Ovechkin Again Affirms He Will Play In 2018 Olympics, Regardless of NHL

Alex Ovechkin again confirmed today that he will play in the 2018 Olympics, regardless of the decision to ban or participate by the NHL.

To date, the NHL has not decided if it will allow players to play in the 2018 Olympics. There has been much debate that the NHL is not in favor of the month long break in the middle of the season, and prefers their own tournament, the World Cup of Hockey. There has been much discussion of an NHL ban of the Olympics.

Ovechkin told Russian media last year that he planned on playing in the Olympics, even if there was a ban by the NHL.

Today, as part of media day for the World Cup of Hockey, Ovechkin reiterated that he was going to play in the Olympics.

I asked Ovechkin twice, the 2nd time to be sure, and he said his plan would be to play in South Korea 2018 regardless if NHL there or not

— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) September 15, 2016

And to be clear, Ovechkin wasn't militant about it. Just answered the question matter of factly. He loves playing in the Olympics

— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) September 15, 2016

By Jon Sorensen

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Photos from day two of Team Russia training camp. #Ovechkin #Capitals #RockTheRed #LetsGoCaps #IGDC #wch2016 #RockTheRed #LetsGoCaps #IGDC @aleksandrovechkinofficial #Ovechkin #TeamRussia #WCH2016 #RockTheRed #hockey #ovechkin #ovi #8 #rotenberg #russia #хоккей #отчистогосердца #живихоккеем #овечкин #ови #ротенберг #краснаямашина #хоккейроссии

A post shared by NoVa Caps (@nova_caps) on Sep 6, 2016 at 1:33pm PDT

About Jon Sorensen

Jon has been a Caps fan since day one, attending his first game at the Capital Centre in 1974. His interest in the Caps has grown over the decades and included time as a season ticket holder. He has been a journalist covering the team for 10+ years, primarily focusing on analysis, analytics and prospect development.

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