For Alex Ovechkin, family is everything.
The Washington Capitals superstar winger has scored seven goals in his first two games, and he's the only player since 1917-18 to open the season with two straight hat tricks.
And to what, or whom, does he attribute the early-season success to?
"My wife, her sister is here and every time she's in town I score a hat trick," Ovechkin said Sunday, per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. "So back-to-back (hat tricks) and she's leaving Monday, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to talk to someone to keep her here."
Related: Looking at the wild stats behind Ovechkin's torrid start
It also helps Ovechkin is shooting 50 percent, with his seven goals coming on 14 shots. What's encouraging, though, is six have been scored at even strength after he managed only 16 such goals last season.
Head coach Barry Trotz suggests questions about impending decline may have lit a fire under Ovechkin.
"Everybody says he can't score 50 goals, so he might get in his mind that I'm going to score 70 just to prove you wrong," Trotz said. "I think the top athletes in this game and in all sports, when you doubt them they put their back up and hopefully that happened. That would be a bonus for us and a bonus for Alex."
Washington visits Tampa Bay on Monday, where Ovechkin can make NHL history in a couple of ways. He can become the first player to record a hat trick in three consecutive games, or with a mere two goals, he can set the record for most through his team’s first three games of a season.
Maybe his sister-in-law should push her travel plans to Tuesday.
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