What Russian NHL players are saying about the Olympic Games

"[NHL players] have missed the last three Olympics. We were hoping for this year, but I guess not and it's tough," Zadorov said. "But from the other side, I understand where they're coming from, right? You know what I mean? The war's going on and everything, and there are the sanctions."

""I know it's tough right now. Everyone is excited about the Olympics but us," Columbus Blue Jackets winger Kirill Marchenko said. "And of course we would love to be at the Olympics. Russia would have a great team because our roster would have looked so nice.""

"RUSSIA'S OLYMPIC COMMITTEE remains suspended by the International Olympic Committee with the latter imposing sanctions stating that Russia violated the Olympic Charter when it invaded Ukraine in 2022."

Nikita Zadorov, a 30-year-old Boston Bruins defenseman with 13 NHL seasons and a top-four role, has never represented Russia at the Olympics and is uncertain if he ever will. NHL players have missed the last three Olympics, and hopes for a return in Milan-Cortina have been dashed by geopolitical realities tied to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and resulting sanctions. Players such as Kirill Marchenko say they would have liked to compete and that Russia would have fielded a strong roster. The International Olympic Committee has suspended Russia's Olympic Committee for violating the Olympic Charter in 2022, creating the exclusion.

Read at ESPN.com