Ovechkin and other Russian NHL players lost sponsor :: Ice Hockey :: RBC Sport

Outfitter CCM has stopped using the names of Russian NHL stars in its advertising

Equipment company CCM has ended sponsorship deals with the Washington Capitals captain and other famous Russian NHL players due to the situation in Ukraine

Canadian outfitter CCM has ended its partnerships with Russian Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin, as well as other Russian National Hockey League (NHL) stars, due to the situation in Ukraine. informed TSN, citing a company statement.

In addition to Ovechkin, contracts with CCM were, for example, Alexander’s partner in Washington, defender Dmitry Orlov, as well as Russian Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin.

“We, like the whole world, are very sad to see what is happening in Ukraine. Although Ovechkin himself is not responsible for the actions of the Russian authorities, we have taken the decision not to use him or any another Russian player for global communication purposes at the moment,” said CCM Executive Director Marrouane Nabi.

According to the publication, Ovechkin was one of CCM’s most cherished ambassadors. The Russian received from the company under a contract more than 500 thousand dollars a year, plus a percentage of equipment sales in Russia.

Ovechkin used CCM gear early in his career in the United States, then switched to Bauer for a few seasons, but returned to the Canadian company in 2017 and entered into a long-term partnership with them.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of special operations Russian troops in Ukraine, which he called the protection of the local population from “genocide”. He stressed that Moscow had no intention of occupying Ukrainian territories and only sought to “demilitarize and denazify” them.