Alexander Ovechkin: the world sports star
The hockey player Alexander Ovechkin was born in 1985 in Moscow. He was the third child in the family; his elder brothers were 13 and 15 years old at that time. His mother, a basketball player Tatyana Ovechkina, was a defender of the USSR national team. She became a two-time Olympic champion, a World champion and a sixtime European champion. His father, Mikhail Ovechkin, was a football player, who played for Dynamo Moscow.
“My father was an athlete and my mother was a great athlete, so how could I not become an athlete?” Alexander noted
These days any match of the regular season of the NHL (National Hockey League) with the participation of Alexander Ovechkin is not considered an ordinary one. Hockey fans enthusiastically watch the Russian’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s goal scoring record.
The “Washington Capitals” captain Alexander Ovechkin continues to make NHL history. He has no rivals among European hockey players. Only the great North Americans Gordie Howe (801 goals) and Wayne Gretzky (894 goals) are ahead of him. Ovechkin is the best European scorer in NHL history. Gordie Howe’s rate should fall as early as next season.
And concerning the leadership, if the 36-year-old hockey player continues by some miracle to maintain his current pace, he will be able to overtake Gretzky in 2024. North American fans, in this difficult time, continue to admire the “Washington Capitals” captain.
Sport24 collected their comments from Twitter: “Ovechkin is simply the best. What a pleasure to see him play hockey!” “Alex Ovechkin got hit in the face with a stick and immediately scored. If I had been hit with a high stick, I would have been broken down for three days.” “When Ovechkin retires in 20 years, the NHL should retire number 8 as well, as it did with number 99.” (number 99 belonged to the legendary Wayne Gretzky).
“Ovechkin is a living legend.”
“The best players I have had the privilege of watching live in my life were Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby and Ovechkin! Watching the way Ovechkin plays, I was sure that his longevity would be a problem, but I was wrong. The best sniper of them all.”
In a recent press conference, “Washington Capitals” general manager Brian McLellan said correctly that Ovechkin is “The most notable Russian athlete who supported Vladimir Putin. And now the Capitals captain is facing relentless pressure from all sides.”
Let us call things by their proper names: it all looks like massive persecution. Yes, Washington still holds the line around their favorite, thanks to which they make a lot of money selling sweaters and sports paraphernalia. But this stronghold may also fall under public pressure. All the more Ovechkin is closer to breaking the all-time NHL goalscoring record held by Wayne Gretzky. And do they really want in Canada that a Russian hockey player, even with such a political orientation, would become the best of the best in North America?
Therefore, one should not be surprised if Ovechkin will be pushed to go to Russia, and that next season we may see him playing for Dynamo Moscow. However, who will benefit from this?
I guess only Russian fans. Because for North America Ovechkin is not only the face of Washington, but of the entire NHL as well. “Washington” striker TJ Oshi spoke about the relations with his teammate Alexander Ovechkin.
“It is nice to be around him, see all these moments and be a part of these achievements. I constantly tell Ovechkin that I will brag to my grandchildren that I played with the Great Eight. It may be a joke, but it is true. It is a great honour for me to be next to Ovechkin while he outscores the hockey legends one by one”, the official NHL website quoted Oshi as saying.
RUSLAN TULYAKOV
