Alexander Mikhailovich Ovechkin is a professional hockey player for the NHL's Washington Capitals . He is the son of Tatiana and Mikhail Ovechkin and was born on September 17 , 1985 in Moscow , Russian SFSR , USSR (now Moscow , Russia ). His mother, Tatiana, won two Olympic gold medals while competing for the Soviet basketball team in the 1976 Summer Olympics at Montreal and in 1980 at Moscow.The first signs of the Ovechkin's future came when he was a child. At the age of two, in a Soviet toy store, Alexander grabbed a toy stick and helmet and refused to let go. His parents treasure the picture to this day. As a small child, whenever he saw a hockey game on TV, he "threw all his toys" and ran to the TV. He "protested strongly" if his parents tried to change the channel. His parents say they knew he would be an athlete when Alexander chose to run up the steps to their apartment rather than take the elevator.He began playing hockey at the age of 7. Soon after he began, however, he had to postpone his hockey career because his parents were unable to take him to the rink. But one of Ovechkin's coaches saw Ovechkin's talent and communicated to his parents that he should continue to play hockey.Because he has studied at the Military Institute for Border Guards , he apparently does not have to serve in the military in Russia. Military duty is supposed to be "compulsory" in Russia, but it is so in name only and is enforced selectively rather than uniformly; for instance, young Russian star Ilya Kovalchuk has never served in the military, while Ukrainian -born Nikolai Zherdev was forced to go to arbitration court in Switzerland because Russian authorities claimed he had to serve in the military. Apparently Ovechkin will not have to face these circumstances.
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