Forward Brendan Leipsic, who was fired from the NHL over misogynistic comments in a private conversation, is said to have applied for his Russian citizenship … by sending a letter to President Vladimir Putin himself.
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At least, that’s what the head of the St. Petersburg SKA and Russian oligarch Roman Rotenberg reportedly told TASS, a state-funded Russian news agency.
“It’s a common practice in football and recently Brazilian footballers Malcom and Claudinho received their Russian passports. You’re from Brazil, and football in Brazil is like Canada to ice hockey […] We need to make our league stronger and have a great player like Brendan [Leipsic] Becoming a citizen of Russia will only strengthen his desire to play in the KHL.
“It’s no secret that in North America he faced prejudice and injustice, while in Russia he received special support from fans, coaches and partners. His favorite player is Alex Ovechkin and he grew up with our best players. Maybe one day Brendan will play for the Russian national team.”
Additionally, note that Rotenberg is also the head coach of SKA, one of the KHL’s most prestigious teams. He was called up to the position in January 2022, replacing Valeri Bragin, despite having neither experience on the bench nor enjoying a playing career.
Words that are expensive
A third-round pick by the Nashville Predators in 2012, Leipsic played 187 NHL games for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings and Washington Capitals. The latter bought out his contract when his misogynistic comments came to light in May 2020.
No other team in the league signed him, so he left the NHL for the KHL, where he joined CSKA Moscow for the 2020-2021 season. In the last two seasons he played for Metallurg Magnitogorsk.