Alexander Mikailovich Ovechkin, the son of Tatiana and Michael Ovechkin was born on September 17, 1985 in Moscow, Russia.
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 says 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. Ovechkin resumed playing a few months later and never looked back.
Because he has studied at the Military Institute for Border Guards, he apparently does not have to serve in the military in Russia. Military duty is supposed to be “compulsory” in Russia, but it is so in name only and is enforced selectively rather than uniformly; for instance, young Russian star Ilya Kovalchuk has never served in the military, while Ukrainian-born Nikolai Zherdev was forced to go to arbitration court in Switzerland because Russian authorities claimed he had to serve in the military. Apparently Ovechkin will not have to face these circumstances.
Due to the NHL lockout, Alexander Ovechkin is currently playing his fourth season for Dynamo Moscow. He has on numerous occasions expressed his desire to play in the NHL, but there is still
some doubt about his contract status with Dynamo Moscow. Since the agreement between the NHL (National Hockey League), the NHLPA (National Hockey League Players’ Assiciation) and the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) is expired, NHL clubs apparently must negotiate transfer fees–compensation paid to those teams from which NHL teams get their players–individually with the European clubs. Because of the fact that there are no rules, European teams can theoretically demand any price for their players. Dynamo Moscow has so far made demands of up to $3 million dollars for Ovechkin, and it remains to be seen how soon the Washington Capitals will be able to bring him to North America even after the NHL resumes play, at least until the last year of Ovechkin’s contract is expired.