Alexander Ovechkin Alexander Mikhailovich " Alex " Ovechkin ( Александр Михайлович Овечкин ; [ ɐlʲɪˈksandr ɐˈvʲetɕkʲɪn ] ; born 17 September 1985 ) is a Russian professional ice hockey winger and captain of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . Prior to entering the NHL , Ovechkin played for HC Dynamo Moscow of the Russian Superleague for four seasons , from 2001 until 2005 , and returned to play for them briefly during the 2012 - 13 NHL lockout . A highly touted prospect , Ovechkin was selected by the Capitals first overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft . With the 2004 - 05 NHL Lockout cancelling the season , Ovechkin remained in Russia until 2005 , joining the Capitals for the 2005 - 06 season . He won the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year , scoring 52 goals and 54 assists to lead all rookies with 106 points and finishing third overall in league scoring . Ovechkin has led the NHL in goal scoring , and won the Rocket Richard Trophy , six times in his career . He first did so in 2007 – 08 season , when he recorded 65 goals and 112 points . He led the league in points , winning the Art Ross Trophy , and also won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league ' s most valuable player and Lester B . Pearson Award as the best player as voted on by the NHL Players ' Association . Ovechkin would again win the Hart Trophy and Pearson Award in 2009 , along with the Richard Trophy , and won the Ted Lindsay Award ( the renamed Pearson Award ) for a third consecutive year in 2010 ; it also marked the fifth straight year that he was named to the First All - Star Team . After a couple years of decreased scoring , Ovechkin again led the league in goals , and earning the Richard Trophy , in 2013 , again winning the Hart Trophy . He would repeat as the Richard Trophy winner from 2014 to 2016 , scoring at least 50 goals each season , becoming the first player to win the award six times , and the third to lead the NHL in goals that many times , as well as the third player to score 50 goals in a season seven times . He marked 500 career NHL goals in the 2015 - 16 season and has also led the league in scoring for the past four years ; as such , Ovechkin is considered by many to be one of the greatest goal scorers in the history of the NHL . On 27 January 2017 , in a ceremony during the All - Star Weekend in Los Angeles , Ovechkin was part of the second group of players to be named one of the ' 100 Greatest NHL Players ' in history . Internationally Ovechkin has represented Russia in multiple tournaments . His first IIHF tournament was the 2002 World U18 Championships . The following year he made his debut at the World Junior Championships , 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 . Ovechkin ' s first senior tournament was the 2004 World Championship , and he also played in the World Cup that year . Ovechkin has also played for Russia at the Winter Olympics in 2006 , 2010 , and 2014 . Overall Ovechkin has represented Russia at eleven World Championships and three Olympics in his career , winning the World Championship three times . 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 . Sergei , Ovechkin ' s older brother , had initially introduced him to hockey , and Alex enrolled in hockey school at the age of 8 . 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 , Mikhail . Playing career . Dynamo Moscow . Ovechkin began playing in the Russian Superleague with Dynamo Moscow at the age of 16 . Making his professional debut in the 2001 – 02 season , he scored four points in 21 games . He would spend three seasons there , and he would rack up 36 goals and 32 assists in 152 career games . The following off - season , Ovechkin was selected first overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals . He had been projected as the first overall pick for nearly two years and had earned comparisons to Mario Lemieux . He was so highly regarded that the Florida Panthers attempted to draft him in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft in the 9th round , even though his birthday was two days after the cut - off ( September 15 , 1985 ) . Rick Dudley , the general manager of the Panthers , claimed the pick was legitimate , claiming that Ovechkin was old enough with leap years taken into consideration . 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 . Washington Capitals . Two days after signing , the lockout ended with a new CBA . Ovechkin played his first game with the Capitals on October 5 , 2005 , scoring two goals in a 3 - 2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets . On January 13 , 2006 in Anaheim , Ovechkin scored his first career hat trick against Jean - Sébastien Giguère of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to help Washington win the game . Three days later , on January 16 , he scored a goal that veteran hockey reporter Bill Clement called " one of the greatest goals of all time " . Knocked down by Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Paul Mara and sliding on his back facing away from the net , Ovechkin was able to hook the puck with one hand on his stick and slide it into the net past goalie Brian Boucher for his second goal of the night . It became referred to as " The Goal " . On February 1 , Ovechkin was named NHL Rookie of the Month for January 2006 as well as being named Offensive Player of the Month , becoming only the third player in NHL history to earn both honors simultaneously . Ovechkin finished the 2005 – 06 season leading all NHL rookies in goals , points , power - play goals , and shots . He finished third overall in the NHL in scoring with 106 points and tied for third in goals with 52 . His 425 shots led the league , set an NHL rookie record and was the fourth - highest total in NHL history . Ovechkin ' s point total was the second - best in Washington Capitals history and his goals total tied for third in franchise history . He was also named to the NHL First All - Star Team , the first rookie to receive the honor in 15 years . After the season ended , Ovechkin received the Calder Memorial Trophy , awarded to the NHL ' s best rookie . EA Sports made him one of the cover athletes for NHL 07 . The following season , Ovechkin appeared in his first NHL All - Star Game in Dallas on January 24 , 2007 . He completed his second NHL season with 46 goals and 92 points . Playing in the final season of his rookie contract , in 2007 – 08 , Ovechkin signed a 13 - year contract extension worth $ 124 million with the Capitals on January 10 , 2008 . The contract , which averages $ 9 . 5 million per year , is the richest in NHL history . Working without an agent , Ovechkin negotiated directly with Capitals owner Ted Leonsis and general manager George McPhee . Late in the season , on March 3 , 2008 , Ovechkin notched his 50th , 51st and 52nd goals of the campaign for his fourth career NHL hat trick and to hit the 50 - goal mark for the second time in his career . Later that month , on March 21 , 2008 , Ovechkin scored his 59th and 60th goals of the season against the Atlanta Thrashers , becoming the first NHL player to score 60 goals in a season since Mario Lemieux and Jaromír Jágr in 1995 – 96 and 19th player overall . Four days later , on March 25 , Ovechkin scored his 61st goal of the season to break the Washington Capitals ' team record for goals in a single season previously held by Dennis Maruk . He also went on to break Luc Robitaille ' s record for most goals by a left winger in one season on April 3 , 2008 , by scoring two goals for his 64th and 65th of the season . He also became the first NHL player to score at least 40 even - strength goals in one season since Pavel Bure in 1999 - 2000 . Leading the league in scoring with 65 goals and 112 points , Ovechkin captured both the Art Ross Trophy and the Rocket Richard Trophy in 2007 – 08 . It was the first time in 41 seasons that a left - winger led the NHL in points since Bobby Hull led the league with 97 points in 1965 - 66 . Ovechkin helped lead a rejuvenated Capitals team back to the Stanley Cup playoffs with a stronger supporting cast that included countryman Alexander Semin , rookie center Nicklas Bäckström and defenseman Mike Green . He scored the game winning goal in his NHL playoff debut with less than five minutes left in Game 1 against the Philadelphia Flyers . He scored nine points in seven games against the Flyers as the Capitals were eliminated in the opening round . In the off - season , Ovechkin was awarded the Lester B . Pearson Award as the top player voted by the NHL Players ' Association ( NHLPA ) and the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league ' s MVP , becoming the first player in the history of the NHL to win all four major awards , including the Art Ross and Rocket Richard Trophies . Ovechkin was also awarded his third consecutive Kharlamov Trophy , named after Soviet hockey star Valeri Kharlamov and presented by Sovetsky Sport newspaper as the best Russian NHL player as voted by other Russian NHL players . In late October of the 2008 – 09 NHL season , Ovechkin returned home to Moscow to visit his ailing grandfather , missing only the second game of his career up to that point , snapping a consecutive streak of 203 games played . On February 5 , 2009 , Ovechkin scored his 200th goal against the Los Angeles Kings becoming only the fourth player in the NHL to reach the milestone in four seasons , joining Wayne Gretzky , Mike Bossy and Mario Lemieux . On March 19 , he scored his 50th goal of the season , becoming the first Washington Capitals player to reach the 50 - goal mark three times . He finished the campaign with 56 goals to capture his second consecutive Rocket Richard Trophy , joining Jarome Iginla and Pavel Bure as the third player to win the award twice and the second player after Bure ( 2000 and 2001 ) to win the award in back - to - back seasons . With 110 points , he finished as runner - up to countryman Evgeni Malkin for the Art Ross . Ovechkin and the Capitals repeated as division champions en route to meeting the Rangers in the opening round . After advancing to the second round in seven games , Ovechkin notched his first NHL playoff hat trick on May 4 , 2009 , in Game 2 against the Penguins to help Washington to a 4 – 3 win . The Capitals were eventually defeated by Pittsburgh , the eventual Stanley Cup champions , in seven games . Ovechkin finished the 2009 playoffs with a post - season career - high 21 points in 14 games . He went on to win the Hart and Pearson Trophies for the second consecutive year , becoming the seventeenth player to win the Hart multiple times . Just over a month into the 2009 – 10 season , Ovechkin suffered an upper - body injury during a game against the Blue Jackets on November 1 , 2009 , after a collision with opposing forward Raffi Torres . After returning , Ovechkin was suspended by the NHL on December 1 for two games ( one for the action , and one for a second game misconduct penalty during the season ) for a knee - on - knee hit to Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Tim Gleason during a game the previous day . Both Gleason and Ovechkin had to be helped off the ice , although Gleason later returned during the game , while Ovechkin did not . Ovechkin was assessed a five - minute major penalty and a game misconduct at the time . Capitals Coach Bruce Boudreau commented that Ovechkin ' s style of play was at times " reckless " . The suspension was Ovechkin ' s first of his career , causing him to forfeit $ 98 , 844 . 16 in salary . On January 5 , 2010 , Ovechkin was named captain of the Washington Capitals after previous captain Chris Clark was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets . He became the first European , second youngest and 14th overall captain in team history . On February 5 , 2010 , at a game against the New York Rangers , Ovechkin , with his second goal and third point of the game , reached the 500 - point milestone of his NHL career . He is the fifth player to achieve the milestone in only five seasons , reaching it in 373 career games . On March 14 , 2010 , at a game against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center , Ovechkin sent Hawks defenseman Brian Campbell into the boards after Campbell had dumped the puck to the blue line . Ovechkin was called for boarding , receiving a 5 - minute major and a game misconduct , and was suspended for 2 games ( for a third game misconduct of the season , a 2 - game suspension is automatic ) . Campbell suffered a fractured clavicle and fractured rib , and was expected to be out 7 – 8 weeks . Ovechkin won the 2009 - 2010 Ted Lindsay Award , becoming only the second player to win the award in three consecutive years . . In 2009 - 2010 Ovechkin surpassed the mark of Montreal Canadiens Hall of Fame goaltender Bill Durnan ( first four seasons from 1943 - 44 through 1946 - 47 ) and became the first player in NHL history voted a First Team All - Star in each of his first five seasons . In 2011 , Ovechkin and the Capitals took part in the New Year ' s Day NHL Winter Classic , facing the Pittsburgh Penguins . Ovechkin did not score any points , but the Capitals won 3 – 1 . On 8 March 2011 , in a 5 – 0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers , Ovechkin recorded his 600th career point . On 5 April 2011 , Ovechkin scored his 300th career goal , becoming the sixth - youngest and seventh - fastest player to do so . On 12 December 2011 , Ovechkin registered his first NHL major fight against Brandon Dubinsky of the New York Rangers . On 23 January 2012 , Ovechkin received a three - game suspension for a hit on Zbynek Michalek of the Pittsburgh Penguins . The following day , Ovechkin announced he would not attend the 2012 NHL All - Star Game due to the suspension . Ovechkin ' s numbers dipped in the 2011 and 2012 seasons , but in the lockout - shortened 2013 season , he led the NHL in goal - scoring with 32 , earning him his third Rocket Richard Trophy . He combined his 32 goals with 24 assists , giving him 56 points , good for third most points in the League . He was also awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy for the third time in his career . Ovechkin only scored two points in a first round exit of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs against the New York Rangers , during which he played with a hairline fracture in his foot . After the 2013 season , Ovechkin made history by being named to both the 1st and 2nd NHL All - Star Teams due to a voting error ; he was voted the 1st All - Star Team ' s right wing and the 2nd All - Star Team ' s left wing . On 20 December 2013 , in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes , Ovechkin scored his 400th career goal . He became the sixth fastest player to ever reach that mark , getting it in 634 games , one less than Pavel Bure . At the conclusion of the 2013 - 14 season , Ovechkin had the strange distinction of winning the Rocket Richard Trophy , scoring 51 goals , while going −35 , one of the League ' s worst in the plus - minus stat . The Capitals , however , missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006 – 07 . On 4 November 2014 , in a game against the Calgary Flames , Ovechkin recorded his 826th point , a franchise record , surpassing Peter Bondra , who previously held the record with 825 points . The Flames , however , won the game 4 – 3 in overtime . On 31 March 2015 , in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes , Ovechkin scored his 50th goal of the year and became the sixth player in NHL history to have six 50 - goal seasons , joining Guy Lafleur , Mike Bossy , Wayne Gretzky , Marcel Dionne and Mario Lemieux . On 2 April , Ovechkin scored his 51st and 52nd goals of the season in a 5 – 4 shootout win versus the Montreal Canadiens , surpassing Bondra as the franchise leader in goals scored . It was also his 15th multi - goal game of the season , none of which were hat - tricks . During the 2015 - 16 NHL season season , in the second period of a game vs the Toronto Maple Leafs , Ovechkin scored his 8th goal of the season to tie Sergei Fedorov ' s tally for the most goals among Russian born players , with 483 . On 19 November 2015 , Ovechkin scored his ninth goal of the season in a 3 – 2 loss to the Dallas Stars ; that goal broke Fedorov ' s record . On 10 January 2016 , Ovechkin scored his 500th and 501st goals in a 7 – 1 victory over the Ottawa Senators , becoming the 43rd player to reach the 500 - goal plateau , and the fifth - fastest player to do so , as well as the first Russian . On 9 April 2016 , Ovechkin scored his 50th goal of the season and became the third player in NHL history to have seven or more 50 - goal seasons . During the 2015 - 16 season , Ovechkin , for the first time in his career , did not lead the Washington Capitals in points , although he still led the team in goals with 50 , and finished second on the team in points with 71 , behind fellow countryman Evgeny Kuznetsov , who finished with 77 . In the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs the Washington Capitals lost the series to the Pittsburgh Penguins in game 6 after a 4 – 3 overtime defeat . On 11 January 2017 , Ovechkin scored his 1 , 000th career point . Ovechkin is the 37th player in NHL history to reach 1 , 000 points with only one team . International play . At the age of 16 , Ovechkin helped lead the Junior National Team to the Gold medal with two hat tricks , one against Switzerland and one against USA , and an assist . At the age of 17 , when he was selected by Russian coach Viktor Tikhonov to play in the Česká Pojišťovna Cup EuroTour tournament , Ovechkin became the youngest skater ever to play for the Russian National Team . In that tournament he also became the youngest player ever to score for the National Team . He also was selected to play at the 2002 IIHF World U18 Championships , which he amassed 14 goals and 4 assists in 8 games , leading Russia to a Sliver medal . At the age of 18 , Alex Ovechkin was named Captain of the Junior Russian National Team . Russia finished 5th in the tournament . In 2003 , the team would go on to win a gold medal in the IIHF World U20 Championship . At the age of 19 , Ovechkin was named to the Russian National Team for the 2004 World Cup of Hockey . He was the youngest player in the tournament and he earned a silver medal . Also at the age of 19 , Alex Ovechkin was named Captain of the Junior National Team in the 2005 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships . The tournament , lasting from December 25 , 2004 , to January 4 , 2005 , was Ovechkin ' s third and last . At the end of the tournament he had collected 7 goals ( tied for tournament lead ) . His team received the silver medal after losing the gold medal game to Canada on January 4 , and Ovechkin was named the Best Forward of the tournament as well as selected to the tournament All - Star Team . In 2005 Ovechkin played in his first IIHF men ' s World Championships . He scored five goals and three assists , landing eighth in the top scorers list and sharing third place in goal scoring . In 2006 , Ovechkin played in his first Winter Olympic Games . Although Russia came away from the games without a medal , Ovechkin scored 5 goals in the tournament , including the game - winner against Canada ' s Martin Brodeur , eliminating Canada from the tournament . Ovechkin was the only player not on the Swedish ( Gold ) or Finnish ( Silver ) teams to be named to the all - tournament team . At the 2006 IIHF World Championships , Ovechkin scored six goals and three assists ( nine points ) in seven games before Russia lost 4 - 3 to the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals . For his efforts , Ovechkin was one of six players selected to the Media All - Star Team . At the 2008 IIHF World Championships , Ovechkin helped lead Russia to the gold medal by finishing with 12 points ( six goals , six assists ) in nine games . He was selected to the Media All - Star Team for the second time in five tournament appearances . In the 2010 Winter Olympics , Ovechkin and Team Russia were one of the favourites to win the Gold Medal . Despite high expectations , Russia lost to Canada 7 - 3 in the quarterfinals and Ovechkin failed to perform up to his ability . After being eliminated in the first round of the NHL playoffs , Ovechkin joined Team Russia for the 2010 IIHF World Championships along with many other Russian stars , such as Malkin , Datsyuk , and Kovalchuk . Despite being heavily favoured to win the tournament , Russia lost to the Czech Republic in the finals . This loss ended a disappointing year for Ovechkin on the international stage . Ovechkin also joined the Russian team for the 2011 IIHF World Championships after the Capitals were eliminated from the NHL playoffs . He played in five games for the Russian team , but did not manage to score any points , the first time he failed to score any points in a World Championship tournament . Ovechkin played in Russia ' s last three games of the 2012 IIHF World Championships . He recorded two goals and two assists as Russia won the tournament . Ovechkin also represented Russia in the 2013 IIHF World Championship . He joined the national team after Capitals were eliminated from 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs . Russia had already advanced to the first playoff round where they faced the U . S . The Americans defeated Russia 8 – 3 , eliminating them from the tournament . Ovechkin participated in the 2014 IIHF World Championship . Russia won gold . He also joined the Russian team late in the 2015 IIHF World Championship , where Russia won the silver medal . Off the ice . The day after he received his first Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP , he was given the key to the city by Washington mayor Adrian M . Fenty for being the first Washington MVP winner in a major sport since Joe Theismann of the Washington Redskins in 1983 . On June 11 , 2008 , Ovechkin also launched his own line of designer streetwear with CCM . Ovechkin was reportedly involved in a feud with Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin , who was drafted second behind Ovechkin in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft . Though the two were reported to be good friends when they roomed together during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino , Italy , this friendship quickly cooled . There is no definitive information on what caused the feud , but the most popular theory is that it began in August 2007 , when Ovechkin supposedly punched Malkin ' s Russian agent , Gennady Ushakov , at a Moscow nightclub . Ovechkin has denied that version of events , while Malkin confirmed it , although he was not certain whether this was the precipitating event to the feud . The most notorious event took place on January 21 , 2008 in Pittsburgh , when Ovechkin took a run at Malkin , which would have seemingly resulted in a devastating hit had Malkin not ducked out of the way just in time . The two would also not make eye contact at the 2008 NHL Awards Ceremony . Despite these incidents , Ovechkin has repeatedly denied " having it out " for Malkin . 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 also makes 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 laughed it off , noting particularly that " Don Cherry was going to be ticked off " . 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 During the 2010 – 11 season , Ovechkin has been featured in one of ESPN ' s " This is SportsCenter " commercials , in which he laughed off a question by ESPN personality Steve Levy accusing him of being a Russian spy before being pulled upward by a line through an open ceiling tile by countryman and then - Capitals teammate Semyon Varlamov . In August 2011 , Ovechkin ' s agent made an announcement that he would no longer be endorsed by CCM and had made the move to Bauer Hockey . This was a major move in Ovechkin ' s career , as he had used CCM most of his career . As his point production went down in the 2010 – 11 season , he made the decision to switch to Bauer . His current equipment includes a Bauer Supreme 1S stick , Bauer Vapor APX2 Pro gloves , Bauer Re - Akt Helmet and Bauer Vapor 1X skates . Ovechkin is a dedicated car enthusiast , owning many fine automobiles , such as a Mercedes - Benz SL65 AMG Black Series and a custom Mercedes S63 AMG . At the 2015 NHL All Star game , Ovechkin lobbied Honda for a new car , and brought an element of fun silliness to the " draft " where he was chosen third to last ; the last two players selected , Ryan Nugent - Hopkins and Filip Forsberg , each received a new car , but Ovechkin would not give up . When Honda representatives asked his agent why he wanted a car so badly , they were told that he planned to donate it to the American Special Hockey Association , and at the end of the event , he was handed the keys to a new Honda Accord . That Accord will be auctioned off , and the proceeds used to benefit the charity Ovechkin highlighted and brought attention to with his antics . Ovechkin was formerly engaged to tennis player Maria Kirilenko . On 21 July 2014 , Kirilenko announced that the wedding was called off and that two were no longer seeing each other . On 11 September 2015 , Ovechkin announced via Instagram his engagement to Nastya Shubskaya , whom he subsequently married .