Dominik Hasek Blasts NHL, Ovechkin, Bettman and Pastrnak Yet Again

NHL Hall of Fame goaltender Dominik Hasek has found his way back into the spotlight. And rightly so. Shortly after last week's NHL All-Star Weekend, the two-time Stanley Cup champion took to social media to criticize Alexander Ovechkin, the National Hockey League as a whole, its players, commissioner Gary Bettman and fellow Czech countryman David Pastrnak. It was a simple, yet aggressive photo post that got the wheels turning in The Dominator's mind, before agreeing to an interview with Czech news outlet CNN Prima News. With tensions at an all-time high, Hasek lashed out at the NHL for its inclusion of Ovechkin and his son Sergei at the Skills Competition, despite his ongoing support/friendship of Vladimir Putin. The post certainly generated some conversation. https://twitter.com/hasek_dominik/status/1622014692892852224 He followed that up with a screenshot of an Instagram post from Czech star David Pastrnak, who included a photo taken with Ovechkin his carousel of pictures following the All-Star Weekend. "A message to all athletes: If you are not a supporter of the Russian war and crimes, including the genocide of Ukrainian children, avoid events (when you "must", pay attention to the photo) where supporters of the Putin regime, which commits these crimes, go," Hasek wrote in a Twitter post. " Your actions will always be misused to support war and crimes. If you already know this and still act like this (go to an event - take a photo with, for example, AO), you too become responsible for the crimes and lost lives in Ukraine. Just as she is already responsible. Even if it doesn't bring back lives, they have to pay for it. He is one of the most watched citizens of our country in the world, and this is reflected in the view of the Czech Republic from the outside. Athletes are (almost) the biggest advertisement for their country, for better or for worse (as this photo is now)." Pastrnak did later take down his Instagram post. "It's good that he took it down. But it would be good if he wrote something more about it. It would be appreciated not only by the fans, but also by all Czechs, I think. It was obviously a reaction to people's reaction, and we'd certainly like to know how he felt. He doesn't have to elaborate, but he should explain why he put it there and why he took it down. I'm also interested in it," Hasek sat down with CNN in Czechia for an interview following this online discourse, to which he continued his tirade. The body of that interview is as follows:   It doesn't seem like the NHL's top officials are too willing to act. Or? "I continue to believe in change. Probably nothing will happen this season, but I already perceive certain signs. NHL management is feeling the pressure. Let us be surprised." Was this weekend's All-Star Game the final straw for you? Idyllic in sunny Florida, Ovechkin could also play with his son on the ice. "It was clear to me that the advertising of the Russian war and the crimes of the regime would continue even during the All-Star game. Unfortunately, this happened to an even greater extent than I expected. It's complicated, but we need to keep raising awareness. I'm doing everything I can to make NHL boss Gary Bettman feel the pressure. And to be recalled. It's not a matter of a week or two, it's going to be a lot of work. However, I am convinced that the NHL is partly responsible for what is happening in Ukraine. He supports crimes, for which he must pay dearly." The aforementioned Bettman responded briefly to your initiative on Sunday by saying: "I do not think that Mr. Hašek speaks for the Czech government or the Czech people. But of course he has the right to his opinion. However, I certainly do not agree with him. "It's his first ever comment on what I'm pointing out. I sent him the first letter about a week after the start of the war. And another in December. No reaction, until now. So I'm glad he at least said something. We may not agree in opinion, but I am convinced that the NHL will have to pay for the way it treats Russian hockey players. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing. And I feel that my tweets are getting more and more response. Of course, there are different reactions to them, but the ice is slowly starting to move." What bothers you about the Pastrnak photo? "In my opinion, it is not right to perform at such an event where there are Russian athletes. He could say that he will not go there, that it is an event that supports war and Russian crimes, because there are Russian players, and especially Alex Ovechkin. I don't know how I would behave if I were still an active NHL player. I understand that it is an honor for hockey players to be among the best, even if there are many Russians. So I don't blame him for participating. But I will blame him for the photo with Ovechkin, because it is a picture with an athlete who supports a man who is at war with the democratic world and whose army commits crimes, including genocide against children. I would never do this." "I ask all athletes, not only ours, but all over the world, to be careful. These things can be easily abused. Anyone who posts something like this on Instagram becomes a supporter of war. David may not have understood it right away, but he probably does now. But I would be interested in how they feel about it now." One more thing from the All-Star Game. What did you say about the fact that the tennis player from Belarus, Viktoria Azarenková, judged the skills competition of hockey players? "What can I add to that... It seems to me that the NHL doesn't even think about the signals it sends. It is very sad when he invites a Belarusian celebrity to such an event. A huge shame. At the same time, the NHL is extremely important to me, I spent 16 beautiful years in it. When I see how its leadership is acting now, how it supports the aggressor, it makes me sick. That's why I keep calling." Besides persistence, do you have any other vision for making the ice move? "I would be extremely happy to hear from players who feel the same way I do. They should come out publicly, such a step would certainly help. On the other hand, I don't want to be the one to push someone into something. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing. And I feel that my tweets are getting more and more response. Of course, there are different reactions to them, but the ice is slowly starting to move." You've come across it before: After living overseas for many years, what is your experience of how local people view European issues? "On the one hand, you need to understand them. Americans and Canadians are really far away from Ukraine. He does not feel in the slightest danger that, for example, New York should be bombed by Russia. Or that it would like to take over some province in Canada. We also have to understand the teammates of the Russian hockey players - they are with them every day, they go to dinners together, they are friends. It is therefore difficult for them to speak up. By no means am I defending anyone, but I understand that this is a distant issue for them. Their relatives don't die, their children don't lose their legs. I repeat that the NHL must pay billions of dollars for its attitude. That's my goal." The next chapter is overseas media. Does it bother you that the vast majority of them continue to glorify Ovechkin, a critical attitude towards the NHL is a scarce commodity? At the same time, American and Canadian journalists could significantly increase the pressure on the management of the competition. "You are absolutely right. Journalists play a huge role. I don't know the view of every hockey journalist overseas, but the majority view is quite clear. There is virtually no pressure from them on Bettman et al. A few journalists speak up, but they are clearly in the minority. Sad. From what I understood from one of them, it is not yet the moment when mass disagreement is approaching." Would you consider it acceptable for the NHL to copy the step taken by the International Automobile Federation, for example? She allowed riders to continue racing, who in a statement clearly condemned the actions of the Putin regime. "That's an interesting thing. In the very first letter, I wrote to Bettman that there is a need for the NHL to negotiate with the governments of the USA and Canada about some similar solution. If the Russian players condemned the war in a statement, it would be beautiful. But still nothing happens. At this point, the boys in question need to be suspended - and this is no punishment for them. In my letters, I insisted that the competition and clubs continue to financially support Russian players, fulfill contracts, and pay for insurance for families. I'm not judging the players. At the same time, the league should then start requesting that these athletes receive refugee visas under very strict conditions – perhaps thanks to a signed statement. Then hockey players would be the best anti-war ambassadors. Maybe only five of the large number would get visas, but that would be fantastic. But first it is necessary that they do not play. Let's start with this."