Ask a hockey fan to picture an 'Alex Ovechkin' goal and they would probably envision the exact shot he took to become the NHL's all-time greatest scorer: a cross-ice pass to the left circle leading to a shot from the Russian that ripped the twine of the net and sent Washington Capitals fans into hysterical cheers. Those same hysterical cheers sounded throughout his native Russia too - at around 8:45 p.m. in Moscow - in the voices of children celebrating their hero, or sports fans in packed bars or Ovechkin's family and friends watching as he etched his name at the top of the record books. But maybe the loudest cheers reverberated through the walls of the Grand Kremlin Palace - where a tyrant and dictator hell-bent on the destruction of Ukraine celebrated his favorite hockey player sticking it to the West by knocking off the crown of one of their own. Humans are complicated. Often, legacies are too. Those who strive for sporting greatness may sometimes find themselves at the crossroads of individual success and social unease. Such is the legacy of Alexander Ovechkin. While considered a god on the ice, who cemented himself as the greatest Russian athlete in history by breaking a seemingly unbreakable record, he cannot be separated from the man he is and his actions in support of Vladimir Putin off the ice. Much like the legacy of his predecessor in goals-scored - Wayne Gretzky, whose reputation in his native Canada has taken a hit in the past few months - Ovechkin is a perfect example of how sometimes it's hard to separate politics from sports. It's also a symbol for why doing so in favor of legacy building may lead to erasing how complicated we are as individuals. When the goal went in, UBS Arena on Long Island exploded. Fans of both teams roared their approval. The game was halted as Ovechkin waved to the crowd and thanked the fans - both in the arena and watching from afar. He was presented a painting. He shook hands with Gretzky and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. His opponents, the New York Islanders, all came off the bench to pay homage. After the game ended, the media entered a locker room doused with beer. Ovechkin planted a kiss on longtime line mate Nicklas Backstrom, who was injured and didn't play. 'As soon as I saw Nick, I [wanted] to cry,' Ovechkin told reporters at a press conference after the game. 'He was such a big part of my success.' Off in the corner, Ovechkin's two children - Sergei and Ilya - played with some hockey pucks and laughed to each other as his wife, Anastasia, gave an interview to Russian TV. Tom Wilson got the primary assist on Ovechkin's goal. Earlier in his career, Ovechkin assisted on Wilson's first NHL goal and his 100th NHL goal. When asked what it meant to repay the favor on such a monumental occasion, he told Daily Mail, 'He's the best. I can't thank him enough for what he's done for my career... He's done so much for me.' Ovechkin overheard him and butted in, cracking a joke as Wilson continued: 'What he's bared on his shoulders and what he's been through this season, I'll never forget it. I'm so proud of him. He broke his leg, he scored 42 goals this season. 'We see the behind the scenes, the pressure. Everyone wants to be a part of it - all the fans, everyone wants to see it. And he took us on a once-in-a-lifetime journey. I don't think any of us could be able to do it. He's a legend for that reason. That's why you're a legend, to be able to do this, to be able to step up and get it done.' Another longtime teammate of Ovechkin's, Lars Eller, spoke to the persistence of the 39-year-old. 'It takes an immense amount of determination and he has that passion and yeah, this year, maybe it's been a little different because now [the record] was within reach... it's like he just got better and better at the end,' Eller told Daily Mail. 'He's a great captain, not just a great player. One of the reasons the Caps have been so good for so long with him is a reflection of his leadership. This is how he is as a person.' His career got off to a false start. Drafted the same year the NHL was locked out of its season, Ovechkin was forced to delay his entry to the top professional hockey league in the world. When he finally arrived, he lit the league up - despite sharing the stage with a Canadian rookie, Sidney Crosby. Ovechkin has since gone on to dazzle and delight - scoring goals from his back and from his trademark spot in the left circle. He's been named MVP of the league three times, an All-Star 13 times, and has his name etched upon hockey's ultimate prize - the Stanley Cup. But away from the ice - away from all the goals scored and cups won - there's a man who likes to describe himself as 'non-political'. 'I'm not a politic,' Ovechkin said back in 2017. 'I don't know what's happening out there. I know it's a hard situation, but it is what it is.' 2017 was the same year that Ovechkin began some of his most vocal support for Putin - starting the 'PutinTeam' movement to support the Russian dictator ahead of a 2018 election. 'I just support my country, you know?,' Ovechkin said when asked about the reasons for starting the movement. 'That's where I'm from, my parents live there, all my friends. Like every human from different countries, they support their president. It's not about political stuff.' His tone in interviews hasn't always lined up with his 'PutinTeam' posts: 'I have never hidden my attitude towards our President, always openly supporting him,' Ovechkin posted in November 2017. 'I am sure that there are many of us who support Vladimir Putin! So let's unite and show everyone a strong and united Russia!' Other posts include language calling Putin the 'honor and conscience of our Motherland!!!' Things have changed drastically since 2017. Russia launched a second invasion of Ukraine with the goal of re-claiming the territory. It's a conflict that continues to this day. A Daily Mail review of Ovechkin's stances on the issue from 2022 found that while he did not have any statements in support of the war - rather, he said he hopes it came to a swift conclusion - the player still had multiple photos of Putin on his Instagram account. Not only that, but Ovechkin's profile picture was one of him with the Russian president. To this day, that photo has remained, despite reports that the Capitals asked him to change it. Of course, the issue of Ovechkin's family could explain any possible hesitation to distance himself from the leader. While Alex, his wife and children all live in the Washington, D.C., area, the rest of his family remains in their native homeland. His father-in-law works for a Russian defense company. But Brian Taylor, the director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs and a professor of Russian politics at Syracuse University, rejects the idea that Ovechkin would feel coerced or forced to support Putin. 'My understanding of Ovechkin's association with Putin is not simply that he was made an offer he couldn't refuse and he understood he had to do this. I think he was much more willing participant in that,' Professor Taylor told Daily Mail. 'And especially because he plays professionally in the in the US. I don't see any reason why he couldn't have just said, "No, I'm focusing on my career. I don't do politics. Thanks very much."' Professor Taylor added, 'Someone with Ovechkin's resources always has some options. So I wouldn't overstate the degree to which he has no choice in anything he does. And certainly creating an organization called "Putin's Team" seems to be going above and beyond just posing for a photograph.' Regardless of reason or motivation, Ovechkin's continued visual support of a man responsible for the destruction of half of Ukraine and one who threatens Europe and the world will complicate his legacy. Interestingly enough, the same could be said for the man he surpassed: Wayne Gretzky. In the stands, Gretzky applauded as he sat next to Donald Trump's FBI Director, Kash Patel - Canadians took offense. Patel and Gretzky shared a suite again on Long Island. About two years ago, it would be hard to find many people in Canada who took issue with 'The Great One'. But now, when tensions between Canada and the US are at an all-time high, Gretzky's ties to an authoritarian have complicated his image back home. As Trump wages a cultural and economic war with his northern neighbors - through the implementation of tariffs and repeated threats to annex them as the '51st state' - pictures of Gretzky wearing MAGA hats and supporting the 47th president have muddied his own image in the eyes of many Canadians. Trump once posted praise of Gretzky on Truth Social, saying that the hockey player was 'somewhat "low key" about Canada remaining a separate Country, rather than becoming a cherished and beautiful 51st state' before the President declared him a 'free agent'. Canadians have since begun to sour on Gretzky. Petitions have started to re-name 'Wayne Gretzky Drive' in Edmonton, Alberta. A statue of him was recently smeared with feces. All this is to say: Even if a national icon such as Wayne Gretzky could cause a feeling of unrest due to his politics, then no one in sports is safe from it. Ovechkin shouldn't be either. Sure, in the decades to come, children will look up highlights of 'The Great 8' and his goal scoring prowess. Maybe they'll try and mimic his iconic one-timer. But sports, like it or not, are political. Hockey is especially political. Russians didn't truly begin playing in the NHL until after the fall of the Soviet Union. Before then, the Olympics served as a point not just of athletic pride, but of political power as well. Hell, arguably the most iconic moments in both Canadian and American sports history - the '72 Summit Series and the Miracle on Ice, respectively - both had their roots in politics. If you believe that sports and politics should remain separate, that's your prerogative. But to ignore politics' existence in the world of sports not only dulls the story - it leaves out a massive part of it. Yes, Alex Ovechkin is now the greatest goal scorer in the history of the NHL. That should not be the only thing that defines him. It should not be the only thing people remember about his story. To talk about the man is to talk about the whole person - both the resplendent and the unsavory. As he continues to add to his tally - putting himself further into the stratosphere of hockey greats - he must also be remembered for what makes him human, for without that, he would just be a number for future generations to chase.