Alexander Mikhaylovich Ovechkin (; ; born September 17, 1985) is a
Russian professional
ice hockey left winger and
captain of the
Washington Capitals of the
National Hockey League (NHL). Prior to playing in the NHL, Ovechkin played for
HC Dynamo Moscow of the
Russian Superleague for four seasons from 2001 until 2005.
Ovechkin was the first overall selection in the
2004 NHL Entry Draft, drafted from Dynamo after 3 seasons with the club. Since the 2004–05 NHL season was lost because of a
lockout, Ovechkin remained with Dynamo for one more season before transferring to the NHL for the
2005–06 NHL season, in which he won the
Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year, scoring 52 goals and 54 assists to lead all rookies with 106 points.
During the 2007–08 season, he led the NHL with 65 goals and 112 points to capture the Rocket Richard and Art Ross Trophies. That season he also won the Lester B. Pearson Award as the top player voted by the NHL Players' Association and the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's MVP. He is the only player to win all four awards since the Rocket Richard Trophy's inception in 1999. He would lead Team Russia to a gold medal at the World Championships the same year.
In 2009, he again won the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP, the Lester B. Pearson Award, and the Rocket Richard Trophy. Ovechkin also led the Capitals to their second consecutive division title. He won the Ted Lindsay Award, which the Pearson Award had been renamed, for a third straight year in 2010, as well as being named to the First All-Star Team for a fifth consecutive season.
Early life
Alex Ovechkin is the son of
Mikhail Ovechkin, a former professional
soccer player, and
Tatyana Ovechkina, who won two Olympic gold medals while competing for the Soviet women's basketball team at the
1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and at the
1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
The first sign of Ovechkin's future came when he was two years old—while in a Soviet toy store, he grabbed a toy
hockey stick and refused to let go. His parents treasure the picture to this day. Whenever he saw a hockey game on TV, he "dropped all his toys" and ran to the TV, protesting if his parents tried to change the channel. His parents say they knew he would be an athlete when he chose to run up the steps to their 10th floor apartment instead of taking the elevator. They also encouraged him to be athletic, sending him out to play at nearby soccer fields and basketball courts. 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 his talent and insisted to his parents that he should continue playing hockey. Sergei later died in a car accident when Alex was only 10. A childhood friend claims this is one of the reasons Ovechkin is so passionate on the ice. He also has another older, brother, Mikhael.
Due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Ovechkin remained with Dynamo for one more season. He recorded 27 points in 34 games in 2004–05, while missing nearly two months of play because of a shoulder injury sustained in the gold medal game against Canada in the 2005 World Junior Championships.
With the threat of the lockout cancelling another NHL season, Ovechkin signed a contract with rival Russian team Avangard Omsk. In order to maintain his eligibility for the NHL in the event that the lockout ended, the contract contained an out clause with a July 20, 2005 deadline. Although a new NHL collective bargaining agreement (CBA) had not yet been reached between players and owners, Ovechkin decided to opt out and signed with the Capitals on August 5, 2005. The deal was a three-year, entry-level contract worth the rookie maximum of $984,200 per season with performance-based bonuses to inflate his annual salary to as much as $3.9 million. Though the feud raised many concerns as to its effect on the league, and the Russian national team at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, it apparently dissipated as mysteriously as it started. On January 24, 2009, at the SuperSkills Competition, Malkin assisted Ovechkin in his stunt during the Breakaway Challenge. Malkin handed Ovechkin his props for the stunt as well as handing him his stick and pouring some sports drink down Ovechkin's throat. Though there is no final word on the nature and status of the feud, considering their past interactions, this incident appears to show that the feud has effectively ended. It has been reported that Ilya Kovalchuk, who was then the Atlanta Thrashers' captain and is also teammate of Ovechkin and Malkin on the Russian national team, brokered the peace between the two.
On January 24, 2009, Ovechkin won the Breakaway Competition at the SuperSkills Competition for the 2nd consecutive year in Montreal after emerging in the final few seconds wearing a hat bestowed with a Canadian flag and white sunglasses. On January 25, 2009, Ovechkin scored 1 goal and notched 2 assists, as well as scoring the game-ending shootout goal in the 2009 NHL All-Star Game as the Eastern Conference won 12–11.
He has also made a brief cameo appearance in Vlad Topalov's music video for "Perfect Criminal". He appears at 3:50 minutes into the video, playing "the last man on Earth".
Late in the 2008–09 NHL season, Ovechkin garnered some criticism over his exuberant after-goal celebrations. In the February 28, 2009, segment of Hockey Night in Canada's Coach's Corner, Canadian hockey analyst Don Cherry likened Ovechkin's celebrations of jumping into the boards and his team-mates to that of soccer players, concluding that this was not the Canadian way and advising Canadian kids to ignore Ovechkin's example. Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau came to Ovechkin's defense, stating Cherry "doesn't know Alex like we know Alex", and Ovechkin himself stated that he "doesn't care" about Cherry. The next notable incident happened on March 19, 2009, in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. After scoring his 50th goal of the season, Ovechkin put his stick on the ice, pretending to warm his hands over it because it was "hot". The incident sparked an immediate response from Tampa Bay coach Rick Tocchet who said that "[Ovechkin] went down a notch in my books". Boudreau had also stated that he would discuss the incident with Ovechkin, and teammate Mike Green, despite being the first to celebrate with Ovechkin afterwards, commented that he did not wish to join in the pre-meditated celebration. Ovechkin himself was unapologetic, and said about Don Cherry in particular, "He's going to be pissed off for sure...I love it!".
He is the cover athlete of 2K Sports hockey simulation video game NHL 2K10, as well as the cover athlete of EA Sports NHL 07.
On July 6, 2009, Ovechkin was named an ambassador for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.
In late 2009, he was named GQ's 48th most powerful person in D.C.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
{| border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="75%" style="text-align:center"
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" |
! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |
! colspan="5" |
Regular season
! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |
! colspan="5" |
Playoffs
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
!
Season
! Team
! League
! GP
!
G
!
A
!
Pts
!
PIM
! GP
! G
! A
! Pts
! PIM
|-
| 2001–02
|
Dynamo Moscow
|
RSL
| 21
| 2
| 2
| 4
| 4
| 3
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2002–03
| Dynamo Moscow
| RSL
| 40
| 8
| 7
| 15
| 29
| 5
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 2
|-
| 2003–04
| Dynamo Moscow
| RSL
| 53
| 13
| 10
| 23
| 4
| 3
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 2
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2004–05
| Dynamo Moscow
| RSL
| 37
| 13
| 14
| 27
| 32
| 10
| 2
| 4
| 6
| 31
|-
|
2005–06
|
Washington Capitals
|
NHL
| 81
| 52
| 54
| 106
| 52
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
|
2006–07
| Washington Capitals
| NHL
| 82
| 46
| 46
| 92
| 52
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
|
2007–08
| Washington Capitals
| NHL
| 82
| 65
| 47
| 112
| 40
| 7
| 4
| 5
| 9
| 0
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
|
2008–09
| Washington Capitals
| NHL
| 79
| 56
| 54
| 110
| 72
| 14
| 11
| 10
| 21
| 8
|-
|
2009–10
| Washington Capitals
| NHL
| 72
| 50
| 59
| 109
| 89
| 7
| 5
| 5
| 10
| 0
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" | RSL totals
! 151
! 36
! 33
! 69
! 106
! 21
! 2
! 4
! 6
! 35
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" | NHL totals
! 396
! 269
! 260
! 529
! 305
! 28
! 20
! 20
! 40
! 8
|}
International
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:50em"
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Year
! Team
! Event
! Result
! GP
! G
! A
! Pts
! PIM
|-
|
2002
| Russia
|
U18
|
| 8
| 14
| 4
| 18
| 0
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
|
2003
| Russia
|
WJC
|
| 6
| 6
| 1
| 7
| 4
|-
|
2003
| Russia
| U18
|
| 6
| 9
| 4
| 13
| 6
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
|
2004
| Russia
| WJC
| 5
| 6
| 5
| 2
| 7
| 25
|-
|
2004
|
Russia
|
WC
| 10
| 6
| 1
| 1
| 2
| 0
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
|
2004
| Russia
|
WCH
| 6
| 2
| 1
| 0
| 1
| 0
|-
|
2005
| Russia
| WJC
|
| 6
| 7
| 4
| 11
| 4
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
|
2005
| Russia
| WC
|
| 8
| 5
| 3
| 8
| 4
|-
|
2006
| Russia
|
Oly
| 4
| 8
| 5
| 0
| 5
| 8
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
|
2006
| Russia
| WC
| 5
| 7
| 6
| 3
| 9
| 6
|-
|
2007
| Russia
| WC
|
| 8
| 1
| 2
| 3
| 29
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
|
2008
| Russia
| WC
|
| 9
| 6
| 6
| 12
| 8
|-
|
2010
| Russia
| Oly
| 6
| 4
| 2
| 2
| 4
| 2
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
|
2010
| Russia
| WC
|
| 9
| 5
| 1
| 6
| 4
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="4" | Senior totals
! 61
! 32
! 18
! 50
! 61
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="4" | U20 totals
! 18
! 18
! 7
! 25
! 33
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="4" | U18 totals
! 14
! 23
! 8
! 31
! 6
|}
NHL All-Star Games
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:50em"
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Year
! Location
! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |
! G!!A!!Pts
|- ALIGN="center"
|
2007
|
Dallas
| 1||0||1
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
|
2008
|
Atlanta
| 2||0||2
|- ALIGN="center"
|
2009
|
Montreal
| 1||2||3
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" | All-Star totals
! 4!!2!!6
|}
Awards
NHL
NHL All-Rookie Team: 2006
NHL First All-Star Team: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
NHL Number 1 Star of the Month: January 2006, January 2008, March 2008, November 2008, January 2010
NHL Offensive Player of the Month: January 2006
NHL Rookie of the Month: December 2005 and January 2006
NHL Number 1 Star of the Week: Week Ending – December 30, 2007; March 9, 2008; March 23, 2008; December 28, 2008; October 5, 2009; January 18, 2010.
NHL Offensive Player of the Week: Week Ending – December 31, 2005; January 23, 2006
NHL Player of the Year – Sporting News: 2008, 2009
NHL All-Star Game selections: 2007, 2008, 2009
Calder Memorial Trophy – NHL Rookie of the Year: 2006
Kharlamov Trophy – 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
Lester B. Pearson Award (Most Outstanding Player): 2008, 2009
* Ted Lindsay Award (Formerly known as Lester B. Pearson Award): 2010
Hart Memorial Trophy (Most Valuable Player): 2008, 2009
Art Ross Trophy: 2008 (112 points)
Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy: 2008 (65 goals), 2009 (56 goals)
International play
2005 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships – Best Forward
2006 Winter Olympics – Ice Hockey All-Tournament Team
2006 IIHF World Championship – Media All-Star Team
2008 IIHF World Championship – Media All-Star Team
Records
NHL records
First player to win the
Art Ross Trophy,
Maurice Richard Trophy,
Lester B. Pearson Award and
Hart Memorial Trophy as well as win all four in a single season (Note: The Maurice Richard Trophy was established for the 1998–99 season).
Only player to be named to the NHL First All-Star Team in each of his first five seasons
Most goals scored by a left-winger in a season (2007–08) – 65 goals
Most points scored by a left-wing rookie (2005–06) – 106 points
Most shots on goal by a left-winger in a season (2008–09) – 528 shots
Most shots on goal by a rookie in a season (2005–06) – 425 shots
Point streak in consecutive games to start an NHL career by a No. 1 overall pick (2005–06) – 8 games
Most regular season points by a Russian-born NHL rookie (2005–06) – 106 points
Fastest overtime goal – 6 seconds; (December 15, 2006 vs. Atlanta Thrashers; tied with Mats Sundin and David Legwand)
Washington Capitals records
Most seasons with 50 or more goals – 4 (2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10)
Most shots on goal in a season – 528 (2008–09)
Most goals in a season (2007–08) – 65 goals
Most power play goals in a season (2007–08) – 22 PP goals (tie with Peter Bondra)
Most career overtime goals – 7 OT goals
Most career penalty shots attempted – 6 shots (most recent on January 17, 2010)
Most goals in a season by a rookie (2005–06) – 52 goals
Most points in a season by a rookie (2005–06) – 106 points
Point streak by a rookie – 11 games (17 points; 5 goals, 12 assists), March 18 – April 7, 2006
Point streak by a rookie to start season – 8 games
Goal streak by a rookie – 7 games, February 10 – March 8, 2006
References
External links
RussianProspects.com Alexander Ovechkin Profile
Category:1985 births
Category:Art Ross Trophy winners
Category:Calder Trophy winners
Category:Hart Memorial Trophy winners
Category:HC Dynamo Moscow players
Category:Ice hockey players at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Category:Ice hockey players at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Category:Lester B. Pearson Award winners
Category:Living people
Category:National Hockey League All-Stars
Category:National Hockey League first overall draft picks
Category:National Hockey League first round draft picks
Category:National Hockey League players with 50 goal seasons
Category:National Hockey League players with 100 point seasons
Category:Olympic ice hockey players of Russia
Category:People from Arlington, Virginia
Category:Rocket Richard Trophy winners
Category:Russian ice hockey left wingers
Category:Sportspeople from Moscow
Category:Washington Capitals captains
Category:Washington Capitals draft picks
Category:Washington Capitals players