ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have announced that captain Alex Ovechkin will represent Russia at the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship in Helsinki, Finland, and Stockholm, Sweden, which began on May 3 and runs through May 19. Ovechkin will be available at Kettler Capitals Iceplex today at 2:15 p.m.

Ovechkin scored 32 goals this season to earn his third Richard Trophy in his career and became the first player in the trophy’s 13-year history to win the award three times. He also led the NHL in power-play goals (16), shots on goals (220) and tied teammate Mike Ribeiro for the league lead in power-play scoring (27). Ovechkin finished with 56 points (32 goals, 24 assists), tied for third in the league in scoring.

The 27-year-old Moscow native was nominated as one of three finalists for the Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded "to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team." He is a two-time Hart Trophy winner (2007-08, 2008-09) and also was a finalist for the award in 2009-10. In 2009 Ovechkin became the first player in more than a decade to win consecutive Hart Trophies (Dominik Hasek, 1997-98) and the first non-goaltender to do so since Wayne Gretzky won eight in a row (1980-87). He became the third youngest player to win consecutive Hart Trophies, trailing only Gretzky and Bobby Orr.

In addition, Ovechkin was also nominated for the Ted Lindsay Award, presented annually to the “Most Outstanding Player” in the NHL, as voted by fellow members of the NHLPA. He previously received the players’ award in three consecutive seasons (2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10), and he was also a finalist in 2005-06.

2012-13 was the eighth consecutive season that Ovechkin has tallied 30 or more goals. The Caps captain is the only player to have recorded 30 or more goals each season since 2005-06 and is one of just nine players in NHL history to score 30 goals in each of his first eight seasons in the League, joining Glenn Anderson, Mike Bossy, Mike Gartner, Wayne Gretzky, Dale Hawerchuk, Jari Kurri, Luc Robitaille and Bryan Trottier in that accomplishment.

Ovechkin will be making his ninth appearance in the World Championship, having tallied 44 points (26 goals, 18 assists) in 55 games. Ovechkin helped Russia win the gold medal in 2012, tallying two assists in the gold medal game vs. Slovakia. He helped Russia earn the silver medal in 2010 in Germany and led his country to a gold medal during the 2008 tournament in Canada. Ovechkin has appeared in three World Junior Championships (2003, 2004, 2005), the World Cup of Hockey (2004) and the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics.