Alex Ovechkin
Ovchkin's parents were former perfessional athletes. His mother was a two-time Olympic gold medalist (1976, 1980) as a member of the Soviet women’s national basketball team, and his father was a professional football (soccer) player.
Ovechkin’s impressive athletic lineage was evident early in his life, as he played at the highest level of Russian professional hockey at age 16 and was the standout forward for the national junior hockey team by age 17.
Young Alex Ovechkin
- He moved with his family to the outskirts of Moscow, making a home in a tall high-rise building that was surrounded by a crumbling neighborhood
- To escape his surroundings and strict public school, Ovechkin turned to hockey, pouring everything he had into the sport.
- By the age of 16, Ovechkin had begun playing with the Moscow Dynamo, a pro Russian team.
- Ovechkin soon earned the praise of NHL scouts. As his game took off, his confidence soared. At the 2002 Under-18 World Championships in Slovakia, the young forward led the tournament with 14 goals in just eight games.
|