Alex Ovechkin

SEPTEMBER 7th, 2021

Meet Alex Ovechkin, the NHL’s greatest goal-scorer of the 21st century!

Alex Ovechkin is already the greatest goal-scorer of the 21st century. He holds one of the most famous shots in NHL history, a blazing one-timer from the top of the left circle. Alex was born in Russia to a family of top athletes ― none of them hockey players. His path to the NHL came after proving himself with the legendary Moscow Dynamo in the Russian Hockey Super league.

Drafted by the Washington Capitals in 2004, he’s been the anchor of his team ever since. It was a long time in coming, but on June 7, 2018, the Capitals defeated the Vegas Golden Knights and Alex was finally a Stanley Cup champion! Victory was made sweeter when Alex was voted winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. “Alexander the Great” is still playing at the top of his game, with a chance to become No. 1 goal scorer in NHL history!

Published by Scholastic Canada

Reviews

CM Magazine - May 2018

“One of the strengths of “A Time to Run” is the voice. The perspective changes back and forth from Stuart to Sam, and the individual characters speak in very specific, distinct voices. Stuart’s is especially interesting; short, choppy sentences reflect his impulsive nature and give him a childish quality, despite his age of fourteen. Longer, rambling sentences let readers into his jumbled thoughts. The changeover to Sam’s perspective in alternating chapters is smooth but distinct. His chapters show more reflection and successfully display the inner thoughts of a teenage boy who is in the middle of a huge life upheaval.

Everything in the story is believable; the clear and linear plot allows the focus to remain on the characters, and that’s where the real value is in this novel. Nicholson’s characters are familiar and relatable, but rarely stereotypical. Sam’s love interest is an athletic and level-headed girl, and his interest in her isn’t connected to her beauty—in fact, his first description of her describes her as “sweaty”. It’s refreshing to see one fictional character notice another based on personality traits as opposed to appearance.”

Kirkus Reviews - July 2018

“The latest in the author’s One-2-One series (inspired by a real program that matches students with intellectual disabilities with their neurotypical peers), the story of Stuart and Sam’s friendship is sweetly and sensitively told. Both characters are white; Stuart’s adoptive family is black, while Sam’s family immigrated from Bosnia. The book’s best scenes feature the friends together as Stuart strives to make the track-and-field team, and the relationship between the boys is presented authentically.”