Russian NHL star Ovechkin signs long-term deal with Capitals
Alexander Ovechkin, a 22-year-old Russian left wing who shares second place among National Hockey League goal scorers this season, has signed a long-term contract with the Washington Capitals.
No terms of the deal were immediately released but ESPN reported the contract was a 13-year deal worth 124 million dollars.
Ovechkin, in the final season of an entry-level contract, has 32 goals and 20 assists in 43 games for the Captials this season. That ranks him ninth on the NHL scoring list and far atop the team point production totals.
Only compatriot Ilya Kovalchuk of Atlanta with 35 goals has found the net more than "Ovie" this season.
Capitals owner Ted Leonsis has long said he would keep Ovechkin, the young star being the main lure for dwindling crowds even as the team has risen from the NHL basement to have an outside playoff hope at mid-season.
As a teen, Ovechkin played for Moscow Dynamo in his homeland but made the jump to the NHL in 2005.
Ovechkin won the Calder Trophy as the NHL`s top rookie in the 2005-2006 season, beating out Canadian star Sidney Crosby of Pittsburgh for the honor by scoring 52 goals and contributing 54 assists.
Last season, Ovechkin scored 46 goals and added 46 assists.
Ovechkin`s defining moment as a playmaker came on January 16, 2006, when he scored while sliding on his back and facing away from the goal, hooking the puck into the net with a one-handed shot after being knocked down by a defender.
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