Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin has explained his motivation for writing a candidate dissertation, stating his goal is to contribute to the future of Russian hockey.
Ovechkin told Match TV that he wants to share the knowledge and experience he has gained throughout his career. “I believe it’s the right thing to do. In the future, I hope to open my own hockey school. All the methods I’ve developed during my career, I wanted to put into a dissertation so they can be applied in practice,” he said.
In 2022, Ovechkin completed a 145-page work titled “Organization of Technical and Tactical Training in Professional Hockey Clubs of Russia and the National Hockey League.” However, scientific reviewer Victor Gorsky later clarified that Ovechkin has not yet defended the dissertation. If he does, the 40-year-old forward could become a candidate of pedagogical sciences.
Ovechkin graduated from the Russian State University of Physical Culture, Sport, Youth and Tourism in 2008. He now holds the NHL record for most career regular-season goals with 929 in 1,573 games, surpassing Canadian legend Wayne Gretzky (894 goals in 1,487 games).
This season marks his 21st in the NHL and the final year of his current contract with Washington. Ovechkin has not yet announced his future plans, saying earlier that he will make a decision on continuing his career during the offseason.