The world would be a better place if hockey superstar Alexander Ovechkin was to drop dead tomorrow, a US-based sports journalist claimed in a raging twitter tirade against Washington Capitals captain’s support of Putin.
“If Ovechkin dies tomorrow, the world will be a better place. The same goes for all Putin supporters,” sports journalist Slava Malamud said in a since-deleted Tweet. “I am no longer willing to differentiate or be subtle. F**k him and his ilk.”
The angry words by the former Sport-Express foreign correspondent living in the Baltimore, Maryland area came in response to Twitter user @1117ryan, who questioned the rationale of linking someone’s sports skills and achievements to political views.
When another Twitter user @GlennRajala wondered if Malamud feels safe so openly criticizing Russia, and Putin in particular, the sports corresponded put forward yet another ridiculous claim that Ovechkin has enough influence to request a hit on him if he wasn’t “too boring to assassinate” – unlike a prominent Kremlin critic Arkady Babchenko, who staged his own murder for the camera on Tuesday so Kiev could accuse Moscow of an attempt on his life.
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The NHL star drew criticism for his ‘improper’ political views after he helped launch the so-called ‘Team Putin’ social movement ahead of the 2018 presidential elections in Russia. Malamud’s own antagonism towards the 32-year old Ovechkin was allegedly fueled by the Washington Capitals taking away his accreditation, which the blogger says was done on the team captain’s behalf.
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