Ovechkin racked up over 30 traffic tickets on Russian summer vacation: report
NHL legend Alexander Ovechkin had quite the summer vacation.
The Washington Capitals superstar had an extended holiday this offseason and opted to spend most of his time traveling around his native Russia. According to a report from Russian publication Mash On Sports, the NHL’s all-time leading goal-scorer also got in trouble with the law on a number of occasions.
Ovechkin reportedly picked up a whopping 33 traffic tickets on the four-month road trip, which eventually totalled up to 82,000 Russian Rubles, or C$1,355.
REPORT#ALLCAPS Alexander Ovechkin got 33 traffic fines during his Russian summer vacation.
Per Mash Sport TG (translated): pic.twitter.com/13cW2ppTnK
— Jeremy Garrett HNH (@HockeyNewsHub) August 24, 2026
The tickets were all due to traffic violations, with the Russian publication stating they included everything from speeding to parking tickets. All of the offences were allegedly done while Ovechkin was driving his Aurus Arsenal, a luxury Russian-made van that carried a speciality license plate that reads “008” in reference to his iconic #8 jersey number.
It doesn’t appear that the fines will do much to impact Ovechkin’s broader finances. He is set to embark on a one-year, $4.5-million contract with the Capitals and carried a cap hit of $9.5 million this past season.
This wouldn’t be the first case of an NHL superstar getting hit with traffic violations while enjoying their offseason. Hall of Famer Teemu Selanne would routinely get hit with speeding tickets in his native Finland, and due to the country’s laws tying fine amounts to salary, they would often hit surprising totals.
In 2000, Selanne was caught going 73 km/h in a 50 km/h zone and was forced to dish out a whopping US$39,000, which would have been approximately C$57,000 at the time.
While Ovechkin’s NHL career has been a storied one, he may want to consider slowing down the next time he decides to go on vacation.