Alexander Ovechkin has exploded onto the hockey scene, establishing himself as the most electrifying player and the most compelling personality in the NHL:

- He made his professional hockey debut as a 16-year-old for Moscow Dynamo in the Russian Super League

- He was drafted first overall by the Washington Capitals in 2004 and won Rookie of the Year in the 2005-06 NHL season

- Ovechkin holds the NHL record for most goals scored by a left-winger in a season--65

- In the 2007-08 season, Ovechkin won four major pieces of NHL hardware--the Rocket Richard Trophy (most goals), the Art Ross Trophy (most points), the Lester B. Pearson Award (Most Outstanding Player) and the Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP); he is the first player in NHL history to win all four awards in the same season

- In March 2008, Ovechkin became the first player to score 60 goals in one season since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr hit the 60-goal plateau in 1995-96

- In 2009, he received his fourth consecutive Kharlamov Trophy, an award given to the best Russian player in the NHL

- His mother, Tatyana Ovechkina, was a two-time Olympic gold medalist for the Soviet women’s basketball team

- In 2008, at only 23 years old, Ovechkin negotiated his own 13-year contract extension with the Washington Capitals worth $124 million--the most lucrative contract ever signed in the NHL

- He is a three-time 50-goal scorer and a three-time NHL All-Star in only his fourth year in the league

- Ovechkin shares the record for fastest overtime goal in the NHL--six seconds.