Ovechkin, players grudgingly accept their Olympic absence
After being outspoken about going to the 2018 Winter Olympics no matter the consequences, even Alex Ovechkin has given up and turned his attention to the Beijing Games in 2022.
The Washington Capitals’ Russian superstar acknowledged the door is closed on him and other NHL players playing in South Korea in February, the result of the league’s decision to skip the Olympics for the first time since 1994. With the International Ice Hockey Federation not allowing any player with an NHL contract to participate, Ovechkin has begrudgingly acknowledged that his Olympic hopes are on hold.
“It is still my dream to win an Olympic gold medal for my country,” Ovechkin said in a statement . “I hope things will change and all of us will have a chance to go again in 2022.”
Five months after the NHL announced it wouldn’t be going, most players have moved from anger to acceptance. There is still disappointment and frustration, though Ovechkin made it clear where things stand: “Now the IIHF and NHL say my country is not allowed to ask anybody in the NHL to play and there is nothing to talk about anymore.”
An IIHF spokesman said he wasn’t aware of any official assurances but added: “We would not permit any player under contract with an NHL team to participate in Pyeongchang without them first obtaining the necessary permissions.”
Those permissions aren’t coming, and players aren’t happy about the opportunity being taken away from them.
“It’s disappointing,” said Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who would’ve been a lock to play for Canada if healthy. “I’ve never got that chance. I would love to be able to play in Olympics. I’ve heard that they’re real fun.”
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said for months that team owners were not interested in putting the season on hold for three weeks to let their players leave for the Olympics. The reluctance was not new, but it was still a surprise in April when the league announced that it would not allow its players to participate.