Alexander Mikhaylovich Ovechkin (born September 17,
1985 in Moscow, Russia) is a Russian professional
ice hockey left winger for the Washington Capitals
of the National Hockey League. He lives in
Arlington, Virginia.
He was the first overall selection in the 2004 NHL
Entry Draft, but due to the 2004-05 NHL lockout, he
began play in the 2005-06 NHL season. During the
2007-08 season, he led the NHL with 65 goals and 112
points to capture the Richard and Art Ross Trophies.
Alexander Ovechkin is the son of Mikhail Ovechkin, a
former professional football (soccer) player, and
Tatyana Ovechkina who won two Olympic gold medals
while competing for the Soviet women's basketball
team in the 1976 Summer Olympics at Montreal and in
1980 at Moscow.
The first signs of the Ovechkin's future came when
he was a child. At the age of two, in a Soviet toy
store, Alexander grabbed a toy stick and helmet and
refused to let go. His parents treasure the picture
to this day. As a small child, whenever he saw a
hockey game on TV, he "threw all his toys" and ran
to the TV. He "protested strongly" if his parents
tried to change the channel. His parents say they
knew he would be an athlete when Alexander chose to
run up the steps to their apartment rather than take
the elevator.
He began playing hockey at the age of 7. Soon after
he began, however, he had to postpone his hockey
career because his parents were unable to take him
to the rink. But one of Ovechkin's coaches saw
Ovechkin's talent and communicated to his parents
that he should continue to play hockey. Ovechkin's
brother, Sergei, who later died in a car accident,
saw that Alexander loved hockey and insisted that he
be allowed to return.
Since he studied at the Military Institute for
Border Guards, Ovechkin did not have to go through
compulsory military service.
