Washington's Alexander Ovechkin believes that the NHL and its players must continue to participate in the Olympics as a "matter of prestige." "All of my awards are valuable because they were earned with hard work. But the first place I would give to the gold medal from the World Championships in Quebec," Ovechkin told the Sovetsky Sport. "What's missing ... I have yet to win the Olympics and the Stanley Cup. It is difficult to compare the two tournaments. You represent your own country at the Winter Games. The Olympic Games take place only once every four years. And it's not winning, but even attending the Games is a difficult [achievement]. The Stanley Cup ? you play 82 games in the regular season. You work as a horse to make the playoffs and work even more once you get there. Completely different priorities. But my goal is to win both of those trophies."