The 2023 NHL All-Star weekend was a huge success, and as always, it was amazing to see star players from all over the league together. One of the most wholesome moments of the weekend came when Alex Ovechkin’s son got the opportunity to skate on the ice.
Ovechkin’s son, 4-year-old Sergei, is a huge hockey fan and heading into the weekend, Alex revealed that Sergei looked forward to meeting some of the league’s biggest stars, and he even wanted to take some pictures with the likes of Sidney Crosby.
That’s what made the on-ice moment ever greater. During Friday’s skill event, Sergei got to skate with Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. Sergei even scored a goal on goalie Roberto Luongo, and Alex was proud when he talked to the media about it.
“It was very cool. Everybody enjoyed it. Obviously, Sergei was always smiling,” Ovechkin said afterward, via ESPN. “That’s a special moment. It’s great for the game and great for both of us. And for Sergei as well.”
But not everyone liked that NHL allowed Sergei to be on the ice. Iconic NHL goalie Dominik Hasek tweeted a picture of 4-year-old Sergei and claimed that NHL ”sunk to rock bottom.”
“Letting Ovechkin’s son perform on the ice at the NHL All-Star is spitting in the face of approximately 500 killed, thousands injured and tens of thousands of kidnapped Ukrainian children,” he tweeted. “The NHL and Gary Bettman must pay for this heinous act!”
The NHL has not issued a response to Hasek’s furious tweet. It’s not the first time Hasek has been lashing out at the NHL since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which started in February 2022. Dominik Hasek has called on the NHL to suspend Russian players.
In the meantime, Alex Ovechkin has received criticism for not speaking up against the war. He’s also been criticized for not changing his Instagram profile picture of him and Vladimir Putin. When the war started, Alex Ovechkin said the following on Feb. 25, 2022.
“Please, no more war. It doesn’t matter who is in the war – Russia, Ukraine, different countries – I think we live in a world, like, we have to live in peace and a great world.”
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