To the dismay of hockey players and fans, The NHL will not be sending its skaters to the 2018 winter Olympics.
Many of the game’s stars have been outspoken about their desire to go, but nothing has seemed to work, and no one has been more vocal than Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin.
The horrible news means that hockey fans will not only miss out on seeing their old Olympic heroes, but also lose the opportunity to see new ones be born. With that said, here are 9 players they'll miss seeing in the upcoming Olympics the most.
CONNOR MCDAVID
This one’s obvious.
The only professional international competition the world has seen the 20-year-old compete in was the 2016 World Cup of Hockey for Team North America. There, it was clear that McDavid was a step ahead of his teammates. Now, the world can’t see what the talented youngster would be able to do with some of the other members on our list.
SIDNEY CROSBY
‘The Kid’ has been the face of Canadian hockey for quite some time now, and has already managed to capture two gold medals in his career. How could one possibly forget his infamous Golden Goal?
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Crosby and McDavid will likely be united at some point down the road, it’s just too bad it’s not while the former is clearly still in his prime. Sid lives for international competition, and his magic will surely be missed.
JAROMIR JAGR
‘Jags’ clearly isn’t what he used to be, as he’s still seeking an NHL contract at age 45. But the Czech has been a force in the Olympics in the past, racking up 23 points in 28 games. In the 1998 Nagano Olympics, he led his country to a gold medal.
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Jagr would likely make the team considering he posted 46 points last season and is easily more skilled than some of Czech Republic’s depth players. Who knows, maybe he’ll lace’em up if the NHL heads to China in 2022?
HENRIK LUNDQVIST
‘The King’ has been tremendous in Olympic Games past, leading a stacked Sweden team to a Gold medal in 2006. Today, it’s no secret that Hank is on his back-nine and the 2018 Games likely would have been his last. There’s a good chance we never see Lundqvist participate in them again.
AUSTON MATTHEWS
Matthews thrived as a rookie in the world’s biggest hockey market, so expecting him to have a big Olympic tournament would be reasonable. At just 19, the American has plenty of Olympics to dominate in the future, so fans shouldn’t hold their head to low over this one.
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN
No player has expressed a stronger desire to play for his country than Ovy. While he’s young enough to still participate in them over the next eight years, you only have so many opportunities to represent your country. His sniping and hard-hitting ability will not be replicated in Pyeongchang.
JONATHAN TOEWS
Toews has been tremendous while donning the Maple Leaf over his career, and it’s unfortunate his heroism won't be displayed in the upcoming games. Behind Crosby, Toews likely would have been the favourite to rock the ‘C’.
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PATRICK KANE
This guy can do some magical things on a regular-sized rink, but watching him do his thing on an Olympic surface is something else. Give this guy space, and he’s arguably the most fun player to watch in the world. Accepting the fact that he won’t be there in the winter is a tough pill to swallow.
PATRIK LAINE
There was no way this list was going to exclude any Finns.
Laine has already developed into one of the league’s strongest scorers, and similar to Kane, the big ice surface would only help him. When given time to shoot, Laine is lights out. He’ll obviously be a player who will represent his country in future Games if NHLers are granted the opportunity.
There it is, nine guys who we think fans will severely miss seeing in the Olympics. We know there are a lot, so let us know who else you’re going to miss seeing @BarDown!
