Russia’s all-powerful president Vladimir Putin is a big hockey fan. Logical for Russia where hockey is number one, while the widely popular football is something Putin engages in only when Russia hosts a major event, such as the 2018 World Cup, when he smiled from the VIP box alongside our president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and Emmanuel Macron, whose national teams played the grand final. Apparently it was not so difficult for him even though Croatia had just knocked Russia out in the quarterfinals.
But how big a hockey fan he is, according to well-informed sources, is best illustrated by the fact that these days Putin has withdrawn from public view and devoted himself to following the Olympic hockey tournament in Milan and Cortina, while at the same time suffering because his national team is not at the tournament. Nor is his favorite hockey player and currently perhaps the best player in the world, Alexander Ovechkin, who last year became the all-time leading scorer in the history of the North American National Hockey League (NHL). On that occasion Putin congratulated him, emphasizing that he had surpassed legendary masters by the number of goals scored in NHL regular-season games. “You have won world and national tournaments, as well as many other brilliant, unique achievements that have entered the annals of the national hockey school. Without doubt, this achievement has become not only your personal success, but also a true celebration for fans in Russia and abroad,” Putin told Ovechkin.
Putin himself has often played hockey, even celebrating his birthdays by playing with former hockey stars. About a decade ago he played a game with Russian hockey legends, including retired NHL stars Pavel Bure and Valeri Kamensky, and scored as many as eight goals, as reported by state media loyal to him.
The Russian president also regularly shows his abilities in judo, a martial art in which he holds a black belt. When the cameras are on, he regularly throws masters of the sport onto their backs.
Foto: Screenshot_18-2-2026_2005_www.google.com
