Trump faces criticism from NHL legend over Russia missile attack

NHL legend Dominik Hasek ripped President Donald Trump on social media on Thursday after Ukrainian authorities said a Russian missile attack had left several dead and dozens of others injured.

Russia struck Kyiv with drone and ballistic missiles overnight Thursday, according to the Kyiv City Military Administration. The attack, which began around 1 a.m. local time, hit at least five neighborhoods in Kyiv. In Sviatoshynkskyi district, a fire broke out in a residential building that was damaged in the attack, officials said. More fires were reported in the Shevchenkivsky and Holosiivskyi districts.

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A Ukrainian serviceman carries a dog out of a house damaged by a Russian airstrike in a residential neighborhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, April 24, 2025.  (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

The legendary goaltender used the opportunity to slam Trump.

“Tonight, Russia killed at least 9 people and injured 63 in Ukraine again. And at the same time, the Am. president (Donald Trump) is unable to condemn these terrible crimes,” Hasek wrote on X. “He is unable to do everything to ensure that the greatest criminal of our time, Putin, is tried for his terrible crimes. He is unable to negotiate the high thousands of billions of Euros that Russia must pay Ukraine for all the terrible things it has done to Ukraine and its people. 

“Instead, Trump is criticizing the Ukrainian leader and the leader of the democratic world Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is defending his country and does not want to give parts of it, such as Crimea, to criminals. The American president is a traitor to the democratic world.”

The Trump administration has been trying to negotiate a peace deal to end the war, which is more than three years old at this point.

American officials have apparently floated the idea of recognizing Russia’s control of Crimea, a territory that Russia seized in 2014, as part of a ceasefire proposal. This would also involve the freezing of current frontlines.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he participates in a ceremonial swearing-in of Paul Atkins as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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In 2022, Zelenskyy said that the “Russian war against Ukraine and against the entire free Europe began with Crimea and must end with Crimea — and its liberation,” Axios reported. He reiterated this stance on Tuesday, shutting down the idea that Ukraine would recognize Russian control of Crimea.

“Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea,” Zelenskyy said at a press conference on Tuesday, according to The Wall Street Journal. “There’s nothing to talk about here. This is against our constitution.”

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters at the White House, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump blasted the Ukrainian president’s statement on Crimea, saying it was “very harmful” to peacemaking efforts.

“It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that make it so difficult to settle this war,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday. “He has nothing to boast about! The situation for Ukraine is dire — He can have peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole country.”

Trump also rejected Zelenskyy’s red line in the Truth Social post, saying it was “not even a point of discussion,” as the territory was “lost years ago” under then-President Barack Obama.

Detroit Red Wings goalie Dominik Hasek (39) during game five of the 2007 NHL Western Conference semi-finals at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. (Leon Halip-USA Today Sports)

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Hasek has been a longtime opponent of Trump, taking a swipe at him during his presidential election campaign against then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

Fox News’ Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.

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