Commentator Dmitry Guberniev expressed hope that Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin will defend his doctoral dissertation at a prestigious American university. Guberniev stated, “I hope that Alexander, being an intelligent and talented person, will defend his doctoral dissertation at a prestigious American university to somewhat balance the American and Russian education systems.”
It was previously reported that in the summer of 2021, Ovechkin was recommended for the public defense of his scientific dissertation following an event at the Federal Scientific Center for Physical Culture and Sports under the Russian Ministry of Sports. If the defense had taken place, the hockey star would have become a candidate of pedagogical sciences. However, Ovechkin has not yet conducted the defense, although all 14 members of the academic council and reviewers unanimously supported him during the preliminary defense. The topic of his dissertation was: “Comparative Analysis of Technical and Tactical Preparation in Teams in North America and Russia.”
Guberniev added, “Now Alexander needs to defend his doctorate. How does he manage to do everything—both here and there? Like the famous Borshchov—swimming in fountains and helping ladies! I hope that Alexander, as a clever and gifted person, will defend his doctoral degree at a prestigious American university to slightly balance the American and Russian education systems.”
In 2008, Ovechkin graduated from the Russian State University of Physical Culture, Sports, Youth, and Tourism. He previously mentioned his interest in defending his candidate dissertation, saying, “In the future, I would like to defend it to help develop Russian hockey.”
