From Moscow to Washington, how Alex Ovechkin became the Great 8 on the way to chasing NHL history

Alex Ovechkin almost stopped playing hockey.

His mother, Tatyana, was a basketball player, his father, Mikhail, was a soccer player and they were traveling with their teams, leaving no one to take young Alex to practice. Coach Vyacheslav Kirillov begged Tatyana to get him back in the sport until she gave in.

Good thing, too. Raised in the final years of the Soviet sports system by parents who were already accomplished athletes, Ovechkin was given every chance to succeed and he has evolved into a superstar on the ice.

The top NHL draft pick by the Washington Capitals in 2004, over 20 years Ovechkin became a Stanley Cup champion and teammates watched him develop into a husband, father and a generous person paying for dinners on the road and growing reflective on his career and accomplishments. Next on that list will be breaking Wayne Gretzky's career goals record.

“He was a very, very bright young man in terms of his goal-setting for his life," said Hockey Hall of Famer Igor Larionov, who met Ovechkin as a teenager. "He was determined. He was one of the fastest players on the ice, and he had a purpose. Every time he stepped on the ice, he was going to be the best."

Born Sept. 17, 1985, and coming of age just as the Soviet Union was giving way to a new Russia, Ovechkin was drawn to the game through his father.

"He would go on some trips and bring me some goalie helmets," Ovechkin once recalled. "I didn’t know what it was, except it was something about hockey, and when I was a little kid everything was about hockey, hockey, hockey.”

Ovechkin was 14 when Larionov, by that time already a three-time Cup champion, sat with him in the locker room and shared some advice about doing extra summer training and committing to training in the gym.

“He knew at home from the parents, from mom and dad, to be successful you have to be determined to do extra things off ice, on ice and follow the right steps,” Larionov said. "It’s synergy between genetics from his parents, his approach to the game, his drive, his fire, his power that made him a great player.”

At 17, Ovechkin scored a tournament-best six goals in seven games to help Russia repeat as world junior champions and was again the leading scorer the following year as he emerged as the top prospect in the NHL draft, just ahead of countryman Evgeni Malkin.

The lockout that wiped out the 2004-05 season delayed Ovechkin's North American arrival, but on his first shift Ovechkin hit an opponent so hard he dislodged the partition holding the plexiglass together. He also scored career goal No. 1, then goal No. 2 on the way to getting 52 of them and becoming rookie of the year.

Ovechkin led the NHL in goals and points in 2008-09, helping the Capitals make the playoffs in his third season and first of three as NHL MVP.

Ovechkin was surrounded by young talent in his early years in Washington. Center Nicklas Backstrom, defenseman Mike Green and winger Alexander Semin joined and made hockey in the nation's capital must-see entertainment. They were also having plenty of fun off the ice.

In a sport that defines players for winning championships, some worried that Ovechkin would be known only for the individual accomplishments because the playoff success wasn't coming. The Capitals went through a series of changes from the front office to the coaching staff and the roster, culminating with Ovechkin leading them to the Stanley Cup in 2018 as playoff MVP.

Even though Ovechkin was 32, he and the Capitals celebrated like few teams in recent history. They famously swam in the Georgetown fountains — a plaque now marks the spot — and the entire run showed the best of Ovechkin.

“A big heart like a big kid,” longtime teammate John Carlson said. “He loves coming to the rink and he loves scoring goals and playing like we did when we were kids.”

Ovechkin and Nastya Shubskaya married in 2016, and the couple had even more reason to celebrate the summer of 2018 when she gave birth their first son, Sergei, that August. Ilya was born in the spring of 2020, and the boys have been right there with their dad for many of his big moments since.

When Ovechkin scored his 801st and 802nd goals just before Christmas 2022, to pass Gordie Howe for second on the all-time list, he walked into the locker room hand-in-hand with Sergei and Ilya and put them on his lap to take photos.

Tom Wilson, a teammate since 2013, now a father and likely to succeed Ovechkin as captain, has witnessed the growth firsthand — joining them for family vacations and seeing him as a family man, playing “Dance Dance Revolution” with his nephews and nieces.

“You don’t think about hockey,” Ovechkin said of his home life. "You don’t think about the training or practice. You just enjoy your life, enjoy your time with the kids, with family, with friends and you can basically do whatever you want.”

Backstrom met Ovechkin nearly two decades ago before either was 21. The fun times, the Cup win and hundreds of goals between them have come and gone.

"He’s always been the same," Backstrom said. “He hasn’t changed a lot since the first time I met him: the same kind of outgoing person.”

Marcus Johansson, who played his first seven NHL seasons with Washington and had another stint with the Capitals, said Ovechkin has “got a big heart and he takes care of the people around him.” That's what current center Dylan Strome tells friends who ask what Ovechkin is like.

“Very, very, very generous with his time, his money — going out of his way for people,” Strome said. “He always wants to be with the guys, whether it’s watch sports or just talk or whatever or have a couple beers, he’s always in for that.”

Carlson believes the 39-year-old Ovechkin has stayed young as the age gap between veterans and young teammates in the locker room grows, while at the same time appreciating each moment a little more. Wilson has seen Ovechkin sign dozens of pucks, sticks and jerseys for other teams after a game without the slightest hesitation.

“You can’t even really describe him in words,” Wilson said. “He’s just a guy that’s bigger than life, bigger than hockey. A personality that whenever he does hang them up, the game will miss him a lot.”

AP Sports Writer James Ellingworth and APTN Moscow contributed.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

FILE - Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin poses in the in the locker room with his 798, 799, and 800th NHL career goal pucks following his hatrick in an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

FILE - Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, (8) leaps in the air in celebration after scoring his 500th NHL career goal during the second period of a hockey game against the Ottawa Senators in Washington, D.C., Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

People walk past the installation of a countdown clock marking Washington Capitals Alex Ovechkin's NHL career goals with the words reading "Sasha, the Motherland is with you!", Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Moscow, Russia. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

People walk past the installation of a countdown clock marking Washington Capitals Alex Ovechkin's NHL career goals with the words reading "Sasha, the Motherland is with you!", Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Moscow, Russia. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

Igor Larionov, a three-time winning Stanley Cup champ and former NHL player, who is now the head coach of Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod ice hockey team, looks on during a team training session at the VTB arena in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Igor Larionov, a three-time winning Stanley Cup champ and former NHL player, who is now the head coach of Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod ice hockey team, looks on during a team training session at the VTB arena in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Igor Larionov, a three-time winning Stanley Cup champ and former NHL player, who is now the head coach of Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod ice hockey team, looks on during a team training session at the VTB arena in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin warms up before an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin takes to the ice to warm up before an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

FILE - Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin holds his 798, 799, and 800th career goal pucks in the locker room after an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

FILE - Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, top right, celebrates with teammates after an NHL hockey game against the Edmonton Oilers, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

FILE - Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin poses with the Maurice Richard Trophy, the Stanley Cup, the Conn Smythe Trophy, and the Prince of Wales Trophy, from left, after the NHL Awards, Wednesday, June 20, 2018, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

Alexander Ovechkin, 19, the Washington Capitals' 2004 No. 1 draft pick, left, holds up his team jersey with team vice president and general manager George McPhee during a news conference at the MCI Center in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005 to announce Ovechkin's signing with the team. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

FILE - Alex Ovechkin, left, of Russia, and his father Mikhail. Ovechkin reacts after being selected as the first overall pick by the Washington Capitals during the NHL Draft, June 26, 2004, at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Grant Halverson, File)

FILE - Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin, right, stands with his parents Mikhail, left, and Tatyana Ovechkin, second from left, and his wife Nastya Shubskaya during a ceremony for honoring his 1,000th NHL point before an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Molly Riley, File)

FILE - Russia's Alexander Ovechkin reacts after team's victory at the Ice Hockey World Championships bronze medal match between Russia and USA, in Moscow, Russia, on Sunday, May 22, 2016. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev, File)

FILE - Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8), of Russia, son Sergei, left, and Ovechkin's wife, Nastya, right, react during a ceremony to honor Ovechkin for his 700th goal, before the team's NHL hockey game against the Winnipeg Jets, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

FILE - Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin celebrates his 600th career goal in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Winnipeg Jets, Monday, March 12, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

FILE - Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) walks with his sons Ilya, left, and Sergei, right, in team's locker room after an NHL hockey game against the Winnipeg Jets, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 14, 2019, file photo, Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin follows through on a shot against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)

FILE - Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, of Russia, hoists the Stanley Cup after the Capitals defeated the Golden Knights in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals, June 7, 2018, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison Friday in the first verdict from eight criminal trials over the martial law debacle that forced him out of office and other allegations.

Yoon was impeached, arrested and dismissed as president after his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024 triggered huge public protests calling for his ouster.

The most significant criminal charge against him alleges that his martial law enforcement amounted to a rebellion, and the independent counsel has requested the death sentence in the case that is to be decided in a ruling next month.

Yoon has maintained he didn’t intend to place the country under military rule for an extended period, saying his decree was only meant to inform the people about the danger of the liberal-controlled parliament obstructing his agenda. But investigators have viewed Yoon’s decree as an attempt to bolster and prolong his rule, charging him with rebellion, abuse of power and other criminal offenses.

In Friday’s case, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yoon for defying attempts to detain him, fabricating the martial law proclamation, and sidestepping a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting and thus depriving some Cabinet members who were not convened of their due rights to deliberate on his decree.

Judge Baek Dae-hyun said in the televised ruling that imposing “a grave punishment” was necessary because Yoon hasn’t shown remorse and has only repeated “hard-to-comprehend excuses.” The judge also restoring legal systems damaged by Yoon’s action was necessary.

Yoon’s defense team said they will appeal the ruling, which they believe was “politicized” and reflected “the unliberal arguments by the independent counsel.” Yoon’s defense team argued the ruling “oversimplified the boundary between the exercise of the president’s constitutional powers and criminal liability.”

Prison sentences in the multiple, smaller trials Yoon faces would matter if he is spared the death penalty or life imprisonment at the rebellion trial.

Park SungBae, a lawyer who specializes in criminal law, said there is little chance the court would decide Yoon should face the death penalty in the rebellion case. He said the court will likely issue a life sentence or a sentence of 30 years or more in prison.

South Korea has maintained a de facto moratorium on executions since 1997 and courts rarely hand down death sentences. Park said the court would take into account that Yoon’s decree didn’t cause casualties and didn’t last long, although Yoon hasn’t shown genuine remorse for his action.

South Korea has a history of pardoning former presidents who were jailed over diverse crimes in the name of promoting national unity. Those pardoned include strongman Chun Doo-hwan, who received the death penalty at a district court over his 1979 coup, the bloody 1980 crackdowns of pro-democracy protests that killed about 200 people, and other crimes.

Some observers say Yoon will likely retain a defiant attitude in the ongoing trials to maintain his support base in the belief that he cannot avoid a lengthy sentence but could be pardoned in the future.

On the night of Dec. 3, 2024, Yoon abruptly declared martial law in a televised speech, saying he would eliminate “anti-state forces” and protect “the constitutional democratic order.” Yoon sent troops and police officers to encircle the National Assembly, but many apparently didn’t aggressively cordon off the area, allowing enough lawmakers to get into an assembly hall to vote down Yoon’s decree.

No major violence occurred, but Yoon's stunt caused the biggest political crisis in South Korea and rattled its diplomacy and financial markets. For many, his decree, the first of its kind in more than four decades in South Korea, brought back harrowing memories of past dictatorships in the 1970s and 1980s, when military-backed leaders used martial law and emergency measures to deploy soldiers and tanks on the streets to suppress demonstrations.

After Yoon's ouster, his liberal rival Lee Jae Myung became president via a snap election last June. After taking office, Lee appointed three independent counsels to look into allegations involving Yoon, his wife and associates.

Yoon's other trials deal with charges like ordering drone flights over North Korea to deliberately inflame animosities to look for a pretext to declare martial law. Other charges accuse Yoon of manipulating the investigation into a marine’s drowning in 2023 and receiving free opinion surveys from an election broker in return for a political favor.

A supporter of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shouts slogans outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs and flags outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A supporter of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol waits for a bus carrying former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs as police officers stand guard outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs and flags outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A picture of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is placed on a board as supporters gather outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)