Ovechkin appears in pro-Putin United Russia campaign ad alongside sanctioned Foreign Minister Lavrov

Alex Ovechkin, the NHL's all-time leading goalscorer with 929 goals, appeared in a campaign advertisement for Russia's pro-Putin United Russia party alongside Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other pro-Putin figures, according to Yahoo NHL reporting based on images published by Russian business newspaper Vedomosti. The commercial showed Ovechkin standing behind Lavrov. The advertisement also featured former NHL player Viacheslav Fetisov, actor Vladimir Mashkov, singer Tatyana Kurtukova, the leading parliamentary candidate on United Russia's list, and editor-in-chief of the propaganda network RT Margarita Simonyan, per the reporting. Lavrov has served as Russia's foreign minister since 2004 and was previously the country's ambassador to the United Nations. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Lavrov in 2022 and identified him as one of the architects of Russia's war against Ukraine, according to the account. José Andrés, a celebrity restaurateur and Capitals fan, condemned the participation on social media, calling it a "sad day for my beloved DC team!!" Andrés has led humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, serving more than 300 million meals there since the Russian invasion began through his World Central Kitchen nonprofit organization and recently receiving the "National Legend of Ukraine" from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Overall, Ovechkin is a longtime supporter of Putin. In 2017, he started a social movement supporting Putin ahead of the Russian presidential election, and a picture of Ovechkin and Putin appeared on the winger's Instagram account. However, when asked about the war between Russia and Ukraine, Ovechkin told reporters: "I hope soon it's going to be over and there's going to be peace in the whole world." In 2022, he said: "He's my president but … I'm not in politics. I'm an athlete and how I said, I hope everything is going to be done soon. It's a hard situation right now for both sides. … I'm not in control of the situation." Overchkin signed a one-year contract with the Capitals in July for the 2026-27 season. The deal includes a $1 million salary, a $4.75 million games-played bonus for 10 games, and a $3.25 million signing bonus, carrying an average annual value of $4.25 million. He will turn 41 this week and finished last season with 32 goals. Ovechkin made an appearance at the Capitals' practice facility on Monday, September 15. He passed Wayne Gretzky's 894-goal mark in the 2024-25 season and hit 900 goals in 2025-26, and will join Sidney Crosby, Gordie Howe, Alex Delvecchio, Stan Mikita, and Steve Yzerman as the only players in NHL history to play 22 seasons with one franchise.