Russian hockey player declines to wear LGBTQ ribbon at NHL
While several Capitals players wrapped their hockey sticks with rainbow-colored tape ahead of the matchup, Ovechkin used traditional white tape, maintaining his previous stance against what he described as virtue-signaling. The Capitals lost the game 2–5. Coach Spencer Carbery commented afterward that it was a “great night to celebrate Pride… Wish we could’ve gotten the win for tonight.”
The NHL first introduced Pride Night events over two decades ago. In 2023, the league briefly banned LGBTQ-themed gear after several Russian players refused to wear rainbow-colored sweaters for religious reasons. The league later lifted these restrictions, allowing individual players to decide whether to participate. Ovechkin praised the decision at the time, saying, “Well, what can I say here? Well done. It should be like this everywhere.”
Ovechkin made NHL history last year by scoring his 895th regular-season goal, surpassing Wayne Gretzky’s record, and has since increased his career total to 917 goals.
Following his record-breaking achievement, Ovechkin was added to Ukraine’s controversial Mirotvorets database, which lists individuals accused of threatening Ukraine’s national security or “whitewashing Russia’s reputation” through participation in international sports. Critics have described the database as a “kill list,” noting multiple cases in which listed individuals later died under suspicious circumstances, according to reports.
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