Ovechkin Talks Move From Center To Wing Growing Up, Chimes In On Barbie-Oppenheimer Debate & Posting On Fan Forums As Teenager

The Capitals captain discussed his hockey experience growing up, the current state of the game and more in a new Russian interview.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin had some fun in a recent interview where he got to share his take on the summer blockbusters taking the world by storm while reflecting on his career and a lifelong love of hockey.

Ovechkin looked at the state of hockey today, his experience and much more during a sit-down with Russian outlet MatchTV's Pavel Lysenkov.

The 37-year-old shared how he chose to move to the wing as he continued his hockey career after starting out as a center.

"I started playing hockey as a center. Then I was put on the wing," he recalled, as translated by DeepL.

Ovechkin broke down the differences between the two, calling it a "completely different game" dependent on where you are.

"It's completely different. You have to be responsible for getting out of the zone, for the central formation," he said of playing pivot. "The winger has a calmer role where you are only responsible for your side. You have to keep up with the attack and in the defensive zone but on your side."

He also commented on the everchanging pace of the game while stating how important it is to maintain consistency and add strength to your game.

"Hockey's been changing since I first came to the NHL.... stable performance is one of the keys to success," Ovechkin explained. "If you look at the hockey players who come to the NHL, yes, they're skilled and technical, but they're not very strong physically, unfortunately. If you get hit... you have to take the hit. Most guys who are good with the puck don't always show the physicality at the right time, and they get in trouble."

Ovechkin was also asked about whether or not he follows media reports closely and if he ever made a burner account to comment on articles. While he said he's never done that, he admitted to constantly posting on Dynamo Moscow -- his KHL club -- forums as a teenager.

"When I was a fan, I used to write on forums. I remember back then [that] the page took 10 minutes to load. I was bombarded with messages like, 'Dynamo is the champion,' I was 12, 13 years old," he said.

To close out the interview, Lysenkov gave Ovechkin a fun question: Barbie or Oppenheimer?

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I haven't seen a single movie," Ovechkin said, and when asked if he had "Barbie-mania," he responded, "I definitely don't have it."