There is a very great difference between a criminal who kills children, rapes, or tortures himself, and the leader of a country at war whose armed forces have committed those crimes. Moreover, there is no crime in having a
friend who has committed crimes; and there is no crime in
continuing to be friends with a criminal, no matter how notorious or despicable that criminal may be.
Here is the nub of the CBC news story:
Quote:
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Now, some are questioning why Ovechkin hasn't faced discipline or suspension, despite being Putin's champion.
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The answer to that is that the league does not have the authority to discipline or suspend players for their citizenship or political affiliations. It is not a crime in the United States or Canada to support Putin, or to speak in his support. Ovechkin hasn't been charged with anything, and under the laws of the countries the league operates in, he hasn't done anything illegal. If the league tried to suspend him, the PA would certainly file a grievance, and the matter would go before the courts, where the league would be all but certain to lose.
HockeyKhan, you want a player thrown out of the NHL simply because he doesn't hate a person whom you hate. No organization and no society can be run on that basis.