Washington Capitals bring in new rule to keep statements about Russian and Ukraine out of arena

With Alexander Ovechkin under fire the past couple of weeks for his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, there's word that the Washington Capitals have brought in a new rule to ensure no one attending games at Capital One Arena makes a political statement about the ongoing war. Copies of a notice to ticket holders was posted on Reddit and Twitter.

Update: since these new rules were revealed, EPSN's Greg Wyshynski has Tweeted an official statement from the Washington Capitals. Ukrainian flags will still be allowed, provided they don't block anyone's view. Some signs were apparently confiscated Thursday night. The Caps say this is inline with existing policy.

Some on social media are viewing this as being anti-Ukraine more so than anti-Russian. Russia is viewed as the aggressor due to its invasion of Ukraine, so banning Russian signs makes sense. Banning signs regarding Ukraine is being judged as tone deaf by many.

Several Canadian teams have already paid tribute to Ukraine since the invasion began, with Ukrainian choirs singing the national anthem at games, while the Ottawa Senators have pledged to play the Ukrainian national anthem before every home game.

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