Putin congratulates Alex Ovechkin for beating the NHL record
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia congratulated the hockey player Alex Ovechkin on Monday for beating the mark of the NHL's goals.Mr. Ovechkin, 39, captain of the Washington Capitals, marked his 895th goal in his career on Sunday evening in a game against the New York Icelanders. This beat a record set by Wayne Gretzky who had remained for 26 years.In a Monday declaration, Putin praised Mr. Ovechkin, who started as a professional hockey player in Moscow, for the "important result" he called "A real cause of celebration for fans in Russia and beyond."The sporting company - and the comments of the Kremlin - have highlighted new spotlight on the past of Mr. Ovechkin for Mr. Putin and on the position of the star of Hockey in war in Ukraine.Mr. Ovechkin, who has played for the Washington C...