and signs were placed in the stands for the Capital One Arena warm-up. There was no applause on the TV broadcasts, and Ovechkin was cheered loudly by the crowd — even as Capitals fans chanted his name after he scored goals in back-to-back games last week.
But Ovechkin’s reception over the team’s upcoming trip to Canada may be chilly. Cities that usually adored him, like Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver, might boo him.
Almost 1.4 million people of Ukrainian origin live in Canada, according to the Wall Street Journal. This is the largest population of Ukrainians in the world outside of Ukraine and Russia.
ESPN’s Greg Wiszynski wondered if Ovechkin would be booed every time he touched the puck and cited a 2003 story in which Montreal Canadiens fans booed the US national anthem during a game against the Islanders due to the Iraq War under US leadership.
I’m wondering if all this will lead to Alex Ovechkin being booed every time he touches the puck on the road next week against the Capitals. And I stumbled upon this I forgot about: https://t.co/G6szHubtdY
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) March 1, 2022
Washington’s next game is Tuesday against the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Let’s see then.
Header photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB