I Will Refrain from Criticizing My Russian Teammate in the NHL: A Statement by Hasek

Moscow, March 16 – The Olympic champion of the Czech national hockey team, Dominik Hasek, said that in the current conditions he would not criticize his colleague in the Russian team for being an active player in the National Hockey League (NHL).

In February, Hasek called on the NHL to suspend the contracts of Russian players due to the situation in Ukraine. In December, he announced that he had sent a corresponding letter to the NHL.

Earlier, Hasek had criticized the NHL All-Star Game, calling it “an advertisement for Russian aggression”, and said the league had “fallen into the gutter”. The appearance on the ice of Ovechkin, along with his eldest son Sergei, who became the winner of the competition for the most spectacular shootout, was called by the two-time Stanley Cup winner a “vile act” and “spit” on the Ukrainian. children. NHL commissioner Gary Pittman said Hasek’s recent statements about the league’s policy toward Russian players hardly reflect the attitude of the Czech people and the country’s authorities.