Alexander Ovechkin

His mother, Tatyana Ovechkina, is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (1976, 1980) and world champion (1975) in basketball.

His father, Mikhail, was a football player.

He has two older brothers, Sergei and Mikhail.

His mother sensed her youngest son was destined for "sporting greatness".

"From birth, it was obvious," she said.

"In a child, it's clear immediately. He was very active and walking and curious."

He was two years old when he first picked up a hockey stick.

Whenever a hockey game came on television, he would drop whatever he was doing, refusing to allow his parents to change the channel.

In early childhood, he moved with his family to a tall high-rise building surrounded by a "crumbling neighborhood" on the outskirts of Moscow.

There he attended public school #596, infamous for military discipline and a "tyrannical" principal, completing eight and a half grades before starting at Dynamo Moscow's sports school.

While he saw his friends "getting high and getting dead," Ovechkin was attending daily training sessions morning and night.

"You dive into sport with your head and arms and legs, and there's no time for anything else," he said of this early training.

Whenever his parents were no longer able to get young Alex To hockey events, his elder brother Sergei stepped up, making sure his little brother got where he needed to go.

When Ovechkin was 10, his brother Sergei died of a blood clot following a car accident.

Ovechkin had a youth hockey game the next day, which his parents insisted he play in.

Ovechkin credits his elder brother Sergei for introducing him to, and encouraging him to pursue hockey.

When he scores, Alex will often kiss his glove and point to the sky in a salute to his brother.

Ovechkin established his reputation within the Dynamo Moscow system by scoring 56 goals at the age of 11, surpassing the previous record held by Pavel Bure, who had scored 53 goals.

Meanwhile, Ovechkin dreamed of playing in the NHL, keeping the cards of star players stashed in his room, especially those of his idol, Mario Lemieux.

Alexander Mikhailovich Ovechkin (Александр Михайлович Овечкин; born 17 September 1985) is a Russian professional ice hockey left winger and captain of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Nicknamed "Ovi" (alternatively spelled "Ovie") and "the Great Eight" in reference to his jersey number, Ovechkin is widely regarded as one of the greatest goal scorers and players of all time.

Second only to Wayne Gretzky for all-time goal scoring, Ovechkin also holds many records, including the most power play goals, most goals in away games, most overtime goals, and most goals with the same team in NHL history.

He is the third NHL player, after Gordie Howe and Gretzky, to score 800 goals in the regular season.

Ovechkin was born on 17 September 1985 in Moscow, the son of Soviet athletes.

Ovechkin began his professional career with Dynamo Moscow of the Russian Superleague in 2001, playing there for four seasons and returning briefly during the 2012–13 NHL lockout.

His first IIHF tournament was the 2002 World U18 Championship.

The following year he made his debut at the World Junior Championship, helping Russia win the gold medal.

He played two more years at the World Juniors, as well as once more at the World U18 Championships.

A highly touted prospect, Ovechkin was selected by the Capitals first overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Ovechkin's first senior tournament was the 2004 World Championship, and he also played in the World Cup that year.

In the 2005–06 season, Ovechkin's first with the Capitals, he scored 52 goals and 54 assists to lead all rookies in points, capturing the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year and finishing third overall in league scoring.

Ovechkin has also played for Russia at the Winter Olympics in 2006, 2010, and 2014.

Overall, Ovechkin has represented Russia at thirteen World Championships and three Olympics in his career, winning the World Championship three times.

Ovechkin has won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL's leading goal scorer, an NHL-record nine times, first doing so in 2007–08, when his 65 goals and 112 points also earned him the Art Ross Trophy for most points scored.

He holds the NHL record for most 40-goal seasons with thirteen and co-holds, with Mike Bossy and Gretzky, the record for most 50-goal campaigns with nine.

He has won the Hart Memorial Trophy for most valuable player three times (in 2008, 2009, and 2013), and the Lester B. Pearson Award/Ted Lindsay Award for best player as voted on by the National Hockey League Players' Association three times (2008, 2009, 2010).

In 2017, Ovechkin was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players of all time.

Internationally, Ovechkin has represented Russia in multiple tournaments.

In 2018, Ovechkin won the Stanley Cup for the first time, and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for most valuable player in the 2018 playoffs.

He has also been named to the NHL first All-Star team eight times, and the second All-Star team four times.