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The wife of Russian NHL star Alexander Ovechkin has told fans “to accept defeat with honor” in an apparent riposte to criticism of the team following their world championship semifinal exit at the hands of Finland.
A star-studded Russian outfit containing the likes of Washington Capitals star Ovechkin and fellow NHL players Ilya Kovalchuk and Evgeni Malkin were edged out 1-0 in a tense encounter in Bratislava, after a goal midway through the third period from Finnish captain Marko Anttila.
Russia had been heavy favorites heading into the game, given their perfect eight-game run at the tournament leading into the semifinal.
Criticism of the team appears to have irked Anastasia Shubskaya, the 25-year-old model and wife of Ovechkin.
She took to social media to vent what she felt was the inability of some to accept defeat with grace, according to reports in the Russian press.
“The biggest difference between fans of the Russian national team and fans of NHL clubs, is that Russian fans, if the team loses, need to throw mud at everyone, when the fans of the clubs support their team and favorite players in any results,” she wrote on her Instagram account, which now appears to have been made private.
“We need to be proud of our compatriots, who are idols of millions of people around the world and are role models for the younger generation!!!
“We need to be able to accept defeat with honor and value the work of other people! Kindness and luck to the guys tomorrow,” she added, referring to Russia’s bronze medal game against the Czech Republic on Sunday.
Shubskaya had flown in from the US to join her husband for the world championships in Slovakia, but her Instagram post was met with venom from some fans, with one writing: “It’s cool to be a patriot, living in the US.”
Others fumed that NHL stars such as Ovechkin had not made the team stronger, writing: “Nightmare!!!! NHLers came! Why did they call them up? A few people played all right, but definitely not Ovechkin and Malkin.”
Defeat against the Finns means reigning Olympic champions Russia remain without a world championship title since 2014.