Ovechkin became the "Sochi 2014" ambassador

Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti, July 4, 2009)  

Russian hockey player Alexander Ovechkin became the "Sochi 2014" ambassador, reported the press service of "Sochi 2014" organizing committee on Saturday.



The solemn ceremony of receiving the diploma of Ambassador of the 2014 Games was held at the Sochi's central stadium before the friendly game between the "Sochi 2014" team and the "Friendship" team of Russian soccer legends. The new Ambassador Alexander Ovechkin played for the organizers of the Games team.



"As a hockey player I am honored to become the Ambassador of Winter Games which will be held in my home country," said Ovechkin. "When the city of Sochi won in Guatemala we were pleased that in 2014 we will play at home on a new arena that is right on the beach of Black sea. As an athlete I'll try to do everything possible to win Olympic gold in hockey for our country. And as the Ambassador of "Sochi 2014" to make the Games held at the highest level."



Alexander Ovechkin became the guest of the festival "Sochi - YES!" for the second consecutive year which the organizing committee of "Sochi 2014" is having annually on July 4th. It was that day in 2007 at the 119th session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Guatemala, when the Russian resort has received an honorable right to have Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2014.

"Well, it is becoming hard to imagine a summer without a visit to Sochi," noted the hockey player. "I've been here at this time last year. Frankly, the city is changing very rapidly. And I am very pleased that they already began to build a hockey arena".

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Varley and a little baby

 Dinara Kafiskina, Sports Daily, June 25, 2009:

There are quite a few eminent Russian forwards and defensemen over the pond. As of Russian goalkeepers, it's a bit different... Khabibulin, Nabokov, Bryzgalov. But now one can add Simeon Varlamov to this company. Varley, this is how Simeon is called in the States, has forced to talk about himself in North America during Stanley Cup playoffs.

Simeon, I remember you once said that playing in the NHL was your long-standing dream. And finally your dream came true, isn't it?
It's unbelievable (smiles). I've enjoyed every day of staying with Washington, enjoyed every second I was on ice. We had a great team, everyone supported me.

Were you pleased with the season a hundred percent?
Of course. After all, I finished it in the NHL and was the number one goalie in the playoffs. Before the start of the season I could only dream about it.

You were trusted to play in playoffs, this is worth a lot. Were you nervous?
Oh yeah (smiles). And my main task was to cope with the emotions. I was very nervous. But after two games I was playing on autopilot.

What was the most memorable moment of the season?
The seventh game of the first round when we won against Rangers and passed the first round. The price of any error was very high, and nobody wanted to be eliminated for a second time in a row at the very beginning.

And what about your awesome save in the Pittsburgh series, don't you remember?
Oh yeah! It really turned out very nice. It's a life time memory. Perhaps if Crosby could've shot to any other place, he could've scored. But it ended with Sydney giving it to my stick (smiles).

Was Washington's Coach Bruce Boudreau satisfied with you?
Yes. I talked with him at the end of the season. Our coach warned me that next season no one will give me a place in the net, I'll have to earn it.

I know how the mass media in America are able to "promote" the player, especially a successful one. Did you feel like a star?
Yes. There, the journalists talk to you before and after team's training or the game. So I felt the pressure. And as soon as I started playing as number one people started buying my jerseys. Anyway, if I feel like a star, I am only a mini star (laughs). I played only 13 games in the playoffs, and 6 during the season. What can be said... The real stars are Ovechkin, Fedorov, Kozlov.

When there's a lot of attention, is it good or bad?
Honestly speaking it's a distraction.

Do you have the army of fans already? Are those mostly girls? You are a nice looking guy...
Thanks for the compliment, but I have a girlfriend, so that I no longer look at the representatives of other sex. And I don't have a whole army of fans, I am still working on it (smiles). People approach me, take autographs, pictures. And it's nice, of course, when you see in the audience fans wearing jerseys with my name.

The fans overseas, I would say, are somewhat special. Can you remember anything funny?
Once a woman with a baby approached me. It seemed to me that the baby was not more than a month old..

And?...
No, no... This is not what you may think (laughs). She simply gave me a baby and said, "Could you sign please?" And I like, "Okey! Where?" And then I see a baby is wearing a tiny jersey, which, as it turned out, this woman had sewn by special order and the jersey had "Varley" and my number. I was in shock, and, of course, I thanked her.

And how do you communicate with the fans? Are you fluent in English now?
I thought that after the first season I'd speak fluent English. Well, if I'd spent the entire season in the farm club, I'd probably speak well. I was the only Russian in the team. But when I moved to Washington I spoke mostly in Russian.

You never know what is better ...
Is it better to play in Washington, learn and speak no English, than to play in the farm and learn to speak English? (laughs)

Do you know that Viktor Kozlov will play for Ufa next season and Sergei Fedorov also may be playing in the KHL?
I've heard. Of course, it is a pity that the two most experienced players have left, the leaders. It is a great loss. I think that it will affect the team. Washington didn't sign them... I can't comment on that. But the guys were very nice and helped us all in the locker room and on the ice.

Your alma mater "Lokomotive" was this year in the finals...
I know, I was following as much as I could. Saw the videos, the goals.

I can't help to ask you about your leisure time. How do you like the States' capital?
I like Washington a lot and I have gotten used to it. However I still live in apartments, which I have to share with one teammate or another (smiles).

What do you do at leisure time?
We'll go out, have dinner. What else? In general it's better not to write about it... (laughs).

Why? This is the most interesting part...
To be honest I spend almost all my free time with my girlfriend. She is from Russia, but lives in America.

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Ovechkin at MMVA

 Yahoo music, Jun 22, 2009:

Appearances from Lautner induced the expected feverish shrieks - one fan wore a homemade cardboard hat with Lautner's picture and a plea for an autograph - while Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin provided a surprising moment when, after being asked how he would celebrate winning a MuchMusic award, he effortlessly hoisted VJ Tim Deegan over his shoulder.

Lady Gaga had some sort of fireworks coming out of her bra....

Related post: Alex Ovechkin at MuchMusic awards.

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Ovechkin was turned away by Las Vegas doorman

 
Alex Ovechkin at the meeting with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, May of 2008.

Imagine that, Alex was able to sneak in to Kremlin in flip flops, but was stopped in Vegas.

Las Vegas Review-Journal, June 19, 2009:

Alex Ovechkin, the NHL's most valuable player, doesn't get stopped very often.

But a doorman at Lavo, the Palazzo hot spot, can say he accomplished what a lot of goalies rarely do.

Ovechkin was turned away at the door Wednesday night when he and two friends showed up wearing flip flops on their way to, of all places, a fashion show.

Before the Russian superstar moved on, someone at the door recognized him, and he and his friends attended Jeremy Roenick's Label Junkie party that featured his Muze T-shirt line in Lavo's nightclub. He was wearing shredded jeans and a T-shirt.

About 30 NHL players attended the event, including Mats Sundin of the Vancouver Canucks and Sheldon Souray of the Edmonton Oilers.

Clubs sometimes make an exception to their dress code rules. Sometimes they don't.

Shaquille O'Neal, wearing shorts and sneakers, was asked to leave Light nightclub (now The Bank) at Bellagio about seven years ago.

Eric Trump showed up at Light with more than a dozen male friends on his 21st birthday in 2005. He was turned away in part because Light had a policy that limits parties of men to six, to keep the female ratio high, and because he played the dreaded "don't-you-know-who-I am" card.

Lavo recently turned back Terrell Owens because of dress code issues. Tao did the same to NBA star Dwyane Wade.

Ovechkin, the league's goal-scoring leader, scored great room accommodations. He has been staying in the Crib Suite at the Palms Fantasy Tower. The suite features a hydraulic bed, a DJ booth and a pool table.

He showed up at the awards after-party at the Palms Pool & Bungalows in the company of a stunning cocktail server from Encore's XS nightclub.

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09 playoffs video and more Las Vegas photos of Ovechkin

 
LAS VEGAS - JUNE 18: Alexander Ovechkin(notes) of the Washington Capitals poses for a portrait at the 2009 NHL Awards at the Palms Casino Resort on June 18, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images for NHL)



The best ever born hockey player and you can see why.





LAS VEGAS - JUNE 18: Alexander Ovechkin(notes) of the Washington Capitals is escorted by showgirls as he arrives at the 2009 NHL Awards at the Palms Casino Resort on June 18, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)



The Hart Trophy presented by Sergei Fedorov




LAS VEGAS - JUNE 18: Alexander Ovechkin(notes) of the Washington Capitals kisses the Hart Trophy following the 2009 NHL Awards at the Palms Casino Resort on June 18, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images for NHL)




LAS VEGAS - JUNE 18: Alexander Ovechkin(notes) and Sergei Fedorov(notes) of the Washington Capitals pose following the 2009 NHL Awards at the Palms Casino Resort on June 18, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images for NHL)



Crushing Russian




LAS VEGAS - JUNE 18: Alexander Ovechkin(notes) of the Washington Capitals poses with the Lester B. Pearson Award, the Hart Trophy and the Maurice Richard Trophy following the 2009 NHL Awards at the Palms Casino Resort on June 18, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images for NHL)

Pens Empty Netters blog called this picture diabolic. Whatever... they know it was the last time they were able to beat Ovechkin's Caps in playoffs...




TSN's interview with Ovechkin, "This trophy is for my grandpa"

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2009 Hart Trophy Voting

 

                   TOT 1st 2nd 3rd  4th 5th
1. Alex Ovechkin, WSH 1264 115 14   2    2   0
2. Evgeni Malkin, PIT  787  12 71  27    9   8
3. Pavel Datsyuk, DET  404   4 14  38   19  19
4. Steve Mason, CBJ    266   0 13  21   18  16
5. Zach Parise, N.J.   257   0  5  20   31  29
6. Sidney Crosby, PIT  103   0  3   5   13  18
7. Tim Thomas, BOS     100   0  3   9    7  13
8. Zdeno Chara, BOS     79   2  3   2    8   4
9. Joe Thornton, S.J.   27   0  2   1    2   2
10. Roberto Luongo, VAN 19   0  2   0    1   2 

Out of 133 voted 115 think Ovechkin is the best in the World!

Malkin got 12 and Datsyuk 4. Nobody, zilch, zero, nada thinks that Crosby is number one, the most votes he got were for the 5th place.

H/t to Paul Kukla

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Ovechkin gets Hart, Pearson, Richard trophies (video)

 

Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin, of Russia, holds the Hart Memorial Trophy, for being the most valuable player to his team, at the National Hockey League awards in Las Vegas Thursday, June 18 2009.



The Pearson Award presented to Ovechkin by Russian legends Vladimir Konstantinov and Igor Larionov. Konstantinov was paralyzed in an auto accident after winning the Stanley Cup with Detroit in 1997, but walked to the podium with the aid of a walker in one of the highlights of the night.




Ovechkin takes home Hart, Pearson, Richard trophies, makes NHL's All Star team for the fourth time in a row. "It’s pretty important when people and players give you this. I don’t want to stop. I want to be the best next year," said Ovechkin.




Ethan Miller/Getty Images for NHL



Washington Capitols Alex Ovechkin signs autographs for a Sydney Crosby fan as he walks the red carpet at the National Hockey Legue awards in Las Vegas Thursday, June 18 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Ovechkin voted most outstanding by peers, Crosby couldn't even make to NHL's All-Star SECOND team, enough said about Who Is Who in hockey.




Washington Capitols' Alex Ovechkin, of Russia, arrives with two showgirls as he walks the red carpet at the National Hockey Legue awards in Las Vegas, Thursday, June 18 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz


A day before...

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Sharapova accepting a future dinner date with Ovechkin? :-)

 June 29 issue of ESPN The Magazine:

Alex Ovechkin: Will you come to DC to watch me play next season?



Sharapova: What advice are you asking for exactly? I love hockey. And a few weeks ago, I met this chef, José Andrés, who has several restaurants in DC. So I just might make a trip for dinner and a game.

H/t to bodog BEAT

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Marge reports from Ovechkin's poker tournament

 

The Poker Tourney Entrance


The Set Up


The poker table




Ovechkin sitting next to Roenick


The table with the players


Ovie was so nervous the whole time

NHL.com:

"I want to win," Ovechkin said minutes before he took part in the NHL Charity Shootout Presented by PokerStars.net, a charity poker tournament. "If I don't win, I'll still be happy because I'm nominated. There's lots of players and I'm in the top three and that is a pretty good result."

As for his competition, Ovechkin says he did not watch the other two Hart finalists battle it out in this spring's memorable seven-game Stanley Cup Final between Malkin's Pittsburgh Penguins and Datsyuk's Detroit Red Wings. The Penguins won in seven games, coming back from a 2-0 series deficit. Malkin, the leading scorer in the playoffs, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

"I try to forget hockey for a couple of months and concentrate on my vacation," Ovechkin told NHL.com. "I don't want to see how the guys celebrate. I want to be in that spot, I want to win Stanley Cup."

And, he says that the training for next year's quest will begin soon. He has a few more weeks of fun and sun -- including this week's stop in Vegas -- on his vacation itinerary and then it becomes all business again in a month or so.

"Next year, it's my dream to be in the Final and take the Cup," Oveckin told NHL.com. "So, it is going to be fun."

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By Tarik El-Bashir, Washington Post, June 18, 2009:

The past two days have been a blur for the bleary-eyed Ovechkin, who landed in Las Vegas following an 18-hour flight from Moscow in the wee hours Tuesday morning.

He's been on the go ever since.

Hours after arriving, the 23-year-old Russian was formally announced as the cover athlete for the NHL 2K10 video game in an event hosted by Caesar's Palace. During the unveiling, Ovechkin was outfitted in a high-tech spandex suit, which the videogame engineers used to capture Ovechkin's motions and mannerisms, including his controversial "hot stick" celebration for the game.

Yesterday, a jet-lagged and weary Ovechkin did a television interview and a photo shoot with his apparel company before joining a poker game with Eddie Olczyk, Jeremy Roenick and Mats Sundin, among others, at the Rio. Ovechkin ended up winning $2,000 for Most Valuable Kids, the charity Ovechkin partners with in Washington to purchase tickets to Capitals games for underprivileged children.

Apparently, Ovechkin plays poker the way he plays hockey -- all out, er, all in.

ESPN interview with Alex Ovechkin

 

Alex Ovechkin talks about being on the cover of NHL 2K10, the playoffs and the rivalry with the Penguins

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