It has been a few days now since the Russian NHL star Artemi Panarin put his country’s president Vladimir Putin on blast in a sensational interview, which is probably enough time to see what the predominant reaction is and whether the player is going to face any repercussions.
The Russian press has reacted rather cautiously, not really having a blueprint on how to act when Putin is heavily criticized by a well-liked celebrity, particularly an active athlete. The most extreme example is Sport-Express, Russia’s premier sports newspaper, which dedicated one article to the interview, calling it “candid” and “touching on delicate topics.” Yet, there isn’t a single mention of Putin in the entire article despite the fact that criticism of the president was the major theme of the interview. Sport-Express ignored it completely, which might have something to do with the fact that the newspaper is owned by former Olympic champion gymnast Alina Kabayeva, Putin’s girlfriend.
On the other hand, Sport-Express’ main competitor, Sovetsky Sport, which, if anything, is even more loyal and “patriotic” in its editorial lean, has ignored the story altogether. That despite having previously published stories like “VIDEO: Panarin Does Backflip Jumping Off Yacht” and “Panarin Takes Photo in Handball Team’s Jersey.” Obviously, if Panarin thinks he can get away with getting political, Russian journalists don’t necessarily have the same luxury.
An editorial in Sports Daily titled “Why Panarin is Wrong to Criticize Russia” (conflating Putin with the country is par for the course in Russia) decided to tackle the issue head-on, from an extremely loyalist standpoint. Panarin here is presented as an arrogant gilded youth awash with money, with a pretty girlfriend, who has the gall to teach Russians how to live. The editorial bemoans the fact that Panarin, who “has won nothing for the national team”, equates the pre-Putin 1990s with the Putin era, saying this is “disrespect to those who live in Russia.” The editorial points out the example of the Soviet hockey legend Igor Larionov, formerly very critical of Russian politics and hockey, who became “politeness itself” after his son was invited to the SKA Saint Petersburg development camp. Likewise, Panarin should be more careful if he ever wants to work in Russia again, warns Sports Daily.
Since Panarin himself has refused any follow-up interviews, Russian publications who weren’t afraid to tackle the issue had to seek out other hockey people for comments. Here, once again, the reaction has ranged from cautious to negative.
Panarin’s own Russia-based agent Yuri Nikolayev criticized his client in an interview to Metaratings.ru, saying: “I would advise players to think more about sports and not politics.”
Another Soviet legend, former captain Boris Mikhailov, was more indignant. “These comments don’t add to his honor”, said Mikhailov in an interview to Allhockey.ru. You can talk like this about your friends, but not about the first person of the state who has unquestioned respect and trust of all citizens. Artemi should play hockey and… talk like this about his own club bosses.”
Ex-NHLer German Titov, talking to Sportbox.ru, could not believe that Panarin’s words could ever be uttered seriously. “Humor is a good quality, but it’s not appropriate in all cases”, said Titov. “Panarin should think about his behavior. If you are joking, you should understand when you can do it and when you can’t.”
Just in case Mikhailov and Titov didn’t sound eerily Soviet enough, another former player from the bygone era, Alexander Kozhevnikov, all but channeled Joseph Stalin in his analysis. “In Artemi’s place, I wouldn’t be throwing words like these left and right. The meaning of the phrase isn’t even important. What’s important is what stays in the subconscious. Artemi represents team Russia in another country. His words are followed by hundreds of thousands, and he has to answer for his words… I think, Artemi is going to regret throwing these phrases around”, said Kozhevnikov to Championat.com.
Panarin himself did answer one piece of criticism, on Instagram. “I thought you are an athlete and not a rabbit like Navalny. Are you going to go into politics now?”, inquired one user in an extremely poorly spelled comment. “I think, you need to start thinking more often”, was Panarin’s reply.
Meanwhile, a fellow NHLer Nikita Zadorov of the Colorado Avalanche has let it be known that he has Panarin’s back. In his own Instagram comment, Zadorov displayed a “thumbs up” and “fist” emojis, indicating support for his friend’s strength. Previously, both Panarin and Zadorov had criticized a Russian law that sought to give the government greater control of the Internet, which in turn prompted the Russian Embassy in the US to issue an open letter to both players.
Soviet-style loyalist criticism from the old guard, very tepid support from peers and extreme caution by the media are so far the extent of the fallout from this unprecedented event. For the sake of the New York Rangers fans, let’s hope this is where it ends.
