After scoring just once in Sochi and getting bounced in the quarterfinals, Alex Ovechkin apologized for his -- and Russia’s -- lackluster performance at the Winter Olympics.
“I want to say sorry to the fans because it’s once in a lifetime opportunity to represent your country in the Olympics.” Ovechkin said, per AP. “You didn’t get the results, you didn’t get any medal.”
Ovechkin, an alternate captain for Russia in Sochi, was one of the country’s biggest underachievers at the Games. He scored 77 seconds into a tournament-opening win over Slovenia but failed to score again, and was largely a non-factor as Russia managed just two regulation wins all tournament -- against Slovenia and Norway -- needing a shootout to defeat Slovakia in the final group game.
The Russians were then eliminated by the Finns in the quarterfinals, a disappointing result for the hosts. Comparatively speaking, the U.S. won silver at the ’02 Games in Salt Lake, and the Canadians won gold four years ago in Vancouver.
Ovechkin said that age and maturity will help him cope with the big disappointment.
“I’m almost 30,” he explained, per the Washington Times. “I have to handle it.”