NHL skips Olympics: Alex Ovechkin ‘still going’

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin doubled down on his prior statement about playing Olympic hockey in 2018.

With the hockey world in disarray after the NHL’s announcement that they’ll be skipping the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics, players across the league are beginning to speak out in protest.

According to a report from ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, Ovechkin is standing firm on what he said earlier this season:

Back in September, Ovi told reporters that he planned on representing Russia at the next Olympics, whether the NHL was going or not.

Ovechkin has played for Russia at 22 different tournaments, including three Olympics and this year’s World Cup of Hockey. Having never won an Olympic medal, the 2018 games could be the last chance of his career, as he’ll be 32 in September.

An alternate captain for Russia at the 2014 games in Sochi, Ovechkin recorded a goal and an assist as the host nation finished fifth in the tournament.

Ovechkin’s Capitals teammate, Evgeny Kuznetsov, shared his captain’s sentiments, and said that he too could leave his NHL team to represent Russia next February:

Multiple other NHL players have expressed their disappointment in the NHL’s decision, with stars like Henrik Lundqvist, Erik Karlsson, and Carey Price among the former Olympians weighing in on the matter.

The NHL Players’ Association also released an official statement after the NHL’s, pulling no punches in their criticism of the decision:

Next: Women's hockey to benefit from NHL's Olympic absence

The NHL has indicated that they will direct team owners to stop their players from leaving to play in the Olympics, but will make an official ruling on the issue later.

Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, and the Capitals are in Toronto tonight to play the Maple Leafs, as they look to lock up the President’s Trophy.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow