Capitals eager for 2018 Winter Olympics despite no NHL presence

Evgeny Kuznetsov has his setup ready. In his home, the Capitals center has already purchased the special device that allows him to stream Russian channels to his TV.

So when the Winter Olympics start in less than two weeks, Kuznetsov — who likely would have been on Russia’s national hockey team — will be watching at home like most people. He’ll even be watching with the announcers he’s used to hearing.

“We’ve already said what we think,” Kuznetsov said, referring to the NHL’s decision to forbid league players from competing in PyeongChang. “But I’m still going to watch (hockey) like those other sports. That’s fun. I mean, I love to watch it, even World Championships or whatever. It’s always fun.”

The NHL banning players from the games means the world’s most talented hockey players will be spectators during the Olympics. The league’s decision, which it said was made because the games are too much of a disruption to the NHL season, was tough for players to swallow.

But with the Olympics around the corner, Kuznetsov and the Capitals are eager to watch.

“Being apart of USA Hockey, you kinda feel like you’re still apart of the team,” said Capitals forward and former Olympian T.J. Oshie. “I’ll be watching, for sure. I wish those guys the best of luck. It’s a pretty cool opportunity for them.”

Oshie is no stranger to the world stage. The biggest moment of his career came in the 2014 Winter Olympics when he battled Russian goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky in a shootout to give the U.S. a 3-2 win in the preliminary round.

Oshie said he knows a few of the players on this year’s U.S. team, made up of largely college, American Hockey League and overseas players. Given the Capitals will still have their normal schedule and time difference in South Korea, Oshie said he isn’t sure if he’ll be watching live or on tape delay.

There is bit of a strangeness in all of this, too. Normally in Olympic years, the NHL would forego its All-Star Game and take a break in the middle of the season. Rather than gearing up for an Olympic break, the Capitals are coming back from All-Star Weekend with 33 games left in 66 days.

The Capitals could have easily had up to seven players qualify for their respective countries: Oshie (USA), Kuzentsov (Russia), goaltender Braden Holtby (Canada), defensemen John Carlson (USA) and Dmitry Orlov (Russa), center Nicklas Backstrom (Sweden) and star forward Alex Ovechkin (Russia).

Ovechkin was particularly upset about the NHL decision. He originally said he would go and play for Russia regardless, only to back down on his claim before training camp. He released a letter begrudgingly accepting the decision. (“It sucks that will we not be there to play!!” he wrote.)

At the All-Star Game in Tampa, Bettman told reporters he doesn’t know if the NHL will participate in future Olympics.

Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik, though, is one of many holding out hope for the 2022 games in China.

Orpik, 37, has played for the U.S. in two Olympics (2010 Vancouver, 2014 Sochi) and said it’s disappointing that the younger players in the league won’t have the opportunity to represent their countries this year. Offseason international tournaments, like the annual Ice Hockey World Championships, aren’t the same, he said. 

“It’s just completely different — you don’t get that whole Olympic experience with the other athletes and the Olympic village,” Orpik said.

Even without the world’s best players, Orpik said he thinks hockey in this year’s Olympics will still entertain. He said the games will be a lot harder to predict because of the unfamiliarity with the new talent pool.

“I think NHL guys will probably pay more attention because they won’t be on vacation,” Orpik said. “I don’t think it means anything less because it’s an opportunity for a different group of people.”