It’s safe to say that Alex Ovechkin is a big star. Understatement of the year, we know. Not too many players get a DVD dedicated to them done up by the NHL by Ovechkin’s got one out now titled “Alex Ovechkin: The Gr8" that looks at the Alex Ovechkin you don’t know. The guy who, behind the scenes, is still living the life of a superstar athlete but has a family system back home that’s as strong and dedicated as Ovechkin is to the Capitals.
In talking with Ovechkin about the DVD, he felt it was important to show the influence his home and family has on him.
“It was important to show my family. It was important for them to be in there. They’re a big part of my life. It’s important for other Russian players to see. “
In meeting Alex’s mother and father on the DVD, you see what a bond they’ve got. His father Mikhail and mother Tatyana are tremendous influences on his life. His mother, as you may already know, was a star basketball player for the Soviet Union winning gold medals in the Olympics. His father grew up a soccer player. I asked Alex about whether his mother’s status as a national basketball hero helped him prepare for life as a superstar.
“Oh sure, my mother was very important but my father did so much for me,” Ovechkin says. “He was there at every practice, he took me to every game. Dad was with me everywhere growing up. Without him I don’t know where I’d be.”
If it wasn’t for your parents and hockey, what would you be doing?
“Oh I don’t even know. I don’t even think about that at all. I’m happy to be here now.”
Seeing Alex interact with his family and friends on the DVD made for a great treat to see. Let’s face it, for as big of a star as Ovechkin is here in America, we really don’t know a whole lot about the guy. We’ve seen plenty of things in GQ Magazine and elsewhere that portrays Ovechkin as a cocky kid living the life as a high-flying playboy. Fast cars, fast women and the like. Seeing a more grounded version of Alex Ovechkin back in Russia made for a more natural setting for a guy who’s one of the biggest stars in the world.
You see Alex showing off where he grew up, the apartment he lived as a kid. You meet his friends and hell, you even see him take his pals to McDonald’s. See, he’s a pretty regular guy even when ordering a Royale with cheese. No, Jules from “Pulp Fiction” was there to witness it.
As for hockey, Alex’s day job, the first scenes you see on the DVD are of the Capitals collapse and failure against the Montreal Canadiens in last year’s playoffs. If you don’t think that’s motivation for Alex, you’re kidding yourself.
“That was a pretty hard time for us,” Ovechkin said. “We’re really disappointed with how things ended last year. Now we’re just excited to get back to the playoffs and show that we can do better and try to win the Cup.”
Things aren’t all serious business though for Alex Ovechkin. He loves his life, he loves his sports cars (“I don’t know which one I’m getting next. I’ll let you know when I pick one,” he tells me) , he loves just having fun. You see it out of him on the ice, and in virtually every piece of video on this DVD you see it from him off the ice as well.
One famous clip shows when Ovechkin was presented with the key to the city in Washington, D.C. and when greeted with a huge crowd he says, “Today is a big day. I have a key for the city. And I’m the president this day in the city, so everybody have fun—and no speed limit.” He’s a rock star and at 25 years-old, who can blame the guy for hamming things up at all ever.
You don’t usually get to see such an enjoyable and thoughtful introspective into a guy like this who’s arguably the biggest star in his sport and find out what makes him tick and where he’s come from. Sure if you’re not a Capitals fan or not an Ovechkin fan you may not be interested in what this video’s got to offer, but if you’re a hockey fan and you’re looking to find out what makes a big star tick, this is about as good as it gets. From the love he’s got for his team, the love he’s got for his family (and vice versa) it’s a wonderful thing to see. I’d recommend checking this out if you’ve got the time and the interest in seeing what makes Alex so great.
Quick hits with Ovi
Random things I got to find out when talking with Alex Ovechkin in quick hit fashion. Some of these things you might know already, some you might not, others likely won’t surprise you at all.
Favorite place to be in D.C.: “Verizon Center. It’s like home.”
Thoughts on countryman Evgeni Malkin: “We’re buddies. We’re teammates when we play for Russia, but we like to beat each other. It’s part of the fun.”
Thoughts on how he and Alex Semin are doing this year: “He’s great. We’re playing very well but we can get better.”
Favorite city to be in aside from Washington: “Montreal. It’s a great place to be. I love the people, I love the excitement. It’s a fun place to be.”
Least favorite city to be in: “Buffalo. It’s just tough there.”
Reason for wearing #8: “It was my mother’s number in basketball.”
It all comes back to family.
