Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin is being pulled from two sponsorship ads following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
TSN’s Rick Westhead and ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski first reported the news.
According to TSN, the Canadian ice hockey equipment brand CCM Hockey has stopped using Ovechkin and other Russian NHL players in all global marketing initiatives.
In an email to TSN, CCM Hockey said they decided to stop using Ovechkin, "Although Mr. Ovechkin is not responsible for the Russian government’s actions."
In years past, Ovechkin has supported Russian President Vladimir Putin, but on Friday, he stated that his country's invasion of Ukraine was a "hard situation," USA Today reported.
MassMutual has also pulled its ad that features Ovechkin.
According to ESPN, the ad, which features Ovechkin, his wife, Anastasia Shubskaya, and his Capitals teammate Nicklas Backstrom, began running in October, but it "is no longer on the air.”
