PRAGUE (AP) — Czech leaders have condemned apparent threats made by former Russian president and prime minister Dmitry Medvedev against NHL great Dominik Hasek for his critical stance of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Medvedev, who is now deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, said that the Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender suffered from “Russophobia" and suggested that he should see a psychiatrist.
In remarks made through his assistant Oleg Osipov and published by the TASS news agency on Tuesday, Medvedev also urged Hasek to be careful while crossing roads and when having a beer in unfamiliar places.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on X that such threats are “absolutely unacceptable.” He added that they were not surprising but cannot be ignored because Medvedev is not a private person.
“Medvedev is once again behaving as a primitive,” Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said on Wednesday. “This time attacking NHL legend Dominik Hasek simply for speaking the truth — the truth about Russia’s war and the misuse of sports in promoting it. Such intimidation may be normal in Putin’s Russia, not in the civilized world!”
Hasek has been a vocal critic of the war and the participation of Russian athletes at international competitions and leagues, saying that signals acceptance of the war against Ukraine and enables human suffering.
“Everybody knows where those athletes are from,” Hasek told the AP in an interview in 2023. ”They would represent the aggressive, imperialistic war and the crimes and killings linked to it.”
He has also criticized the NHL for allowing Russian players including Alex Ovechkin to compete. Ovechkin recently broke Wayne Gretzky's record for most career goals scored in the NHL.
Following Ovechkin's record-breaking 895th goal on April 6, Medvedev said on the social media site Telegram that he was expecting Hasek to commit suicide.
Hasek sent a note to the International Olympic Committee and the International Ice Hockey Federation to inform them that “former Russian President Medvedev threatened to kill me.”
“It is not possible to threaten the citizens of our state in this way simply because they express their views,” Fiala said after the regular government meeting Wednesday.
He added that some government members are in touch with Hasek and will take further steps if needed. He gave no details.
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FILE - Former NHL goalkeeper Dominik Hasek gestures during an interview with The Associated Press in Prague, Czech Republic, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II announced Monday he is suspending his campaign for governor and instead joining the race for secretary of state of the battleground state.
Gilchrist, a progressive Democrat from Detroit, did not cite a specific reason for the change in his video announcement, but said he is not finished being a “public servant.” His departure clears up the Democratic primary and benefits the frontrunner, Jocelyn Benson, who is the current Secretary of State, in the race to replace term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
The secretary of state is Michigan's top election official, a highly politicized and visible role since the 2020 presidential election.
“Michigan has been ground zero in the battle for free and fair elections before, and it will be again,” Gilchrist said.
As Whitmer’s second in command and her running mate in two elections, Gilchrist struggled to match Benson’s name recognition and fundraising. He reported having around $378,000 of cash on hand as of October compared to Benson’s $2.98 million.
Benson is now set to face only Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson in the Democratic primary in August.
The inclusion of a well-known independent candidate has created a new problem for Democrats this year. Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is avoiding costly primaries altogether by running as an independent. The Michigan Democratic Party slammed the former Democrat last week for not standing up to President Donald Trump’s second term policies.
In the Republican primary, U.S. Rep. John James, former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, state Senate Leader Aaric Nesbitt and former Michigan House speaker Tom Leonard are jockeying for the nomination.
In his bid to become secretary of state, Gilchrist will face four other Democrats: Barb Byrum, Ingham County clerk; Aghogho Edevbie, deputy secretary of state; Suzanna Shkreli, a former Whitmer aide and commissioner of the Michigan State Lottery; and Adam Hollier, a former state senator from Detroit.
Michigan does not hold primary elections for the secretary of state position; the nominee is chosen by precinct delegates during party conventions. The Michigan Democratic Party convention is scheduled for April 19.
State Republicans plan to hold their nominating convention March 28 and GOP figures chasing the party's nomination for secretary of state include Anthony Forlini, Macomb County Clerk, and Monica Yatooma, an Oakland County executive.
In addition to the office of the governor and secretary of state, Michigan voters will be selecting a new state attorney general and a U.S. senator in November.
FILE - Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II waits before the State of the State address, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, at the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis, file)
