Don Cherry Releases a Statement on Alexander Ovechkin That's Drawing A Lot of Controversy

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Skyler Walker
February 2, 2023 (11:42)

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With 812 goals and 1464 points since being picked in the�2005 draft, "The Great 8," probably one of the top goal scorers in today's age, has earned the distinction of being one of the best players to ever lace up the skates. Ovechkin has shown no signs of slowing down.

Ovechkin has recently come under fire for his friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. As the war erupted and Russia invaded Ukraine, Ovechkin was questioned by the NHL media but refused to answer.� Why? Since Ovechkin is a huge "fan" of Vladimir Putin and has a close relationship with him, he has not deleted any of the images of the Russian president�from his social media accounts.

Due to the ongoing situation in Ukraine, some�Russian athletes have been prohibited from returning to the US or Canada nationwide. The CHL has even prohibited Russians from participating in the draft. Fans have even criticized the NHL in an effort to get Ovechkin suspended, but Don Cherry, a former hot take expert, recently supported Ovechkin in an essay for the Toronto Sun:

He's a hockey player, he has nothing to do with the war in Ukraine. None of this is his fault. He's not involved in it.

It's the same crowd that went after me, they don't care about hockey, and it's not about hockey. Alex is a great player and great person, and he deserves better than to be treated like this.

It's all about how he is playing and this guy, as he goes for Wayne Gretzky's goal scoring record of 894, is playing hard.

Cherry was never the biggest fan of Ovechkin, as Cherry never liked players with a "flashy" play-style, but Cherry has still come around to show his support.