The few, the proud, the Ovechkin brothers

By Harlan Goode, Washington Times, June 24, 2008 "The District's other Ovechkin":

...Roughly 24 hours from now, some 550 miles to the north in Toronto, his younger brother will accept the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Lester B. Pearson Award, the clear choice as the NHL MVP. Mikhail won't be there. He has to be here to do his job, to live his life. Because as much as it might seem like Mikhail Ovechkin exists shrouded by his brother's long shadow - residing in the same city, working in the same building - Mikhail is trying hard to have a life of his own.

He no longer lives in the $1.5 million Arlington apartment the two brothers shared during Alex's rookie year, having moved into his own modest home in Ashburn. He takes the metro and walks to work rather than zooming around the District in a flashy sports car.

"He doesn't ask me to get him things or anything like that," Alex says when asked about his brother. "He never use my money."

Mikhail says he never once has been envious of his brother.

"Why would I?" he says, his voice rising from a quiet monotone, emotion appearing on his face for the first time. "Jealousy is bad thing. I am happy for him. This is his dream."

No, this is simply a story of two different men, leading separate lives.

"He's much more reserved than Alex," says Caps director of media relations Nate Ewell, who knows both brothers personally. "They are extremely close though."

Says Mikhail: "I'm more calm. He's more emotional."

"I am happy for him," Alex says. "I hope he don't stop and keeps moving forward. I told him he can do whatever he wants."

Maybe he'll be Washington Mystics Head Coach one day, who knows...

Mystics coach Tree Rollins and chief operating officer Greg Bibb say Mikhail's position with the organization is based on the merits of his passionate work ethic and sharp eye for basketball talent - not his last name.

"He's very self-motivated," says Bibb, who hired Ovechkin at the beginning of the 2008 season. "He knows what he's doing."

Bibb and Rollins are thankful for the thankless job Ovechkin does in the video room, but they also appreciate his trusted advice on foreign prospects. This isn't Mikhail's first dance on hardwood. Before joining the Mystics, he worked six years for Dynamo Moscow, the women's professional team for which his mother, Tatiana, serves as president. He toured Europe with the team and learned about the game from Tatiana, a former two-time Olympic gold medalist and Dynamo star.

"He loves women's basketball," Alex says.