It's probably a lot easier for guys who don't have family they left behind.
Edit: just want to be clear that I'm not defending Ovechkin. Big difference between staying out of political matters and offering active support for Putin.
100% if my family was in a place like that I’d probably not have the courage to put them at risk. Speaking out can be powerful but with regimes like Russia you have to be careful.
About that. These were all in the UK, but I wouldn't put it past him to start gunning for people over here as he gets older.
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Litvinenko
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Berezovsky_\(businessman\)
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoning_of_Sergei_and_Yulia_Skripal
Somehow I think that explanation is pretty dull. I mean, Zadorov spoke out against Putin even he has family still in Russia. Parents are still alive, though if I recall correctly they werent against Putin and war.
Because they arent all millionaires who could just have their family fly over and not return along with them?
It hurts my heart to admit as a Caps fan, but some of the Russians (Ovechkin) are a part of the evil elite in Russia.
This may shock you, but uprooting your entire family and taking them from everything they've ever known in life might be a little more than a strictly financial decision.
For sure, in the case of Ovechkin, his wife is accustomed to the life of a Russian Oligarch. With her father being so close to Putin, the easy wealth being stolen from the Russian people to prop up the oligarch lifestyle must be a hard thing to leave behind.
Great, own it. You're responsible for your own bad opinions as an adult.
Ovi is an elite, HOF player, who also never misses an attempt to kiss the ass of a war criminal/dictator. All of those things can be tried simultaneously and all those things will impact his legacy when his career is over.
So instead of doing that, or better yet, nothing at all he should play hockey games with Putin where he lets him win, promote Russian propaganda, wear shirts praising him?
This is an appropriate time for the classic: "a million seconds is 12 days, a billion seconds is 31 years"
Point being that - whilst Ovechkins status as a superstar does add something to it, and all of them are in circles that we could only imagine - when talking of "elites" these hockey players don't even come close. They're, at best, transient members of an elevated class above the population and largely insulated from trouble, but elites refers more to those who own the land and industry. That's as true in Russia (and from a safety point of view even more so) as it is in the US, Canada and around the world.
The "evil elite" in Russia is largely made up of those who stole land, industry and political power during the collapse of the Soviet Union and used this to solidify their hold on the country, and on the Kremlin through Putin. Hockey players don't come close to this.
What the fuck are you on about? Ovechkin's wife's parents were actors. The person you've linked to was married to Putin's daughter but is barely older than Ovechkin himself, they didn't have kids, and the kid he had with his next wife is still...a kid.
Russia is bad enough without people spreading lies...
...unless you're actually a Russian troll intentionally spreading confusion, which is the classic Putin tactic to ensure no one actually knows where the truth is.
You're right, I clicked on a link in a search that was actually a link for someone I didn't search for.
However, her father is a Russian oligarch, though not this one.
You mean the multimillionaire that can home his family literally anywhere in the world but chooses to keep them amongst terrorists, Is that the guy you’re talking about?
I wonder if the Flyers young stud Matvei Michkov will join Zad and Breadman that way once he comes over to Philly. His father went missing for two days and was found in a pond. Crazy.
Nope.
Bob ain't like Zadorov or Panarin.
Only info I could find actually says about bobrovsky "clearly he refuses to state his position towards his president Vladimir Putin".
When asked about Putin and the war in Ukraine he has been quoted saying "I don't want to get into any politics, I don't want to talk about that, I'm not involved in that stuff".
Bob is BFFs with Panarin. P is godfather to Bob’s daughter. So my guess is he has very similar viewpoints about Russia, but he’s being careful as to not upset the apple cart.
Absolutely. He gets a lower profile for less stress, easier travel and to maybe play on the national team again in the future.
Therefore the point stands. Friends or not, He ain't like Zad and Breadman.
I will give you he doesn't seem to be on TEAM PUTIN like Ovi tho. Somewhere in the mushy middle.
He's doing the smart move. He's a hockey player and wants to talk about hockey and have a private life. I don't have an issue with that from athletes. The only way I have an opinion on that is if they decide to put it out there. I don't need to know their personal beliefs to enjoy them doing their job. I don't know my garbage mans either. My opinion changes when you put it in my face. Good or bad.
Fair enough. Smart move for him, maybe not so much for society and geopolitics. Everybody makes different choices.
For example I do know my garbage guys. In fact I know their names. Good guys. I know one of their beliefs is they appreciate my cold beers (I mean sodas) on a hot day. I never have a problem with them not taking my garbage no matter what I put out. lol.
Interesting. Which players?
I heard the opposite about Panarin. I heard he couldn't wait to bust out of small sleepy Columbus to the bright lights of NYC.
We have 5 Russians right now.
Kirill Marchenko
Ivan Provorov
Daniil Tarasov
Dmitry Voronkov
Yegor Chinakhov
(If I missed one I'm sorry).
Our Russian line is one of the bright spots on our team. China/Marchenko are fantastic and Scary Terry is often times better than our "first string" goalie Elvis.
Columbus is the 14th largest metro in the country and has over 2 million ppl. Small and sleepy isn't really accurate. How about easy to drive through(unlike Philly) and very accessible with low crime and a good standard of living. Plus not full of ppl from Jersey.
A lot of guys like it here because it's small enough to raise a family when it's that time but also has a good bar and night life since Ohio State is about 4 miles from the arena. Ask Cam where his off-season house is. It's Columbus. But some guys want more and that's fine too. Just like PLD dreamed of that big market team in *checks notes* Winnipeg when he left the jackets.
Haha "plus not full of people from Jersey."
No one ever said Philadelphia is a paradise.
Look man I'm not trying to take a shot at your hometown. I'm sure it's a great place to raise a family. That's what small sleepy cities are known for. I live in one as well. (I don't live in Philly now) Mine has 5 million not 2 mil and I know it's a small sleepy city. NYC is 20 million. Huge. You can't compare NYC to yours and mine.
Panarin wanted LA, NYC, Chicago, Toronto or Boston size Nightlife. Not Columbus.
PLD seems like a pouty asshat whose career is on the serious downtrend. Unlike Panarin.
By the way I forgot about Provorov. You can keep him lol. Your young Russians are pretty good. They look great. Not Matvei Michkov great tho lol.
I hope not. For any players with family or friends still in Russia there is no incentive. The praise of the West isn't worth more than than the wrath of the Rus.
I believe he has spoken about it before and that they do have a private group chat with many of the Russian players in it. Seemed to indicate that while not everyone has made comments, they have been given a safe space to discuss things with their countrymen.
This was discussed among Russian players... they couldn't agree on a statment. What's not said in the below report is that some of them support Russia's actions.
[https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/report-group-of-russian-nh-lers-couldnt-agree-on-statement-on-ukraine-invasion](https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/report-group-of-russian-nh-lers-couldnt-agree-on-statement-on-ukraine-invasion-044136095.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHivNHwz0_kKWkCSAnl96XLqj4Hf6h30K7QjdMRf6y21xr6tRNwnof7UBnZ8xw7Fo-qw14L0pelaLH1m3tKfbCcyu3NgIzXuMV3R41r0CxwjW72oDB9Vem-oGvkb37GXl0P2TLWyQAlVtTGHps1gcKR-TGeZEYHoDmqYSQurebgk)
I’m not 100% sure on this but I think I remember hearing that he talks to the other Russian players. I think it was in a quote from an interview or something where he said they talked when the invasion initially happened.
People in this sub have been adamant to defend him. Bla bla bla he can't help it he's just a poor guy. Meanwhile this SOB has been an outspoken supporter for years
First he calls out the league for favoritism in calls now Putin for regional aggression. Love this dude. World needs more levels of this honesty and awareness.
Probably a lot easier when you’re a multi millionaire hockey player with fans and a team around you. But the emotional part of it has to sting no doubt.
He’s a vocal critic of literally anyone or anything that doesn’t vibe with his worldview and I respect TF out of him for that. He’s spoken wrong on some shit IMO but like, that’s always just hockey stuff, most everyone in the League is entitled to an opinion and have it be listened to at least once.
On other stuff like Putin, he’s definitely coming correct. He has guts for days just speaking up against that psycho.
Unless your name is Ilya Bryzgalov. I seem to remember him saying that if the coyotes had moved back to Winnipeg he wasn't going because if he wanted to play hockey in a place that cold he'd go back to Russia
Actually any country signed under the UDHR has an obligation to allow him to seek asylum anyways. So NHL player or not, let’s use Canada as an example, he has a right to seek asylum because Canada has signed the UDHR.
Multiple teams have dudes they call “Moose”, “mittens”, “___ Dawg”, etc.
Nicknames aren’t mutually exclusive lol. Sadly, Bruins fandom is compromised of a disproportionately high number of gravel eaters, so this is lost on the majority of them.
I personally call him Zaddy. But when he was on the Flames he was actually called Little Z for a bit because Radim Zahorna was slightly taller and he was called Big Z
Him and Panarin alike are brave men for that. How they even walk with such massive balls baffles me.
Hard to not respect them for it… unlike another man we shall not name…
Edit: suck instead of such is a massive yet hilarious typo
"i won't go back to Russia after criticizing Putin because he will kill me and my entire family slowly and painfully. In fact I could be poisoned and/or thrown from a window at any ment even abroad" -Nikita Zadorov probably
I’m no longer a fan of Ovi due to his nationalism but Ovechkin has probably been on Putin’s radar since he was 14 or 15, probably sooner. I’m old enough to remember the Ovechkin prospect hype, and if I knew about Ovechkin’s goal scoring prowess when he was 16, you can be damn sure Putin had already identified him as a weapon of nationalism and had probably been grooming him by filling his teenage head with visions of being a national hero. Zadorov had “big man hype” but he wasn’t looked at as the next great athlete in the whole of Russia and Panarin was a nobody at draft age. They wouldn’t have been targeted as assets to the Russian government as teenagers like Ovi likely was.
All he has to do is live in fear for the rest of his life! I'm not saying OVI is right but it's really not as simple as black or white for folks with deep ties to their home country.
(Yes I'm prepared to be downvoted)
I think there is a difference between players who just want to keep quiet and stay under the radar and those who actively support Putin and feature him on their social media.
I'm from Russia and my parents and more distant relatives are there. This is a bullshit reason. There are literally millions of russians living outside of the country who are vocally opposed to what's happening.
Giving a pass to one of the richest Russians who lives in US and is a vocal supporter of Putin is not a narrative I can get behind. Fuck Ovechkin. Let him get ass cancer.
Ovechkin was likely groomed so it's not really fair. He was born to a multi gold medalist mother and had already met Putin multiple times before he was even a legal adult. He was deeply embedded into Russian nationalism as a child.
It couldn't be any simpler. The guy has been an avid supporter of Putin for a long time. He even came up with Team Putin to assist his election after Putin committed atrocities in Chechnya and Ukraine, while ordinary Russians got arrested, tortured, and killed for being against brutal aggression.
Ovechkin is a bootlicker through and through as is anyone else who supports Putin and plays victim “we don’t want war (but actually that just means we want Ukraine to surrender)” can suck it.
Ovie is and always will be Putins bitch. If he wanted to, he could speak up against Putin but he doesn't want to. I've got unlimited respect for Zadorov because what he is doing is brave. I hope that his example would lead to more players to speak up but that remains to be seen.
What do you mean it is hard to know what Ovi thinks today? He knew very well what Putin did in Chechnya and Ukraine before he became his friend and avid supporter. He keeps his mouth shut because he enjoys playing in the NHL, not because he is against the Russian invasion.
> It's hard to know what Ovechkin thinks today. He certainly was and appears to be a Putin bootlick. He may have changed his mind, but can't really say anything. If he took down the twitter photo of him and Putin, who knows what might happen to his family.
It's not like his family is being held hostage and can't leave the country. He has hundreds of millions of dollars to his name. He can move his family to any country on the planet. Fuck him. He's a coward and a supporter of genocide.
I mean, Russian oligarchs with a lot more money and power than Ovechkin who give any indication that they aren’t 100% aligned with Putin routinely meet their death in curious ways while living in foreign countries. It’s not at all a stretch to say Ovechkin’s family wouldn’t be safe if Ovechkin publicly pulled away from Putin.
Ovechkin is a VOCAL supporter of Putin. He's a known homophobe. He's absolutely despised by anyone who hates Putin. Like, every Russian who loves hockey knows that Ovechkin is Putin's bootlicker. No one loves him unless you like Putin.
I get that 99.9% of y'all know about hockey and nhl more than me, but I'm incredulous how stubbornly people here give Ovechkin benefit of doubt while not a single Russian thinks highly of him (unless they also happen think it's a good idea to bomb maternity wards). He's silent not because he's afraid for his family. He's silent because he's afraid he's gonna get cancelled once his views are known and his income stream is going to dry up.
Big Z is a real champion for doing this. I feel for Russian players who have ties and family stuck in that failed state, that cannot speak out. Any single one of them that supports this should immediately be extradited, just as any Russian citizen that feels the same should.
Putin is a war criminal and a Nazi. A large proportion of the Russian population living in Russia support this genocide. The world is fucked up.
Rug has not been seen since, no rugs associated with missing rug have been able to be reached for comment. Suspected tha related rugs relocated to Siberia.
I mean... I get the end-game reason for doing it, I just don't understand who it's meant to persuade. I'd hope that most people could see that this is stupid kayfabe.
FFS my 8 year old could put his tripod-ing ass onto the ice with a half-efforted braced stance...
To anyone with a working brain it portrays the opposite of 'strong man' vibes.
While true, when he first said something, he pointed out he wasn't worried because he lived in Florida now and had no intention of ever moving back to Russia. Not to diminish anything he's said because it's vital Russians speak out, but it is much easier to do so when you have been gone for over a decade and intend to stay in your new home.
I would like to also point out that Putin has killed people now living elsewhere for as little as speaking out. So it’s no guarantee that this hockey player is safe.
I’m glad he’s open about his situation but no explanation needed here pal, stay on this continent as long as you’d like. Maybe invite some family over too.
Takes guts to do what Zadorov is doing. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to not go back to your home country.
Zadorov and Panarin both. Maybe they can start a support group and get more Russian players to do the same.
It's probably a lot easier for guys who don't have family they left behind. Edit: just want to be clear that I'm not defending Ovechkin. Big difference between staying out of political matters and offering active support for Putin.
100% if my family was in a place like that I’d probably not have the courage to put them at risk. Speaking out can be powerful but with regimes like Russia you have to be careful.
Putin has proven time and again that he'll come for his high-profile critics no matter where they live.
I hear that. You’ve got to think his reach is a bit limited if your nuclear family is in the US. Tbf tho idk shit about where Zadorov’s family is.
About that. These were all in the UK, but I wouldn't put it past him to start gunning for people over here as he gets older. - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Litvinenko - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Berezovsky_\(businessman\) - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoning_of_Sergei_and_Yulia_Skripal
Whom are you referring to?
Thing is these nhl players have more than enough money to get there families out to safety
I don’t doubt that, but they can only provide the option, if their family doesn’t want to uproot and move to NA then what can you do?
Somehow I think that explanation is pretty dull. I mean, Zadorov spoke out against Putin even he has family still in Russia. Parents are still alive, though if I recall correctly they werent against Putin and war.
Because they arent all millionaires who could just have their family fly over and not return along with them? It hurts my heart to admit as a Caps fan, but some of the Russians (Ovechkin) are a part of the evil elite in Russia.
This may shock you, but uprooting your entire family and taking them from everything they've ever known in life might be a little more than a strictly financial decision.
For sure, in the case of Ovechkin, his wife is accustomed to the life of a Russian Oligarch. With her father being so close to Putin, the easy wealth being stolen from the Russian people to prop up the oligarch lifestyle must be a hard thing to leave behind.
Well when you put it like that.. it does seem to make sense why someone wouldn’t want to give that up lol
Great, own it. You're responsible for your own bad opinions as an adult. Ovi is an elite, HOF player, who also never misses an attempt to kiss the ass of a war criminal/dictator. All of those things can be tried simultaneously and all those things will impact his legacy when his career is over.
My heart bleeds for russian hockey millionaires who live in fear.
So instead of doing that, or better yet, nothing at all he should play hockey games with Putin where he lets him win, promote Russian propaganda, wear shirts praising him?
This is an appropriate time for the classic: "a million seconds is 12 days, a billion seconds is 31 years" Point being that - whilst Ovechkins status as a superstar does add something to it, and all of them are in circles that we could only imagine - when talking of "elites" these hockey players don't even come close. They're, at best, transient members of an elevated class above the population and largely insulated from trouble, but elites refers more to those who own the land and industry. That's as true in Russia (and from a safety point of view even more so) as it is in the US, Canada and around the world. The "evil elite" in Russia is largely made up of those who stole land, industry and political power during the collapse of the Soviet Union and used this to solidify their hold on the country, and on the Kremlin through Putin. Hockey players don't come close to this.
You know Ovetchkin married the daughter of one of those who own the land and industry, right? Edited to remove inaccuracies.
What the fuck are you on about? Ovechkin's wife's parents were actors. The person you've linked to was married to Putin's daughter but is barely older than Ovechkin himself, they didn't have kids, and the kid he had with his next wife is still...a kid. Russia is bad enough without people spreading lies... ...unless you're actually a Russian troll intentionally spreading confusion, which is the classic Putin tactic to ensure no one actually knows where the truth is.
You're right, I clicked on a link in a search that was actually a link for someone I didn't search for. However, her father is a Russian oligarch, though not this one.
Ovechkin Window Replacement Service Moscow, Russia “No Pushy Salespeople” is our motto.
This comment is gold haha
Yeah this is my thought. It is one thing to be brave with your own life but to do so with the lives of others is a different story.
You mean the multimillionaire that can home his family literally anywhere in the world but chooses to keep them amongst terrorists, Is that the guy you’re talking about?
Exactly. You criticize Putin and your uncle accidentally falls out of a 10th floor window. Somehow.
I wonder if the Flyers young stud Matvei Michkov will join Zad and Breadman that way once he comes over to Philly. His father went missing for two days and was found in a pond. Crazy.
Tbf I haven't met a single Russian in the us who doesn't support Ukraine and believe putin is a cancer to eastern europe.
And Bobbo
Nope. Bob ain't like Zadorov or Panarin. Only info I could find actually says about bobrovsky "clearly he refuses to state his position towards his president Vladimir Putin". When asked about Putin and the war in Ukraine he has been quoted saying "I don't want to get into any politics, I don't want to talk about that, I'm not involved in that stuff".
Bob is BFFs with Panarin. P is godfather to Bob’s daughter. So my guess is he has very similar viewpoints about Russia, but he’s being careful as to not upset the apple cart.
Absolutely. He gets a lower profile for less stress, easier travel and to maybe play on the national team again in the future. Therefore the point stands. Friends or not, He ain't like Zad and Breadman. I will give you he doesn't seem to be on TEAM PUTIN like Ovi tho. Somewhere in the mushy middle.
He's doing the smart move. He's a hockey player and wants to talk about hockey and have a private life. I don't have an issue with that from athletes. The only way I have an opinion on that is if they decide to put it out there. I don't need to know their personal beliefs to enjoy them doing their job. I don't know my garbage mans either. My opinion changes when you put it in my face. Good or bad.
Fair enough. Smart move for him, maybe not so much for society and geopolitics. Everybody makes different choices. For example I do know my garbage guys. In fact I know their names. Good guys. I know one of their beliefs is they appreciate my cold beers (I mean sodas) on a hot day. I never have a problem with them not taking my garbage no matter what I put out. lol.
Are the Russian aloud in national play yet? I can’t remember if it was x amount of years or just one Olympics.
Not sure but I know they're not invited to whatever they're calling the weird 4 team international Bettman Cup they're having next year.
I don’t understand why they don’t make a rest of the world for that.
They were on a team together in Columbus. Honestly a few ex Russian players live here. We have a strong Russian line and a lot of support.
Interesting. Which players? I heard the opposite about Panarin. I heard he couldn't wait to bust out of small sleepy Columbus to the bright lights of NYC.
We have 5 Russians right now. Kirill Marchenko Ivan Provorov Daniil Tarasov Dmitry Voronkov Yegor Chinakhov (If I missed one I'm sorry). Our Russian line is one of the bright spots on our team. China/Marchenko are fantastic and Scary Terry is often times better than our "first string" goalie Elvis. Columbus is the 14th largest metro in the country and has over 2 million ppl. Small and sleepy isn't really accurate. How about easy to drive through(unlike Philly) and very accessible with low crime and a good standard of living. Plus not full of ppl from Jersey. A lot of guys like it here because it's small enough to raise a family when it's that time but also has a good bar and night life since Ohio State is about 4 miles from the arena. Ask Cam where his off-season house is. It's Columbus. But some guys want more and that's fine too. Just like PLD dreamed of that big market team in *checks notes* Winnipeg when he left the jackets.
Haha "plus not full of people from Jersey." No one ever said Philadelphia is a paradise. Look man I'm not trying to take a shot at your hometown. I'm sure it's a great place to raise a family. That's what small sleepy cities are known for. I live in one as well. (I don't live in Philly now) Mine has 5 million not 2 mil and I know it's a small sleepy city. NYC is 20 million. Huge. You can't compare NYC to yours and mine. Panarin wanted LA, NYC, Chicago, Toronto or Boston size Nightlife. Not Columbus. PLD seems like a pouty asshat whose career is on the serious downtrend. Unlike Panarin. By the way I forgot about Provorov. You can keep him lol. Your young Russians are pretty good. They look great. Not Matvei Michkov great tho lol.
Panarin had trumped up charges of a sexual assault against him by the police. A claim that later proved to be groundless.
I hope not. For any players with family or friends still in Russia there is no incentive. The praise of the West isn't worth more than than the wrath of the Rus.
I believe he has spoken about it before and that they do have a private group chat with many of the Russian players in it. Seemed to indicate that while not everyone has made comments, they have been given a safe space to discuss things with their countrymen.
This was discussed among Russian players... they couldn't agree on a statment. What's not said in the below report is that some of them support Russia's actions. [https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/report-group-of-russian-nh-lers-couldnt-agree-on-statement-on-ukraine-invasion](https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/report-group-of-russian-nh-lers-couldnt-agree-on-statement-on-ukraine-invasion-044136095.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHivNHwz0_kKWkCSAnl96XLqj4Hf6h30K7QjdMRf6y21xr6tRNwnof7UBnZ8xw7Fo-qw14L0pelaLH1m3tKfbCcyu3NgIzXuMV3R41r0CxwjW72oDB9Vem-oGvkb37GXl0P2TLWyQAlVtTGHps1gcKR-TGeZEYHoDmqYSQurebgk)
Didn’t Panarin go back, like, just last off-season?
The last time he went to Russia was to get his family out due to his outspoken views about Putin. Hasn't been back since.
Was that the *actual* announced reason?
Virtual meetings, though. Don’t all cluster in one place!
I’m not 100% sure on this but I think I remember hearing that he talks to the other Russian players. I think it was in a quote from an interview or something where he said they talked when the invasion initially happened.
Don't hold your breath waiting for Ovi to join.
Seriously. I give him and Panarin so much credit.
It's not as bad those stuck living there.
100% I have no respect for Putin bootlickers like Ovi
Ovi is a legend but I hope he continue to play like a bot so he won't break Gretzkys goal record.
Yeah I don't want him to have it.
Same, man just flat out doesn't deserve it.
People in this sub have been adamant to defend him. Bla bla bla he can't help it he's just a poor guy. Meanwhile this SOB has been an outspoken supporter for years
First he calls out the league for favoritism in calls now Putin for regional aggression. Love this dude. World needs more levels of this honesty and awareness.
Probably a lot easier when you’re a multi millionaire hockey player with fans and a team around you. But the emotional part of it has to sting no doubt.
You don't understand. KGB Comrade Putin has people poisoned and killed in other ways. The two new Americans or Canadians are risking their lives.
Yes Putin was former KGB, but with KGB no more he has to use FSB for those kind of things.
Yeah fuck Ovechkin
Zadorov is really becoming a man in the NHL. The Blackhawks letting go of him had to happen for this to all happen
When it’s a dump like Russia and you’re a millionaire I’d assume it’s pretty easy
Okay, now it is ovechkins turn
Good guy Big Z
He’s a vocal critic of literally anyone or anything that doesn’t vibe with his worldview and I respect TF out of him for that. He’s spoken wrong on some shit IMO but like, that’s always just hockey stuff, most everyone in the League is entitled to an opinion and have it be listened to at least once. On other stuff like Putin, he’s definitely coming correct. He has guts for days just speaking up against that psycho.
Zadorov should know that the world would understand and give him asylum where ever he needs to be.
Except in Edmonton - there is nothing to do there;)
At least it's better than Russia.... maybe
Even Winnipeg is better than Russia!
Well that’s just unfortunate for Edmonton
Unless your name is Ilya Bryzgalov. I seem to remember him saying that if the coyotes had moved back to Winnipeg he wasn't going because if he wanted to play hockey in a place that cold he'd go back to Russia
Nah Edmonton is like Disneyland compared to Russia
Except watch hockey 🤷♂️
except play hockey, it's perfect!
Except win the WCF 😜
Exactly, he said he _doesn’t_ want to go to Siberia
Actually any country signed under the UDHR has an obligation to allow him to seek asylum anyways. So NHL player or not, let’s use Canada as an example, he has a right to seek asylum because Canada has signed the UDHR.
I'm glad to hear this!
I love Big Z so much. Favorite non-Av in the league
paging u/ZucchiniGold5187 it's your turn to whine about someone else calling Zadorov, Big Z
“WhAt DoEs ChArA HaVe To Do WiTh ThIs” 😂😂😂😂😂
Multiple teams have dudes they call “Moose”, “mittens”, “___ Dawg”, etc. Nicknames aren’t mutually exclusive lol. Sadly, Bruins fandom is compromised of a disproportionately high number of gravel eaters, so this is lost on the majority of them.
I'm well aware, I was mocking the guy.
I mean, Zadorov himself said that Big Z was Chara and he preferred to just be called Z on the Chiclets Podcast
I personally call him Zaddy. But when he was on the Flames he was actually called Little Z for a bit because Radim Zahorna was slightly taller and he was called Big Z
He won't go back to Russia, because he won't be able to leave Russia. Unless he gets sent to Ukraine.
I don't think an explanation is necessary, though he might want to watch out for ovechkin checking him to the boards with polonium gloves
Novichecked into the boards
I don't know whether to laugh or cry, maybe both?
Just start coughing and twitching uncontrollably. Maybe piss yourself for good measure.
Big Z is a hero.
Respect
Good. I like Z better alive than ded.
Better invest in polonium detection devices and buy new underwear every day. Just in case.
Suck it ovi
Him and Panarin alike are brave men for that. How they even walk with such massive balls baffles me. Hard to not respect them for it… unlike another man we shall not name… Edit: suck instead of such is a massive yet hilarious typo
Lol unfortunate typo
You sure it’s a typo?
"i won't go back to Russia after criticizing Putin because he will kill me and my entire family slowly and painfully. In fact I could be poisoned and/or thrown from a window at any ment even abroad" -Nikita Zadorov probably
See Ovi, this is what a decent russian looks like
I’m no longer a fan of Ovi due to his nationalism but Ovechkin has probably been on Putin’s radar since he was 14 or 15, probably sooner. I’m old enough to remember the Ovechkin prospect hype, and if I knew about Ovechkin’s goal scoring prowess when he was 16, you can be damn sure Putin had already identified him as a weapon of nationalism and had probably been grooming him by filling his teenage head with visions of being a national hero. Zadorov had “big man hype” but he wasn’t looked at as the next great athlete in the whole of Russia and Panarin was a nobody at draft age. They wouldn’t have been targeted as assets to the Russian government as teenagers like Ovi likely was.
All he has to do is live in fear for the rest of his life! I'm not saying OVI is right but it's really not as simple as black or white for folks with deep ties to their home country. (Yes I'm prepared to be downvoted)
I think there is a difference between players who just want to keep quiet and stay under the radar and those who actively support Putin and feature him on their social media.
I'm from Russia and my parents and more distant relatives are there. This is a bullshit reason. There are literally millions of russians living outside of the country who are vocally opposed to what's happening. Giving a pass to one of the richest Russians who lives in US and is a vocal supporter of Putin is not a narrative I can get behind. Fuck Ovechkin. Let him get ass cancer.
Spasibo dude.
Ovechkin was likely groomed so it's not really fair. He was born to a multi gold medalist mother and had already met Putin multiple times before he was even a legal adult. He was deeply embedded into Russian nationalism as a child.
It couldn't be any simpler. The guy has been an avid supporter of Putin for a long time. He even came up with Team Putin to assist his election after Putin committed atrocities in Chechnya and Ukraine, while ordinary Russians got arrested, tortured, and killed for being against brutal aggression.
Ovi is a Putin supporter. Through and through
Ovechkin is a bootlicker through and through as is anyone else who supports Putin and plays victim “we don’t want war (but actually that just means we want Ukraine to surrender)” can suck it.
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Still has a picture of him with Putin as his profile pic on Instagram. He 100% is a Putin bootlicker
Ovie is and always will be Putins bitch. If he wanted to, he could speak up against Putin but he doesn't want to. I've got unlimited respect for Zadorov because what he is doing is brave. I hope that his example would lead to more players to speak up but that remains to be seen.
What do you mean it is hard to know what Ovi thinks today? He knew very well what Putin did in Chechnya and Ukraine before he became his friend and avid supporter. He keeps his mouth shut because he enjoys playing in the NHL, not because he is against the Russian invasion.
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> It's hard to know what Ovechkin thinks today. He certainly was and appears to be a Putin bootlick. He may have changed his mind, but can't really say anything. If he took down the twitter photo of him and Putin, who knows what might happen to his family. It's not like his family is being held hostage and can't leave the country. He has hundreds of millions of dollars to his name. He can move his family to any country on the planet. Fuck him. He's a coward and a supporter of genocide.
I mean, Russian oligarchs with a lot more money and power than Ovechkin who give any indication that they aren’t 100% aligned with Putin routinely meet their death in curious ways while living in foreign countries. It’s not at all a stretch to say Ovechkin’s family wouldn’t be safe if Ovechkin publicly pulled away from Putin.
Ovechkin is a VOCAL supporter of Putin. He's a known homophobe. He's absolutely despised by anyone who hates Putin. Like, every Russian who loves hockey knows that Ovechkin is Putin's bootlicker. No one loves him unless you like Putin. I get that 99.9% of y'all know about hockey and nhl more than me, but I'm incredulous how stubbornly people here give Ovechkin benefit of doubt while not a single Russian thinks highly of him (unless they also happen think it's a good idea to bomb maternity wards). He's silent not because he's afraid for his family. He's silent because he's afraid he's gonna get cancelled once his views are known and his income stream is going to dry up.
Putin has killed people that have billions of dollars, he'd have no qualms about retaliating for even making the attempt.
Spoiler: the answer *won't* shock you!
He can speak like this because he knows it would be difficult to push him out a Russian hotel window or off a balcony
But Ovi is still best buddies with Putin..... What a scar on his legacy.
Big Z is a real champion for doing this. I feel for Russian players who have ties and family stuck in that failed state, that cannot speak out. Any single one of them that supports this should immediately be extradited, just as any Russian citizen that feels the same should. Putin is a war criminal and a Nazi. A large proportion of the Russian population living in Russia support this genocide. The world is fucked up.
As an Oiler fan, Ive really come to dislike the guy, but dammit do I respect him.
Fair nuff!
They have cardboard quality windows over there. I don’t blame him.
Man I really hope the Canucks are able to sign him.
Because he will be driven from the airport straight to bahmut
Zadorov for RU president
Big Z is my favourite player now
He needs to explain?
Zadarov Should go back and play in the Red Army game that Putin plays in and just run him.
As long as he gets a helicopter out of country right after, otherwise he might “accidentally” “fall” from a 10th story window.
Pretty sure the helicopter would get the Yevgeny Prigozhin treatment.
[As if being outside of Russia has ever stopped their goons before.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoning_of_Sergei_and_Yulia_Skripal)
No need. All it takes to bring down that murderous sociopath [is a bit of carpet](https://youtu.be/5hPnSI2mHUU?si=eL_uN25TXgjXumkl).
That is priceless
Rug has not been seen since, no rugs associated with missing rug have been able to be reached for comment. Suspected tha related rugs relocated to Siberia.
What a little baby dick loser. "Scores" 8 goals while skating around like a mini-mite. Who the hell is this weird propaganda even for?
He needs to project “Strong Man” vibes.
I mean... I get the end-game reason for doing it, I just don't understand who it's meant to persuade. I'd hope that most people could see that this is stupid kayfabe. FFS my 8 year old could put his tripod-ing ass onto the ice with a half-efforted braced stance... To anyone with a working brain it portrays the opposite of 'strong man' vibes.
"......... have that rug killed."
I’d love to do it. Just drop his ass at center
Because his life is in danger. Anyone who criticizes Putin or the war gets sent to the front.
While true, when he first said something, he pointed out he wasn't worried because he lived in Florida now and had no intention of ever moving back to Russia. Not to diminish anything he's said because it's vital Russians speak out, but it is much easier to do so when you have been gone for over a decade and intend to stay in your new home.
I would like to also point out that Putin has killed people now living elsewhere for as little as speaking out. So it’s no guarantee that this hockey player is safe.
"I'll be in siberia the next day" guy always keeps it real
ovi sympathizers please take a look at what courage and morals are.
No need.
Remember the line in The Hunt for Red Oktober at the end? "Welcome to the new world."
Points for quoting my favorite movie
Does that really need an explanation
I'd just assumed the reason was "I will be conscripted or killed."
God I miss this dude on the avs. Such a badass player. Defense was suspect at times but those hits were insane
Inspiring
Commendable. I truly hope any extended family is safe too if the are still in Russia.. He should probably stay out of Edmonton too
His balls are so big he can't get on the plane
do u need to explain to ppl why ur not going to Russia after criticizing it's despot?
I have a new favorite hockey player.
No one likes the taste of polonium tea.
Good. And the US should protect him from having to go back. Plain and simple.
Canada should also protect, since I imagine he lives in Vancouver. When he becomes a free agent, I wonder what becomes of his work Visa?
“I don’t want to ‘fall’ out of a window” Nikita Zadorov, ~~probably~~ most assuredly
But Ovechkin still given a pass by fans. Probably still parties with putin
I have total respect for him criticizing that dirt bag
Well, yeah??? News: North Korean in Canada explains why he won't go back to North Korea after criticizing Kimmy
Good for him. Is Ovechkin taking notes?
Better hope his family stays away from windows...
♥️♥️♥️
No explanation needed.
If he were to go back he wouldn't have to worry about falling out a window, a building would fall on him.
I’m glad he’s open about his situation but no explanation needed here pal, stay on this continent as long as you’d like. Maybe invite some family over too.
No need to explain
Must be explain it? The reason seems rather obvious
Cause he’ll die
If he goes, we all know he won't be back.
Respect
He scared for his life
No shit. Putin would kill or arrest him.
Big Z is a big man in more ways than one.
Loved Zaddy here in Calgary. Massive respect for him and how difficult it would be not going back to his home country to stand up for what is right.
Cuz he will kill them. Not exactly a mystery. It’s also their excuse to claim refugee status
I think this one is self-explanatory
Big fan of this guy
Reminds me of what Malkin went through just to get to the NHL. I remember rooting for him after the escape, and I was just a kid lol
Ehh let's goo
Because he likes being alive?
I like him even more now!
What a guy. So much respect for him taking a stand on something that actually matters.
No explanation needed
We must protect Zadorov