Alex Ovechkin First Pick

Lore & Background

Ovechkin began his professional career with Dynamo Moscow of the Russian Superleague in 2001, playing there for four seasons. Ovechkin was selected by the Capitals first overall in the 2004 NHL entry draft. In the 2005–06 season, Ovechkin captured the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year and finished third overall in league scoring. He has won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the NHL's leading goal scorer a record nine times and been runner-up once.

He holds the NHL record for most 40-goal seasons with fourteen, and shares with Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky the record for most 50-goal campaigns with nine. He is the only player to have tallied 200 or more goals in three different decades, with 245 in the 2000s, 437 in the 2010s, and 247 in the 2020s. He also holds multiple other NHL records, including the most power play goals, most goals in away games, most overtime goals, most game-winning goals, most individual goalies scored upon, and most goals with one team.

He has won the Hart Memorial Trophy for most valuable player three times (in 2008, 2009, and 2013) while also being a finalist two other times (2010 and 2015), and the award for best player as voted on by the National Hockey League Players' Association three times (2008, 2009, and 2010) while also being a finalist two other times (2013 and 2015). In 2018, the Capitals won the Stanley Cup for the first time, and Ovechkin was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for most valuable player in the 2018 playoffs.

He has also been named to the NHL first All-Star team eight times, and the second All-Star team four times. In 2017, Ovechkin was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players of all time.

Reader's Guide

Ovechkin was born on 17 September 1985 in Moscow, the son of Soviet athletes. His mother, Tatyana Ovechkina, is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (1976, 1980) and world champion (1975) in basketball. His father, Mikhail, was a soccer player. His favorite NHL team growing up was the San Jose Sharks and also was the first NHL jersey he received.

He was two years old when he first picked up a hockey stick. In early childhood, he moved with his family to a high-rise building surrounded by a "crumbling neighborhood" on the outskirts of Moscow. There he attended public school No. 596, completing eight and a half grades before starting at Dynamo Moscow's sports school. When Ovechkin was 10, his elder brother Sergei died of a blood clot following a car accident.

Ovechkin credits his elder brother Sergei for introducing him to hockey and encouraging him to pursue it. When he scores, Ovechkin will often kiss his glove and point to the sky in a salute to his brother. Ovechkin established his reputation within the Dynamo Moscow system by scoring 56 goals at the age of 11, surpassing the previous record held by Pavel Bure, who had scored 53 goals. Ovechkin dreamed of playing in the NHL, keeping the cards of star players stashed in his room, especially those of his idol, Mario Lemieux.

He began playing in the Russian Super League (RSL) for 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 prior to being drafted into the NHL, and he would rack up 36 goals and 32 assists in 152 career games. Ovechkin was selected first overall in the 2004 NHL entry draft by the Washington Capitals.

Due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Ovechkin remained with Dynamo for one more season. In the playoffs, he helped Dynamo win the RSL title. Ovechkin signed a contract with rival Russian team Avangard Omsk, but opted out and signed with the Capitals on 5 August 2005. The deal was a three-year, entry-level contract worth the rookie maximum of $984,200 per season with performance-based bonuses.

Two days after signing, the lockout ended with a new CBA. Ovechkin played his first game with the Capitals in the 2005–06 season opener on 5 October 2005, scoring two goals against goalie Pascal Leclaire in a 3–2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.