Former NHL employee calls Ovi a coward, claims that he sabotaged his career
Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin caught some flak on Thursday for electing to delay meeting with the media to discuss what is going on in Europe after very publicly endorsing Russian President Vladimir Putin at multiple points during his career.
Ovi did eventually end up breaking his silence on Friday, first expressing concern for his family who lives in Russia, including his wife and children. The message he wished to convey was that he does not support war.
However, prior to Ovechkin speaking for the first time about the conflict between Russia and the Ukraine, a former NHL employee and journalist put him on blast on social media, calling the Capitals captain a coward and alleging that Ovechkin black-balled him from the NHL.
Reporter Slava Malamud, said the following about Ovi:
He was a f**ing coward back when he got me black-listed by the NHL and then lied to my face about it. He is still one. Can't even own up to his words.
A despicable f***ing coward. His ONLY legacy.
Malamud didn't stop there as he chose to dig into Ovechkin's past even further:
They are frantically writing more non-answers for him. They are thinking up excuses. They will want you believe that his family is held hostage. Nobody held his family when he fronted Putin's campaign. Nobody forced him to support the 2014 invasion. It's all lies. Everything.
The Capitals want to protect their brand. They think it will all blow over some day, and meanwhile there is still a shit ton of jerseys to sell and records to hype. Their star has blood on his hands. This is one thing they don't want you to talk about. TALK ABOUT IT.'
I've been screaming about this for 8 years. I've been urging Western media to take a look at Ovechkin and the damage he has done.
I have been ignored, insulted, threatened. My livelihood was taken away from me. @SergeyKocharov, Ovechkin's lapdog, had me banned from the arena
The @Capitals strong-armed the NHL into black-listing me. All the while, I have been saying the same thing: Ovechkin is not who you think he is. He is a dictator's lickspittle who has actively encouraged the invasion all the way back in 2014. Do you believe me now?
Very intense words from Malamud. Needless to say, he doesn't appear to be Ovi's biggest fan. That aside, I think the journalist should probably at least consider Ovechkin's family and the potential safety implications of having something he said taken out of context by the wrong person over in Russia.
