Alexander the Great

The 2005-2006 NHL, season was supposed to be the year of "Sid the Kid." The 18-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby was christened the next Wayne Gretzky, a once-in-a-lifetime talent. But out of the same rookie pool emerged an even flashier talent, the kind of guy who can take on three defenders and a goalie at the same time and succeed. ALEXANDER OVECHKIN, the young Washington Capitals winger, took the league by storm and beat out Crosby (a slat in his own right) for the Rookie of the Year award. But it isn't getting personal accolades that drives this young Russian superstar; it's his genuine love of the game.

FROM RUSSIA WITH SKILL

The NHL's brightest young talent is a natural-born scorer. "I'm just excited to play for the team and try to win games," Ovechkin says about his career.

Tracing the rising star's athletic gifts to their source is as easy as glancing at the family tree. His mother, Tatiana, won two Olympic gold medals while competing with the Soviet basketball team. His father, Mikhail, played professional soccer for the Moscow Dynamo. But it was his older brother Sergei who saw Alexander's gift for hockey and enrolled him in the Dynamo sports school.

At age 16, Ovechkin started skating for the Dynamo in the Russian Super League, the best hockey league in Russia and one of the richest talent pipelines in the world. A year later, he became the youngest player to compete on the Russian national team. Another year, another landmark: At 18, Ovechkin became the youngest team member to lead the great Dynamo franchise in scoring. Now the skater who grew up idolizing Russian greats like Igor Larionov and Pavel Bure found himself following in their footsteps to the NHL.

COMING TO AMERICA

In the 2004 draft, Ovechkin was the Washington Capitals' No. 1 pick--he and young star Ilya Kovalchuk of the Atlanta Thrashers were the only Russians in NHL history to be taken first overall. But his meteoric rise would take a detour when the NHLPA couldn't come to an agreement with the owners and the league's infamous one-season lockout ensued.

Once the NHL returned to the ice, though, it didn't take long for the rookie to hit his stride, scoring 10 points in his first eight games. The sports world took notice with his amazing score against the Phoenix Coyotes last January, simply known as "The Goal." While sliding on his back at full speed with his stick over his head, Ovechkin somehow managed to corral the puck and shoot it past the stunned goaltender.

"That was pretty nice," Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky remarked at the time--someone who knows a thing or two about scoring awe-inspiring goals.

Ovechkin credited his organization with his fast assimilation. "My team, my coaches, my trainers, and the owners help me a lot," he says. "I feel no pressure, and I feel like I'm at home in Washington."

By the end of the season, the 21-year-old winger had tallied 52 goals and 106 points, placing him third all time among NHL rookies. His rare combination of speed, stick-handling skills, and shooting accuracy earned him the Calder Memorial trophy for Rookie of the Year. And that talent has also earned him great marketing opportunities, including the honor of being named the new cover athlete for EA Sports' NHL 2007 video game.

QUEST FOR THE CUP

This season, Ovechkin says he's excited just to hit the ice with his team and make a run for the playoffs. And when it comes to his homeland, he says the country isn't finished delivering phenomenal young hockey players to the NHL.

"I think Evgeni Malkin of the Penguins will come over from Russia this year, and he'll be one of the best players in the NHL," Ovechkin says. "I think that a lot of players are going to be coming into the league with the same type of game as me and Kovalchuk."

As for his goals, the Stanley Cup ranks first and foremost. Should Washington make an improbable run and shock the world, he knows exactly what he would do with the cup: "I'd take it to Moscow and show it to my friends on the Dynamo team".

pros pick

NHL 2007

(PC, PSP, PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360)

With an entirely new controller layout that takes advantage of the dual analog sticks, you can finally get your inner Gretzky on, decking goalies and handling the puck like never before, Lead your team to the Stanley Cup in the game's dynasty mode or head online to take on your rivals directly. For a chance to win a copy signed by cover athlete Alexander Ovechkin himself, send an email to sportszone@mensfitness.com and tell us, in 20 words or less, why you love the game of hockey.

COPYRIGHT 2006 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning