After celebrating on the ice at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Ovechkin
took the Stanley Cup on the ultimate tour of Washington, D.C. The
125-year-old trophy (the oldest in all American pro sports) that was
commissioned by Lord Stanley of Preston and made in Sheffield,
England, has now seen more of the D.C.-area than most tourists! It
spent a night at Don Tito in Arlington, went to the Nationals game
when Ovechkin threw out the first pitch, was transformed into a keg
stand in Georgetown, met first daughter Ivanka Trump, had dinner
at iconic Italian restaurant Cafe Milano, and got to celebrate with
thousands of fans in the Capitals championship parade. Then the Cup
went global, traveling to Russia with Ovechkin for the World Cup.
“All the moments were something special, I can’t say which was the
best, but I think when we celebrated with the fans at the parade, that
was probably something I’ll never forget,” Ovechkin told #FlyWashington
magazine of the post-championship festivities. “You know we have fun,
the fans have fun, and all the city was crazy about it.”
Ovechkin’s first Stanley Cup of his 13-year NHL career also marked the
first championship for the Washington Capitals, which has turned him
into a local hero in our nation’s capital. He even acted as honorary
captain for the Washington Redskins home opener in September to
pass on some of his good luck to the NFL team that’s not won a Super
Bowl since 1991.
Since the Capitals victory, Ovechkin said that he hopes the tide has
turned for all Washington sports franchises. “I think the Redskins have
a really good team. We always support them, I’m a true Redskins fan.
I wish them luck and I hope they will be good in the season — they
are going to be good in the playoffs as well,” he predicted. “That’s the
most important thing. You have to get into the playoffs, and you never
know what’s going to happen there.”
Born and raised in Moscow, Ovechkin has lived in two of the world’s
most famous capitals but says Washington, D.C. and Moscow are
totally different cities. “I would say this is my second home and my
first home is Moscow, which is almost like New York. Everybody is
running somewhere and there are lots of people, here it is more quiet
and more calm.”
Ovechkin grew up in a tough neighborhood on the outskirts of
Moscow where career prospects were limited. “You did what you
had to do,” Ovechkin told GQ magazine in 2010. Fortunately, he found
hockey at an early age and spent his youth getting up at dawn to head
to the rink. The sport got him through a number of personal tragedies
including the death of his brother at 17, and Ovechkin went on to
become the youngest-ever member of Russia’s national team. He set
his sights on the NHL and in 2004 became the first number one draft
pick from HC Dynamo Moscow since the fall of the USSR.
On October 4, 2005 (after being delayed a year by the lockout)
Ovechkin took to the ice at the Capital One Arena and scored two goals
in his dazzling debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He went on to
win 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. And the rest, as they say, is history. Ovechkin
has since scored over 600 goals, broken countless league records and
played in the NHL All-Star game seven times.
He’s also found success in his personal life. In August 2016, Ovechkin
married Nastya Shubskaya, the daughter of actress/director Vera
Glagoleva, in a small, private wedding in Russia. He announced the
nuptials in an Instagram post with the caption: “This is happiness.” The
couple added to that happiness this summer when they welcomed
son Sergei Aleksandrovich Ovechkin (named after Alex’s late
brother) on August 18.
Ovechkin called the birth of his son and winning the Stanley Cup in the
same year “the two biggest moments in my life,” but said becoming a
father had the most impact on him. “That was something special. The
most important thing he is healthy and happy, it’s very good.”
It’s also had a positive effect on his mindset going into the season.
“I think for me, I just have to do the same thing. Play hard and be a
good example. If I’m on the ice, I have to do something that’s a great
moment for me and for my linemates,” he said.
Ovechkin spends many weekends over the summer at his family’s
country home 90 minutes from downtown Moscow, but in the
season he lives in McLean, Virginia, where mementos from his career
fill the basement. He is also an avid car collector and said: “I think
my favorite car is in Moscow, it’s a Mercedes G Wagon G65. That’s
probably the best car I have.”
When he’s not going back to his homeland, however, Ovechkin likes to
travel and one of his top destinations is South Florida. “When we have
a schedule with a day off, I always fly to Miami. It’s got great weather,
good food and is an unbelievable place,” he told #FlyWashington.
“
I think for me, I just have to do
the same thing. Play hard and
be a good example . . .
”
Cities north of the border are also on his list. “I like Montreal. I like
Vancouver, L.A. and New York, but not Buffalo,” he laughed (except
when the Capitals play the Sabres, of course).
Rather than seeking out excitement when he travels with the team,
Ovechkin appreciates the downtime. “When we go to a city, I like to
relax because we are professional athletes,” he said. “Sometimes you
go to a hotel, you take a nap, then maybe you go walk to a restaurant
and that’s it.”
“If I’m on vacation, I like to do some stuff with my family. I don’t like
lots of walking but sometimes you have to do it,” he added.
With the NHL season stretching from October to June, Ovechkin
spends a lot of his time in the D.C.-area throughout the year and
often hosts out-of-town guests. Aside from dining at the slew of
great restaurants — “steakhouses, sushi, hibachi” — he likes to show
visitors his workplace.
“They come to the arena to watch us practice,” he said, before
showing them more conventional tourist spots. “We go to the White
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