The Capitals, led by the Russian president’s high-profile supporter, are about to play the Oilers in Edmonton, home to a large concentration of the Ukrainian diaspora.
The hockey star Alex Ovechkin, center among Russian professional athletes in the public’s anger over the war in Ukraine, is about to play before the most unsympathetic crowd yet.
Ovechkin, President Vladimir V. Putin’s high-profile supporter, and his Washington Capitals teammates will play the Oilers on Wednesday night in Edmonton, Alberta, home to one of Canada’s largest concentrations of the Ukrainian diaspora.