CCM Hockey announced Monday it will stop using Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin and other Russian NHL players in its global marketing initiatives amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"We are very sad to witness, like the rest of the world, what is happening in Ukraine," CCM chief executive Marrouane Nabih wrote in an email to TSN's Rick Westhead. "Although Mr. Ovechkin is not responsible for the Russian government's actions, we took the decision to not use him (or any Russian player) on any global CCM communication at this point."
CCM pays Ovechkin over $500,000 per year plus a percentage of its sales within Russia, a source told Westhead. Though the company will no longer use Ovechkin or other Russian players for global marketing, the source said it's unlikely CCM will try to terminate its contracts with them.
Nabih did not respond to follow-up questions from Westhead about the company's contracts with Ovechkin and other Russian players such as Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin and Capitals blue-liner Dmitry Orlov.
Ovechkin has been a vocal supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin throughout his career. His current profile picture on Instagram features him standing next to Putin while giving the "peace" sign.
The 36-year-old said Friday he doesn't support Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but when asked if he still supports Putin, Ovechkin responded: "Well, he's my president. But how I said, I'm not in politics. I'm an athlete."
The IIHF banned Russia and Belarus from all international hockey indefinitely Monday. The federation also removed Russia as host of the 2023 world juniors.
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