America has harnessed itself to Russia. Will Ovechkin and other stars go to the Olympics?

The Russian national hockey team still retains its chances at the 2026 Olympics in Italy. Yes, recently the International Federation (IIHF) did not allow our teams to participate in international tournaments in the 2024/25 season. At the same time, the Russians were not downgraded in the ranking — at the moment, Russia, although with an asterisk, is included in the list of potential participants in the 2026 Games and appears in Group C. The US team will also perform there. It is representatives of North America who can contribute to the return of hockey Russia to world tournaments.
The 2026 and 2030 games will definitely be held with the participation of NHL hockey players — the league, after long negotiations with the IIHF, finally came to an agreement for the first time since 2014. Presumably, the NHL is not very happy with the fact that the conditional Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Leon Draisaitl, David Pastrnak, Mikko Rantanen and others will play in Milan, and Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeniy Malkin, Nikita Kucherov, Artemiy Panarin, Mikhail Sergachev and Andrey Vasilevsky — no.

The main NHL journalists are increasingly raising the issue of Russia's status on the eve of the 2026 Games and separately highlight the ambiguity of the notorious “security”, which the IIHF uses to justify the ban.

The day before, The Athletic published some interesting material. Its title eloquently highlights the phrase “It’s not fair.” The authors specifically talked with leading Russian NHL stars about their feelings due to the lack of the opportunity to play for the country in international tournaments. We have not seen similar materials before.
«»Is it possible that I have already played at my last Olympics? I try not to think about it. But Nikita Kucherov may never play at the Olympics. And this is madness. This situation is beyond our control. We are just following rules. There is nothing good in this, but it is what it is. Perhaps something will change. I hope so,” said Alexander Ovechkin.
Evgeni Malkin said that “the NHL has power,” and directly hinted: the league should take the initiative in the matter of Russia returning to tournaments.
«»Every player wants to wear the uniform of the national team. If Canada plays against Russia in the finals or semi-finals, how cool do you think that is? It’s hard for me to understand this situation. We play in the NHL, but we can’t play for the national team — it’s hard. I want, so that our cool young guys can play. I hope this year will be the last when Russia is suspended,” said Evgeniy Malkin.

You, of course, will notice: “But the league did not allow Russia into its tournament, which will be held in 2025.” This is true, but we must understand that the so-called Four Nations tournament is less valuable than even the World Cup. It is not even close to anything serious compared to the Olympics. And in North America they clearly understand this — according to them, it is noticeable that the NHL is interested in Russia’s participation in the Olympics. True, there is a possibility that Russian players from the KHL will be left out.
Yes, the final decision will be made by the IIHF. But I wonder if the NHL will influence him.