Hockey feels very small right now. With Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine, the NHL has stepped back from highlighting this week’s top plays and has instead taken a stance on the war unfolding across borders.
The league released a statement Feb. 28 directly condemning Russia’s recent actions and has halted all business relations with the country. Additionally, it has suspended NHL Russian language digital media sites and has crossed Russia off the list as a location option for any future NHL events or competitions.
It’s obvious the league’s decision isn’t going to have any significant effect on the progression of Vladimir Putin’s plan, but it does speak to the line between sports and politics that has continued to blur over the past few years.
It takes less than ten seconds after opening Twitter to find a hothead in the comment section posting their proclamation to keep politics out of hockey.
Everyone, whether young or old, Republican or Democrat, male or female, is united by their love for the team and nothing else. Turning on ESPN on a Tuesday night to watch 60 minutes of hockey can be a nice escape from the chaos of the world. But this feels different.
The NHL is in an interesting position. With 50 active Russian-born players, including some of the league’s biggest names, the NHL recognized that these athletes and their families are in an “extremely difficult position,” in their Feb. 28 statement.
The spectrum of opinions from these Russian players on Putin and his government has been broad up until this point.
Alexander Ovechkin, captain of the Washington Capitals and one of the league’s greatest performers, has been outright in his support of Putin and the pro-Russia mentality –– nurturing a strong relationship with the president.
On the other side of the Eastern Conference, the New York Rangers’ Artemi Panarin had to take a leave of absence last season to deal with what’s been reported as a “politically motivated” move and intimidation tactic after the left wing forward publicly spoke out against Putin.
Things have shifted, though.
Ovechkin, in a Feb. 25 press conference, called for “no more war” –– probably his most bold comment about his home country’s decisions to date. At this point, it’s hard to separate current events from seeping their way into NHL locker rooms and players’ minds.
Although it would be nice to have hockey be a perfect bubble that only concerns scoreboards and postseason standings, the world we live in no longer allows that. As much as these athletes live as heroes on posters in our rooms, they also exist outside the rink.
I think it’s important the NHL addressed the situation and I applaud the league for taking a distinct stance. Going against war shouldn’t be a shocking decision, but it expands the responsibility and conversation the league is willing to take on and facilitate.
Games will continue to be played, goal-songs will continue to be cheered and players will continue to represent their given teams, but it’s a step in the right direction for the league to have a heightened awareness about the global events outside of the arenas.