On Monday, the Russian Hockey Federation held a glitzy presentation at Sokolniki Ice Hall in Moscow to show off the new jerseys that the Russian men’s and women’s hockey teams will wear at the upcoming Sochi Olympics.
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin was selected to model the jerseys along with Alexandra Kapustina from the women’s team. Legendary Soviet goalie Vladislav Tretyak emceed the event.
The sweaters, designed by Nike, come in red and white. The jerseys have eight stars along the shoulder to symbolize each Russian/Soviet Olympic gold medal won by the hockey team.
“It’s a nice jersey, comfortable,” Ovechkin told sports.ru and translated by RMNB’s Fedor Fedin. “Both options look good. I like the white. It’s very unusual.”
“The key is that the jersey should be light,” Ovechkin continued. “Most importantly, we need the new uniform to be a winning one. The stars on the shoulders will remind us about how many times we won gold. We want more of these.”
Ovechkin avoided discussing Russia’s recently enacted gay propaganda laws, which have drawn criticism from the international community.
“[There are] calls to boycott the games?” Ovechkin said. “Our job is to play. I’d rather speak about that.”
Over the weekend, teammate Braden Holtby took a stronger stance telling the Calgary Sun,”It’s hard to go into a country that supports something like that. As athletes, we have to find a way to make sure we can use it to our advantage — gay rights, especially, but human rights — to move it forward.”
Below, check out a few more photos from the event.
Photos Via Championat.com
Share On