Russia should win gold this time, there's no excuse for them not to win it. They're the only nation that is still able to send star players to the tournament.
And they will still find a way to embarrass themselves.
When i was younger i always rooted for team Russia and couldn't wait for Olympics and even enjoyed the World Championships once Caps got knocked out early. But after the Sochi Olympics and hearing rumors about Putin having a say in who was named head coach (not sure if true or not) i was so disgusted that i stopped watching completely even before Russia once again got embarrassed.
Truth is, Russia may produce very good players here and there but overall their development system is way behind North America or even some European countries. I would wager that kids from Canadian Junior leagues can beat a all star KHL squad.
Also over the years i have grown more and more frustrated with Ovechkins "patriotism", going to play for Russia a day after Caps get eliminated. Being fitted for team Russia Jersey in DECEMBER. I even remember one year the team held a place for Ovi, you know in case Caps choke again early.
Russia is huge, millions of people. Ovechkin owes nothing to Russia, if anything Russia owes Ovechkin.
So all in all even though i would have liked to see some Olympic games, i prefer them to play full season and focus not he cup. Besides, who the hell wants to see Canada win the gold again anyway