Nonsense. Here you are projecting your own preconceptions on everyone. How on earth could you possibly know what's the motivation of any athlete in life, let alone all athletes as you claim? There are as many various motivations in life as there are people.
I referenced only NHL players (the point of this thread) not
all athletes.
I agree you can have your opinion on the motivations, but I can have mine too
Regarding player motivation, Ovechkin talked about the Olympics like you do, but then with his actions he choose the NHL/Stanley Cup (he's made millions, could have made millions more in Russia, could have won a gold..and choose the NHL/Stanley Cup, and may have celebrated more winning the Stanley Cup than any other hockey celebration ever)
AFAIK there were zero NHLers that acted in a way that would support your claim. That's not projection, that's what happened.
The NHL players did not make 2018 Olympic participation happen when they could have - if that doesn't show you I don't know what will (given a choice between NHL money and nationalism/Olympics and less money, but still rich/a professional player...the players didn't choose the Olympics. That's not projection, that's what happened.)
Maybe the NHLers missing the Olympics is new to you, but in my lifetime there's been more Olympics without the NHL than with it (also I've seen more Canada Cups/World Cups [not counting the abomination that was World Cup 2016!] than I've seen the Olympics with the NHL)
Best-on-best international competition is desirable; it doesn't have to be the Olympics. It might end up being so, but it doesn't have to, there's nothing special about the Olympics that makes it the only option (or even the best option), they can go back to the way they were before 1998