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The Anonymous Side of a Family's Fame

By The OFB Team - June 24, 2008

Credit the Washington Times today for a nose for fresh, creative news: Harlan Goode offers readers a portrait of Alexander Ovechkin's brother Mikhail, who lives and works and resides in the Metro area in comparative obscurity relative to his planet-famous family member. Mikhail's quiet but dedicated life as a newcomer to America is richly illustrated in Goode's piece:

"He has watched his brother's rise to fame with wonder. He was by Alex's side in Raleigh, N.C., the day Washington took him with the first pick in the 2004 draft. He was watching on TV from the house in Arlington when Alex scored "The Goal" against the Phoenix Coyotes a year and a half later. He enjoyed the fruits of Alex's labor when he came to keep his brother company in 2005 - living in the Arlington mansion, traveling to Dallas for the NHL All-Star Game, hobnobbing with Russian celebrities in France on the set of a reality TV show Alex starred in. But aside from the occasional trip to a nightclub, he rarely ventures out anymore with his brother."

In the hockey-light days of late June the Times today reminds us that with a commitment to covering a sport year-round surprising and engaging content can be generated.

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Discussion

7 Comments on "The Anonymous Side of a Family's Fame"

#1

Posted by J.P., June 24, 2008 12:06 PM

Am I the only one that found this story a little bizarre? It sounds like Mikhail sits in a closet at Verizon Center splicing together WNBA highlight reels and not mooching off his brother (and not giving this reporter anything to work with).

And I'm not sure quite how "hockey-light" the brief period in between the draft and free agency is, especially with a handful of pending RFAs and one big pending UFA.

#2

Posted by SovSport, June 24, 2008 2:57 PM

A little too gloom in my opinion. I would actually question a few of the facts/information in the article.

#3

Posted by OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki), June 24, 2008 3:19 PM

The Post didn't send Tarik to cover the NHL draft in Ottawa -- the one that generated two first-round picks. Then he's off to the golf beat, covering Tiger Woods' tourney here -- despite no Tiger.

I agree that this story doesn't follow the big UFA/RFA issues, but with no new developments on that front at the moment I like that the Times is still writing about hockey, and from an angle one doesn't often see.

Sov, I cannot of course comment on the facts/info in the article, though overall it didn't seem particularly gloomy to me... rather it's an interesting take on a superstar's fame from a family member's perspective.

#4

Posted by pucksandbooks, June 24, 2008 3:25 PM

The gloomy part is having to watch Mystics video. Hours of it. As your job.

#5

Posted by SovSport, June 24, 2008 3:34 PM

Take it easy on me :)

#6

Posted by John, June 25, 2008 5:01 PM

Geez, you guys are hard to please.

Your requisite RFA info is below, enjoy:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/weblogs/in-the-room/2008/Jun/25/brooks-laich-update/

#7

Posted by margaret, June 25, 2008 5:32 PM

i thought he had a younger brother.. whatever i don't know everything about the ovechkin family :]
although i heard they're moving in near alexander semin! (my neighbor)
it could all be neighborhood rumours though

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