Three-time Stanley Cup champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and State Duma deputy Vyacheslav Fetisov believes that today’s athletes do not lack motivation to work hard.

“Do contemporary athletes lack the drive to put in the effort? They’re not farmers; they don’t plow the fields. Don’t athletes strive for titles, medals, and championships, rather than just material rewards? It’s not true that they have everything and don’t put in the effort.

Athletes are individuals: some work hard, while others do not. Material wealth doesn’t dictate their motivation. I see no difference between today’s athletes and those in my generation. If Ovechkin, at 39, possesses all the luxuries any person could imagine and still puts in the effort to break records, what more is there to discuss? For an athlete to achieve greatness, they must prioritize, train harder than anyone else, and consistently compete,” Fetisov is quoted by Sport24.