Alex Ovechkin Opens Up on pride night controversy of 2022-23

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Tom Banks
September 18, 2023 (11:42)

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Alex Ovechkin is known to hockey fans around the world as arguably the greatest goal scorer in NHL history, but in recent years, he's opened up on many issues surrounding the league and the world.

Pride night backlash?

A season ago, the issue of pride night became a hot-button issue in the NHL, with many players like Ivan Provorov and James Reimer boycotting the event for their teams, with Ovechkin being one of those names.

While the Capitals didn't do themed jersey's, they instead opted for pride tape on their sticks, but under the radar, it's something that Ovechkin didn't take part in, and now, he's opened up on it all.

Opening up on controversy

When asked in a recent interview, Ovechkin opened up on the backlash that those two players and others faced a season ago.

The Washington captain was also praising NHL leadership for not imposing any sanctions on players like Ivan Provorov of the Philadelphia Flyers and current Red Wings goalie James Reimer over their refusal to participate in NHL-sanctioned Pride Night events in support of the LGBTQ community.

"Well, what can I say here?" Ovechkin asked "Well done. It would be like this everywhere."

Ultimately, pride nights are a very controversial issue in the NHL, so much so that the league has now banned all themed nights for the 2023-24 season, and it's safe to say that people like Ovechkin are quite happy about that.

As Read on Hockey OTB - Alex Ovechkin Lets His Thoughts On Pride Night Known