Alex Ovechkin most recognized athlete in Russia

Thirty-two hundred Russians were surveyed, according to the Bookmaker Rating, with 17.4% saying Ovechkin was the most recognized face of all Russian athletes. Evgeni Malkin was 5th in the survey.

That it was an NHL player that topped the list is even more impressive, there being more Russians that watch soccer and tennis, than NHL hockey. Still, we've always known Ovi to be a legend, especially in his native country Russia, where he'll return when his NHL playing days are over.

Tennis player Danil Medvedev came in at second with 7.6%, soccer players Artem Dzyuba and Alexksandr Golovin third and fourth respectively, and of course, Malkin fifth.

The 39 year-old Ovechkin has been the premier Russian athlete in pro sports for the last two decades, and made headlines in Russia when he broke Wayne Gretzky's all-time scoring record in April.

Ovechkin made sport's headlines for the entire duration of The GR8 Chase, which gained momentum and international attention with each goal that he scored to close the gap on 894 goals, and then surpass it with 897 goals, the new NHL record.

Alex Ovechkin represented Russia internationally in multiple tournaments, and was an alternate captain for the Russian ice hockey team in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Among active Russian Sport's bettors, Ovi also led the survey with 37.8% of the votes, followed by Dzyuba and Medvedev.

In other news, Malkin and Crosby have been named to the NHL's quarter-century team, as top-25 players in the last 25 years, as reported by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Congratulations to Ovi, Malkin and Croby on their achievements.