Tretiak: Ovechkin 'has to accept' he won't play in 2018 Olympics

The Alex Ovechkin-to-the-Olympics saga seems to be - finally - nearing its end, as the head of the Russian Hockey Federation said Wednesday that Ovechkin needs to accept that he won't be able to participate.

"What is there for Ovechkin to do now? Nothing. Play for Washington," Tretiak told R-Sport, as translated by The Washington Post. "He has to accept that."

While Ovechkin has remained adamant about competing in Pyeongchang come February despite the NHL not participating, it seems more and more unlikely that his dream of representing Russia at this Winter Games will come to fruition.

Despite having the support of Caps owner Ted Leonsis to take part, the fact remains that if Ovie indeed makes the trip in February, he would miss a significant portion of Washington's schedule.

Ovechkin has suited up for the Red Machine at three different Olympic Games (2006, 2010, 2014), and most recently captained Russia at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.