"Going to the Olympics is a must. Refusal means surrender. We understand perfectly that the IOC decision is simply politics, and who it is directed against. [We] more or less knew there would be such a decision. But if the athletes go [to Pyeongchang] it will bring the country together. All clean athletes must go. We are athletes, we have nothing to do with politics. For us, it will be an important tournament, it won’t be different from any other.”

“Patriotism and love for our country is in our hearts. There’s no need to shout about it, or even to carry the flag on our chest. God willing, we will manage to perform well and we will sing the anthem.”

“The Olympics is a significant event in ice hockey, in any case. I can’t say that we hold any sort of grudge. Rather, it’s a lack of understanding. After all, we are just athletes, who train every day, practice our craft and dream about representing our country. Yes, they took our flag and anthem, but not our honor and convictions! We know that we are Russians and represent the best country in the world. I believe our fans will supports us even more. We will try to do everything to justify their hopes.”

-Ilya Kovalchuk, RT.com has a bit more on this topic.