Boudreau to Ovechkin: ‘I thought you were going to the Olympics!’

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin release a statement Thursday regarding NHL players not going to the next Olympics and how himself, his teammates, all players and fans are losing out.

The Minnesota Wild will host the Washington Capitals on Thursday night, a game which features a coach going up against his former star player.

Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau manned the Capitals bench from 2007-11, during which time he and his captain Alex Ovechkin carried the team to three 100-plus-point seasons.

During the Wild’s morning skate early Thursday, Ovechkin went to visit with his former boss.

“I thought you were going to the Olympics!” chirped Boudreau, a quip about the Russian’s initial reaction to the league’s 2018 Winter Olympics decision.

On Apr. 3, the NHL made the polarizing decision not to send its players to Pyeongchang. Following the announcement, Ovechkin made headlines when he said he would attend the Games, regardless what the league said.

“It’s the biggest opportunity in your life to play in the Olympic Games,” he said. “Somebody going to tell me I don’t go, I don’t care, I just go.”

Obviously, when the time came, Ovechkin respected the NHL’s decision and remained with the Capitals, prompting Boudreau’s fun comments.

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