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.

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