“Before the NHL game between Washington and Pittsburgh, I had a small challenge. I tried not to mention Captain Capitals’ name, and I succeeded. I did not forget to mention his puck skills, this season’s statistics and what he did. I just didn’t want to say his name, “Finnish commentator Tero Kainulainen explained on his Twitter. The reason is the support of President Vladimir Putin by the Russian hockey star.
And as Finn promised, so he did. At first, he maintained a flawless balance just after the duel against Pittsburgh, then he imitated his respectable deed in the fight against Boston. In the last two Capitals duels, Finnish spectators have never heard the name “Alexander Ovechkin”.
His challenge was not eased by the fact that the Russian star of Washington scored two goals during the matches. In addition, Ovečkin traditionally spent a lot of time on the ice, he often got into shooting positions and the Finnish commentator Kainulainen had to look for alternatives to address. And he succeeded.
He either completely ignored the Russian gunner, or called him the “Captain of the Washington Capitals,” the “famous man,” the “gray-bearded player,” or the “eight,” which Ovechkin enters.
“Five minutes of the second period passed when the Capitals captain managed to reach the puck,” said a Finnish commentator during the duel against Pittsburgh. with Boston.
The reactions did not take long. Russian MP Svetlana Zhurova, for example, spoke. “What are the prejudices? This is Russophobia, “the 50-year-old politician told Sport-Express.” Ovechkin will continue to play in Washington, thank God no one will take him from there. It shows that our hockey players are among the best in the world, “she added.
