Alex Ovechkin’s legend has grown in each year of his decades-long NHL career. Since being drafted first overall by the Capitals in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Ovechkin has continuously put himself in conversations with hockey’s all-time greats.
From the 2005-06 Calder Memorial Trophy to his three Hart Memorial Trophies and a Stanley Cup title, Ovechkin’s impact has been felt throughout the 21st century.
Like most veteran athletes, Ovechkin has had the support of his family over his 20-year career in the NHL. After growing up with two brothers as the son of two Russian athletes, Ovechkin is now a husband and father to two of his own sons.
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Here’s everything to know about Ovechkin’s family tree.
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Alex Ovechkin parents
Athleticism runs in Ovechkin’s family — he’s the son of two Soviet athletes. His mother, Tatyana Ovechkina, is a former basketball player who played for the Soviet Union’s national women’s squad. Over her hoops career, Ovechkina’s national teams won two Olympic gold medals (1976 and 1980), the 1975 World Championships, and six European Championships.
Tatyana’s basketball career isn’t over, either, as she now runs Russia’s women’s national basketball program. Ovechkina’s former number in basketball was No. 8 — a reason that Ovechkin claimed the same number with the Capitals, as he’s now known as “The Great 8.”
Ovechkin’s father, Mikhail, was a professional soccer player for some time. Before Mikhail Ovechkin died in February 2023, he would often support his son’s hockey career by traveling from Russia. Mikhail and Tatyana both helped spark Alex Ovechkin’s love for hockey.
“My father, I remember, he would go on some trips and bring me some goalie helmets,” Ovechkin said in 2008, per NHL.com. “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.”
Alex Ovechkin brothers
Ovechkin grew up with two older brothers, Sergei and Mikhail. According to The Hockey Writers, Sergei helped introduce Alex to organized hockey and helped his little brother get to his hockey events when his parents couldn’t do so.
What happened to Sergei Ovechkin?
Sergei Ovechkin died of a blood clot following a car accident when Alex was 10. The day after his brother died, Ovechkin’s parents insisted that he play in his youth hockey game.
“It was hard, I was crying. I remember I was crying that day,” Ovechkin said in 2015 of his brother’s death, according to Fox Sports. “I was on the bench, I was crying. But my shift, my coach said okay, go play. And I played and I was crying. It was hard, but at 10 years old, you obviously [don’t] realize what’s happening. It was a hard moment for my mom and dad, for all my famil,y because oldest son passed away. It was a hard time.”
Throughout his hockey career, Alex Ovechkin has often kissed his glove and pointed to the sky in tribute to his late brother.
MORE: Everything to know about the Alex Ovechkin vs. Sidney Crosby rivalry
Who is Alex Ovechkin’s wife?
Ovechkin is married to Anastasia Shubskaya, who also goes by Nastasiya or Nastya. The couple announced their engagement in September 2015 and got married in 2016.
Shubskaya is the daughter of Russian actress Vera Glagoleva. She and Ovechkin met at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, per People Magazine, and reconnected in 2015 prior to the start of their relationship.
Shubskaya has worked as a model in the past and has over 500,000 followers on Instagram.
Alex Ovechkin kids
Ovechkin has two sons with Shubskaya. His oldest, Sergei, was born in 2018 and is named after his late brother. His younger son, Ilya, was born in 2020.
Sergei and Ilya can often be seen at Capitals games, rooting on their father as he racks up NHL milestones.
Sergei Ovechkin is the best goal scorer of all-time pic.twitter.com/1rvgS4or5H
— ryan 🛸 (@OTCellyy) February 4, 2023
Where is Alex Ovechkin from?
Ovechkin was born in Moscow, Russia. He grew as a young hockey player in the Dynamo Moscow system and began playing in the Russian Super League in the 2001-02 season.
Although he was drafted to the NHL in 2004, Ovechkin played the 2004-05 season for Dynamo Moscow due to the NHL lockout. He made his debut with the Capitals in the 2005-06 season.
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