Alex Ovechkin Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Alex Ovechkin - Research Paper ExampleLike most field hockey players, Ovechkin found his love for the indorse at a very young historic period. He was two years old when he premier(prenominal) picked up a hockey stickin Moscow department store. Whenever he saw a support on television he would drop what he was doing and not allow his parents to change the channel. He soon became obsessed with hockey and rarely missed a televised game. He was yearning to soak up every ounce of knowledge he could. His parents say they knew he would be an athlete when Alexander chose to gestate up the steps to their apartment rather than take the elevator. He began playing hockey at the age of 7, having been introduced to it formally by his older br other Sergei. In 1992, he started playing for Dynamo youth squad. Unfortunately, most of the other players on his team had already been playing hockey for some time. Alex was especially concerned when the direct asked the team members to skate backward figure eights. He was not familiar with how to skate backward at all. But, his coach still noticed his enormous talent. During this time, Alexs favorite team was Moscow Dynamo. His hero was Alexander Maltsev, the beau monde s greatest star. Maltsev retired a year before Alex was born, but through stories and TV highlights, the boy inflexible that Matsev was his man. At unrivaled point, his parents were no longer suitable to get Alex to hockey so Sergei stepped in and do sure that he could get his little fellow wherever he needed to go. He was one of the first to notice the talent in Alex, and he wanted to be sure he was able to use it. Unfortunately, years later an event would happen that would change Ovechkins life forever. His older brother Sergei, in his early 20?s at the time,was tragically killed in a car accident. To this daytime Ovechkin still credits his brother for introducing him to and pushing him to continue playing hockey. Many say his passion for the game comes from this tragic event and to this day, when he scores, Alex will often kiss his glove and point to the sky in a salute to his brother. As Alex moved up the ranks of Moscow Dynamos competitive youth hockey program, he began to draw attention with his originatorful skating and quick, accurate wrist shot. He was a unvoiced worker and though very offensive-minded, he was a devoted team player. Alex could raise spirits with a goal, a pep talk or a good back-check. He had that extra dimension as a person and was a player who was clearly the product of a terrific sports family. Before go a professional, Ovechkin was already making a name for himself in the Dynamo Moscowsystem when at 11 years old he broke Pavel Bures record of 53 goals by scoring 56 of his own. He began his professional hockey career at the age of 16 for Russian hockey power Dynamo Moscowduring the 2001-02 season. By the time he was 18, he won theRussian Superleague award for the best left wingin the league for the 2 003-04 season and was the youngest player ever to lead Dynamo Moscow in scoring. This was his breakthrough. He netlike 23 points in 53 games and was voted the Superleagues top left wing. At first glance, his stats did not await to warrant superstar talk, but this perspective soon changed. Comparisons to Ilya Kovalchuk, the Russian star drafted first overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2001, were inevitable. The two were indeed similar players, although Alex was a bit more of an end-to-end performer. Kovalchuk, by contrast, was never known for his