NHL Stars Taking Awkward Photos With Vladimir Putin Is Our New Favorite Thing

“Ovi chillin’ with Putin” was the caption from @NHLexpertpicks. That alone is reason to love the photo. The fact that it could easily be a television show from the 1990s is another.

NHL stars taking cheesy celebrity photos with Russian President Vladimir Putin is our new favorite thing. The fact that they make him look tiny is great, too, as we mostly only see Putin in strapping, shirtless portraits taken on horseback. Ovechkin’s photo is good, but the photo of the day went to Evgeni Malkin. If you could manage a more awkward, baller photo with Putin, I’d like to see you try. It’s like Malkin met him at Wizard World:

Do we know Putin’s hockey preferences? He likes Detroit, right?

The first player to dedicate the Stanley Cup Finals to Putin via WWE-style Lana declaration becomes my favorite player of all time.

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