Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin has revealed his motivation for pursuing a scientific degree, explaining that he hopes to use his research to support the growth of hockey in Russia.
The 39-year-old forward, who completed a pre-defense of his candidate dissertation in 2021, has long been working on a thesis comparing technical and tactical training methods in North American and Russian professional hockey. Although he successfully defended a 145-page dissertation in 2022 on the topic “Organization of training process of technical and tactical orientation in professional hockey clubs of Russia and the National Hockey League,” he has yet to formally defend it in front of a scientific council. A pre-defense meeting in 2021 saw all 14 members of the academic council and reviewers vote unanimously in favor of the work.
When asked about his goals, Ovechkin said: “In the future, I would like to defend my thesis to help our Russian hockey develop and move forward.”
He explained his choice of topic: “I want to share the experience I have gained. I think it’s the right thing to do. Besides, in the future I would like to open my own hockey school. All the methods I have acquired in my career, I wanted to present in the dissertation and apply them in practice.”
When questioned about how he found time for such academic work, Ovechkin credited his support team: “I had a fantastic team that helped me. Everything was top-notch.”
Ovechkin’s pursuit of a scientific degree, which would make him a Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, underscores his commitment to contributing to the sport beyond his playing career. The research, which analyzed technical-tactical preparation in teams across North America and Russia, reflects his unique perspective as a player who has excelled in both the NHL and international hockey.
