'I'm Russian,' Ovechkin says about decision to film United Russia ad

WASHINGTON, Sept 17 - Alexander Ovechkin said on Thursday that his decision to appear in a political campaign advertisement for the United Russia party, which is backed by President Vladimir Putin, simply boiled down to his nationality.

"I'm Russian. As soon as I'm done playing hockey, I'm probably going to stay there," Ovechkin, the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer, told reporters at the Washington Capitals' media day.

"I'm gonna live there, my kids gonna live there. I'm for peace and love and I hope everything's going to be okay."

Ovechkin, who can be seen standing behind Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the video, has long faced scrutiny over his ties to Putin. He said he was asked to participate in the video and agreed.

When asked why he said yes, Ovechkin said, "I'm Russian. I support my country," and reiterated that he stands for peace. He also said he did not have any hesitations about being in the ad. REUTERS