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In honor of our 8th anniversary, we have chosen to feature one of our favorite players to have worn the number 8.
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Born on September 17, 1985, Alexander Ovechkin was born into an athletic family, as his mother Tatyana Ovechkina won two Olympic gold medal in women's basketball at the 1976 and 1980 Olympics. When he was just two years old, he grabbed a hockey stick in a toy store and refused to let go, giving his parents an early sign of what was to come. He would also drop all his toys and come running if a hockey game ever appeared on the family TV, protesting if the channel were ever to be changed.
Ovechkin showed a love of hockey from a very young age
He enrolled in hockey school at the age of eight and by 16, he was playing for Dynamo Moscow in the Russian Superleague. In the 2001-02 season, Ovechkin gave little insight for what was to come by scoring just 2 goals and 2 assists in 22 games played. However, playing among his peers was an entirely different story, as he utterly dominated the 2002 World U18 Junior Championships with a tournament leading 14 goals and 18 points in 8 games played as Russia finished with the silver medal, the first of many international medals for the tremendously proud Russian.
In 40 games with Dynamo in 2002-03, he scored 8 goals and 15 points. Additionally, he played in both the U18 World Juniors (9 goals, 13 points, bronze medal) and made his IIHF U20 World Junior Championships debut at age 17, impressing with 6 goals and an assist in 6 games as the Russians defeated the host Canadians for his first gold medal. Ovechkin led both tournaments with the most goals scored.
A young Ovechkin during the 2002-03 season
His confidence continued to grow with Dynamo playing with players still much older than the 18 year old, and in 2003-04, he scored 13 goals and 24 points in 53 games. He also had a very busy international season, playing in the Euro Hockey Tour (6 points in 8 games), the World Juniors (5 goals and 7 points in 6 games) and made his senior level debut at the World Championships, scoring a goal and an assist in 6 games.
Ovechkin with Dynamo Moscow
Following the season, Ovechkin was drafted first overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, thanks to the Capitals moving up from third to first in the NHL Draft Lottery, passing both the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins. Ovechkin had been projected as the first overall pick for two years prior to the 2004 draft. In fact, the Florida Panthers attempted to select Ovechkin during the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, despite the fact he was born two days late to be eligible for that year's draft, but the Panthers unsuccessfully claimed that because of the number of Leap Days he had lived, he should have been eligible!
The Capitals chose Ovechkin first overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft
The public was now anxious to see this projected star in action now that he had been drafted, and their first opportunity came later that fall when Ovechkin played in 2 games of the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, scoring once while still just 18 years old.
Ovechkin during the 2004 World Cup of Hockey
His NHL debut would have to wait, however, as the 2004-05 NHL season was cancelled due to the NHL lockout, ensuring that Ovechkin would return to Dynamo for a fourth season. In 37 games, he scored 13 goals and 26 points while being limited to 37 games.
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Today's first featured jersey is a 2004-05 Dynamo Moscow Alexander Ovechkin jersey worn during his final season of play in Russia before coming to the NHL. Dynamo would win the 2005 Russian Superleague title that season. If it were not for the NHL lockout which cancelled the 2004-05 NHL season, Ovechkin would have most assuredly been in the NHL that season.
Dynamo would only wear this style one season, as would change jersey styles every season during that time period.
Dynamo would only wear this style one season, as would change jersey styles every season during that time period.
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The reason for his curtailed regular season with Dynamo was a shoulder injury suffered during the gold medal game of the 2005 World Juniors, a tournament billed as one of the finest World Juniors ever due to the presence of a number of players who would have ordinarily been playing in the NHL if the season had not been cancelled.
Note Ovechkin wearing a mirrored visor to hide his eyes from defenders
Ovechkin finished with 7 goals and 11 points in 6 games, third in tournament scoring behind Patrice Bergeron (who already had a full season of play in the NHL with the Boston Bruins) with 13 points and Ryan Getzlaf (12 points), robbed of a chance to add any more points to his total by his early exit in the championship game due to his shoulder injury.
Evgeni Malkin consoles a distraught Ovechkin following the Russian loss in the finals, a game where Ovechkin was knocked out early with an injury
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Today's second featured jersey is a 2005 Russia National Team Alexander Ovechkin jersey worn during the 2005 World Junior Championships in Grand Forks, North Dakota. This style was first worn by Russia back in 2000 and continued to be worn through the 2005 World Junior Championships, which included a silver medal at the 2002 World Championships and gold medals at the 2002 and 2003 World Juniors while wearing this style.
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Ovechkin was healed in time for the Superleague playoffs and contributed 2 goals and 6 points as Dynamo rolled through the bracket, winning 9 games and losing only 1 on their way to the 2005 RSL championship.
Dynamo Moscow celebrating their 2005 championship
After the conclusion of the domestic season, he suited up for Russia once again, this time at the World Championships in Austria, scoring 5 goals and 8 points in 8 games while earning a bronze medal as the Russian's leading scorer.
Ovechkin at the 2005 Worlds wearing a one year only jersey style
Ovechkin at the 2005 Worlds wearing a one year only jersey style
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Today's third jersey is a 2005 Russia National Team Alexander Ovechkin jersey as worn during the 2005 World Championships when Russia won a bronze medal.
In 2005 Nike made highly effective and somewhat overdue updates to all the team's jerseys for the 2005 World Championships and then immediately dropped all of them for the 2006 Olympics when they introduced the new Nike Swift jerseys, giving this gorgeous style an all too short lifespan and making it an exceedingly rare style to find.
In 2005 Nike made highly effective and somewhat overdue updates to all the team's jerseys for the 2005 World Championships and then immediately dropped all of them for the 2006 Olympics when they introduced the new Nike Swift jerseys, giving this gorgeous style an all too short lifespan and making it an exceedingly rare style to find.
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During the summer, Ovechkin signed a contract with the Capitals and, with the labor issues resolved just two days later, he made his NHL debut on October 5, 2005, introducing himself to the league with 2 goals against the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 3-2 Washington win.
His first hat trick game on January 13th and three days later he was all over the sports highlights for scoring a goal while sliding on his back while facing away from the net after being knocked down on a rush, a play that is now simply referred to as "The Goal".
Dainius Zubrus and Ovechkin just prior to the start of his first NHL game as
evidenced by the NHL Cares/Katrina patch worn during only the first period
evidenced by the NHL Cares/Katrina patch worn during only the first period
His first hat trick game on January 13th and three days later he was all over the sports highlights for scoring a goal while sliding on his back while facing away from the net after being knocked down on a rush, a play that is now simply referred to as "The Goal".
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Today's fourth featured jersey is a 2005-06 Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin jersey as worn during just the first period of his NHL debut when all players worn the NHL Cares/Katrina patch. The game worn jerseys were then auctioned off to raise funds for the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund with Ovechkin's selling for $6,710.
After changing away from their original red, white and blue jerseys, the Capitals introduced an entirely new look for the 1995-96 season with new logos and a new blue, copper and black color palatte. Two seasons later they would debut a new black alternate jersey for the 1997-98 season, which was then promoted to their primary road jersey in 2000-01. It would remain in use through the 2006-07 season.
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He continued scoring at a furious rate, particularly as a rookie, and ended up third overall in goals and points with 52 goals and 106 points, all of which earned him the Calder Trophy as the NHL Rookie of the Year. His 106 points were 49 more than teammate Dainius Zubrus' 57!
During the NHL season, Ovechkin made his Olympic debut as a member of the Russian team at the 2006 Games in Torino, Italy. In 8 games, he scored 5 times. With Washington failing to make the playoffs, he was able to play for Russia once again, this time at the World Championships in Latvia, scoring 6 goals and 9 points in 7 games to lead the team in scoring.
Ovechkin during the 2006 Olympics in the new Nike Swift jersey
For the 2006-07, the dynamic fan favorite was named as one of the Capitals assistant captains at the age of 20. He again led the Capitals in scoring thanks to 46 goals and an equal 46 assists. His 92 points were 19 more than fellow countryman Alexander Semin. He also played in his first NHL All-Star Game that season, scoring one goal. With the Capitals out of the playoffs, Ovechkin returned to Russia for the 2007 World Championships, but a 2-1 loss in Finland in the Semifinals limited the host Russians to the bronze medal, Ovechkin's second at the World Championships.
Ovechkin has also participated in games of the Euro Hockey Tour, a competition open to Russia, Finland, Sweden and the Czech Republic that is used as preparation for the upcoming World Championships or Olympics. Each country hosts a tournament during during the season in which each team plays three games for a total of 12 games per team. The winning nation is then determined by the points gained in each tournament.
Ovechkin appeared in the Euro Hockey Tour prior to coming to the NHL in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 and two more times as his schedule has allowed, such as the 2012-13 season when the NHL season was delayed by labor problems. Sometimes it is for as little as one game, and never more than eight.
Ovechkin during the 2012 Euro Hockey Tour
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Today's fifth featured jersey is a 2007-08 Russia National Team Alexander Ovechkin jersey as worn during the Euro Hockey Tour. The jerseys worn during the Euro Hockey Tour often differ from those worn during IIHF tournaments and can be counted on to have many sponsorship logos throughout.
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Ovechkin terrorized goaltenders league wide during the 2007-08 NHL season, scoring 65 times to win the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL's leading goal scorer. His final point total of 112, thanks to 47 assists, earned him the Art Ross Trophy as the leading point getter. His trophy case was also enriched with both the Hart Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player as voted by the hockey writers and the Pearson Award for being voted Most Outstanding Player by the players union. He was the first player to ever win all four trophies in one season since the Richard Trophy was instituted in 1999. Additionally, he was named the recipient of the Kharlamov Trophy as the best Russian NHLer for the third season in a row as voted by fellow Russians in the NHL. He also appeared in his second NHL All-Star Game, scoring twice.
Today's sixth featured jersey is a 2007-08 Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin jersey as worn during the season when Ovechkin led the NHL in goals and points and was named the league's Most Valuable Player and Most Outstanding Player as well as the Best Russian in the NHL.
2007-08 was the first season for the new Capitals Reebok Edge jersey which remains in use now ten seasons later. Ovechkin wore this style for two and a half seasons with the assistant captain's A before being named team captain during the 2009-10 season.
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2007-08 was the first season for the new Capitals Reebok Edge jersey which remains in use now ten seasons later. Ovechkin wore this style for two and a half seasons with the assistant captain's A before being named team captain during the 2009-10 season.
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That season, the Capitals would return to the playoffs for the first time in four seasons, but lose in overtime of Game 7 in the first round. Washington's early exit from the playoffs would see Ovechkin make himself available to the Russian National Team for the World Championships in Canada, where he not only led the team in scoring with 6 goals and 12 points in 9 games, but assisted on Ilya Kovalchuk's overtime game winner to earn his first World Championship gold medal over host Canada.
Ovechkin in the Russia's 2008 throwback 1956 Soviet Union jersey
Ovechkin holding the World Championship trophy for the first time
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Today's seventh featured jersey is a 2008 Russia National Team Alexander Ovechkin jersey as worn during the 2008 World Championships when Russia won the first gold medal of Ovechkin's World Championship career.
This was the first Nike Swift style jersey for Russia and was worn starting at the 2006 Olympics through the 2008 World Championships.
This was the first Nike Swift style jersey for Russia and was worn starting at the 2006 Olympics through the 2008 World Championships.
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The 2008-09 season again saw him win the Rocket Richard Trophy with a league leading 56 goals, only the second player to win the Richard Trophy in back-to-back seasons after Russian Pavel Bure. His 110 points were second in the league, just 3 back of the leader and fellow Russian Evgeni Malkin, who was drafted second behind Ovechkin in 2004. He would also win his second Hart Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award, which was the new name for the Pearson Award. The Capitals were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs, but not until Ovechkin had scored 11 goals and 21 points in 14 games.
Ovechkin once again led the NHL in goals scored with 50, his third consecutive season with 50 goals or more and his third straight Rocket Richard Trophy. Ovechkin was named as the Capitals new captain on January 5, 2010 after the previous one had been traded away. A month later, on February 5th, he reached the 500 point mark, only the fifth player to reach that milestone in his fifth season, doing so in 373 games. He played in his third NHL All-Star Game that year, scoring once with a pair of assists. At the conclusion of the season, he became the first player voted as a First Team All-Star in each of his first five seasons and was voted the recipient of the Lindsay Award for the second time.
Also during the 2009-10 season, Ovechkin returned to the Olympics in Vancouver as an assistant captain of the Russian team, scoring 2 goals and 4 points in 4 games. Following the Capitals playoffs, he won a silver medal at the 2010 World Championships in Germany after coming up a goal short in the gold medal game. He would tie for second in goals with 5 in 9 games played.
He would lead the Capitals in scoring by 20 points with 32 goals and 85 points and score another 10 points in 9 playoff games in 2010-11. That season he also played in his fourth NHL All-Star Game, scoring a goal and an assist. With Washington eliminated in the second round of the NHL playoffs, he joined Russia at the 2010 Worlds in time to play in five games.
Ovechkin at the 2010 World Championships
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Today's eighth featured jersey is a 2010-11 Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin 2011 NHL Winter Classic jersey, as worn when the Capitals met the Penguins outdoors.
The Capitals would then make this throwback jersey their new alternate jersey for the next four seasons until replacing it with the red version of the same style for the 2015-16 season.
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The 2011-12 season saw Ovechkin score 38 goals and 65 points with an additional 9 points in 14 playoff games.
On October 11, 2011, the Penguins and Capitals, led by the most prominent Russian stars in the NHL, Malkin and Ovechkin, combined in a joint effort to raise funds to benefit the families of the victims of the Yaroslavl Lokomotiv disaster, the tragic plane crash on September 7, 2011 which claimed the lives of the entire Lokomotiv roster of 26 players and 11 members of the team's coaches staff as they were on their way to their opening game of the season.
The desire to do honor the victims and support their survivors led to both teams wearing a Lokomotiv patch for their first meeting of the season, with the jerseys then signed and auctioned off following the game.
presiding over the ceremonial opening faceoff on October 11th
"I think it's America showing respect, respecting the memories of the guys who were in the plane crash and for Russians, " Ovechkin said. "It means a lot. It's nice of both organizations and the NHL to do that."
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Today's ninth featured jersey is a 2011-12 Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin "Lokomotiv" jersey, as worn in the Capitals game against the Penguins on October 11, 2011. Ovechkin would score his first goal of the season that night as Washington won in overtime.
Ovechkin's captain's jersey raised the most money in the charity auction following the game, selling for a high bid of $5501 with teammate and fellow Russian Semin reaching $3,124 next among the Capitals.
Washington debuted this style in the 2007-08 season when Reebok became the new supplier of jerseys to the NHL. This style remains in use today, ten seasons later.
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With time the Playoff Round still remaining at the World Championships in Sweden, he made a dash to Europe to join Russia for their final three games, wins over Norway, Finland and Slovakia by a combined score of 17-6 to earn a second World Championship gold medal as Ovechkin scored 2 goals in 3 games as well as 2 assists in the gold medal game.
Ovechkin showing his 2012 World Championship gold medal
With the start of the 2012-13 season delayed by labor problems once again, Ovechkin returned to Russia to play for Dynamo Moscow. He was there for 31 games, with 19 goals and 40 points, enough to lead the team in scoring despite missing the final 21 games of the schedule!
Ovechkin led Dynamo in scoring despite only playing 31 games
When the NHL season finally began in January, Ovechkin returned to the Capitals and won his third Rocket Richard Trophy as he led the league in goals with 32 in 48 games. That season he was named the Hart Trophy winner as the league MVP for the third time. Oddly, Ovechkin was named as a First Team All-Star as a right wing, and as a Second Team All-Star as a left wing!
Ovechkin led the NHL in goals for the third time in 2012-13
With the Capitals out of the playoffs after the first round, Ovechkin once again dashed back to Europe for a chance to help Russia at the World Championships, only to have Russia eliminated in the Quarterfinals of the Playoff Round in his only game of the tournament. He did have a goal and an assist on 2 of the 3 Russian goals that game.
The 2013-14 season saw him lead the NHL in goals for the second consecutive season with 51 goals, 8 more than his next closest pursuer. His final point total on the season was 79.
He once again pulled double duty for Russia, playing in his third Olympics, this one hosted by Russia in Sochi. As the team's assistant captain, Ovechkin had a goal and an assist in 5 games.
Ovechkin in the Olympics only style Russian home jersey
With the Capitals not making the NHL postseason, he was free for World Championship duty yet again. Serving as team captain at the Worlds for the first time, he had a fine tournament, scoring 4 goals and 11 points in 9 games, including scoring a goal in Russia's 5-2 win over Finland to earn him his third World Championship gold medal.
Ovechkin celebrates his third World Championship in 2014
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Today's tenth featured jersey is a 2014 Russia National Team Alexander Ovechkin jersey as worn during the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. This style was first worn at the 2014 Olympics and remains in use today.
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Ovechkin led the league in goals once more in 2014-15, this time with 53 goals, the third highest of his career on his way to 81 points. He also participated in his fifth NHL All-Star Game that season, recording 3 assists. On November 4th of that season, he recorded his 826th point to pass Peter Bondra to become the Capitals all-time leading in points. Later that season, he surpassed Bondra as the franchise's all time leader in goals scored.
Ovechkin during the 2015 NHL Winter Classic
With Russia still alive at the 2015 World Championships, Ovechkin arrived in the Czech Republic once the Capitals were out of the NHL playoffs. He arrived in time to score a goal and an assist in Russia's 4-0 Semifinal win over the United States but had to settle for silver after a loss to Canada in the gold medal game.
Ovechkin hit a number of milestones during the 2015-16 season. On November 19th, his 9th goal of the season gave him first place for most goals by a Russian in NHL history with 484. Later that season on January 10th, he reached the 500 goal plateau, just the 43rd player in league history reach that mark and the fifth fastest to do so and the first Russian. April 9th saw him score his 50th goal to become only the third player in NHL history to have seven 50 goal seasons in a career. He finished the season with 50 goals and 71 points, which brought to an end a ten season run of being the Capitals leading scorer, as he finished second to Evegeni Kuznetsov's 77 points. Still, his 50 goals gave him his fourth consecutive Rocket Richard Trophy and sixth overall as the NHL's leading goal scorer.
Ovechkin with his 6th Rocket Richard Trophy
Ovechkin would lead Washington in playoff scoring with 5 goals and 12 points in 12 games, but playoff success would elude him once more as Washington was eliminated in the second round for the fifth time in his 11 seasons. As is his practice, he left directly for the World Championships, again hosted by Russia. He arrived for Russia's final three victories in the Preliminary Round and a Quarterfinal win over Germany. After a loss to Finland in the Semifinals, they defeated the United States 7-2 for the bronze.
Prior to the start of the 2016-17 season, Ovechkin played in four games with Russia serving as the team captain at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, scoring a goal and 3 points, but were defeated in the Semifinals.
Ovechkin played at the 2016 World Cup prior to the NHL season
In the just completed 2016-17 regular season, scored 33 goals and 69 points for second on the team behind Swede Nicklas Backstrom. His 33 goals did lead the team, but his four year streak of leading the league in goals came to an end. On January 11th, he scored the 1,000th point of his career, with a goal 35 seconds into the game. He is the 84th player to reach 1,000 points and the 37th to do so with one team.
He is currently second with 1,035 career points, 144 behind Sergei Fedorov for the career lead among Russians, having passed Alexander Mogilny (1,032) and Alexei Kovalev (1,029) this season.
Ovechkin has proven time and time again to be an accessible fan favorite, interacting with the public in unexpected ways. He is so popular with Capitals fans that GQ magazine once named him the 48th most powerful person in Washington D. C.! His popularity league wide is enhanced when he displays a great sense of fun during events like skills competitions during all-star weekends, as he has won the Breakaway Challenge while employing humorous props while doing so.
Ovechkin having fun during the Skills Competition
He had particular fun during the All-Star Fantasy Drafts, tormenting last pick Phil Kessel in 2011 and lobbying to be the one picked last in 2015, motivated by wanting to be awarded a car in order to donate it to a charity only to be denied with just two picks remaining.
His fervor when it comes to playing for his home country is unsurpassed among NHLers, and he has publicly stated his intentions to play for Russia at the 2018 Olympics in South Korea whether the NHL takes a break from its season or not, putting him at odds with the league.
In today's video section, first is a profile of Ovechkin prior to the 2004 NHL Entry Draft in anticipation of his first overall selection.
Here is video of Ovechkin being selected first overall in the 2004 NHL Draft.
Next is Ovechkin's first NHL goal.
This amazing highlight reel is just from his rookie season!
Here, his sense of humor is on display in this ESPN commercial.
What other player warrants a Top 10 Off Ice Moments segment?
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