Alexander Ovechkin sure knows how to unwind. For his vacation, the NHL's reigning Rookie of the Year visited Cyprus, Turkey, and France, and tonight he's driving through his native Moscow in his Lexus, blasting Snoop Dogg en route to a soccer match.

 "My summer has been great," says Ovechkin, 22, in his rapidly improving English, turning down the tunes. "But I'm also going to the gym and getting on the treadmill." Even after last season's 52-goal campaign for the Washington Capitals, he isn't satisfied. "I'm going to try to go to the net more, shoot more, play even harder, and go to the playoffs."

Overachieving is in Ovechkin's genes. The son of Mikhail and Tatiana Ovechkin-a former pro soccer player and a two-time Olympic gold medalist in basketball, respectively-Alexander started playing hockey at age 7. By 16, he was starring for Dynamo Moscow in Russia, and in 2004, Ovechkin was the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft. The ensuing lockout postponed his rookie season in Washington, so Ovechkin refined his toughness-often considered a weakness in foreign NHL players-at home. "In Russia, the game is physical," he says. "If I have the chance to hit somebody, I'm going to hit him."

On January 16, 2006, that grit helped Ovechkin become the NHL's first YouTube sensation. He was dragged down by a Phoenix Coyotes defensemen, yet flipped in a miracle one-handed shot. "It was just instinct," Ovechkin says. "I hope I can make a more beautiful goal next year." Although Ovechkin is making ice hockey cool again, he bristles at the mention of a rivalry with the Pittsburgh Penguins' young star Sidney Crosby. "Me and Crosby, right now, it's enough," he says. "All year, [the media] talks about me and Crosby." He'd much rather discuss his love of rap, filet mignon, and the D.C. area, where he lives with his older brother. "It's a nice life," says Ovechkin. Put everything else on ice.  

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