Fans who mainly follow national teams will remember the World Championship in Quebec 2008 and the disappointments of the Olympics in Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014. Ovechkin is someone special for everyone. Any great figure inherently attracts not only fans but also haters. In the minds of those indifferent to sports, Alexander embodies hockey. With his name, image, and, of course, his toothless smile. **Ovi's Brand** The smile has long been a part of Ovi's brand. This detail reflects the main stereotype about hockey players — knocked-out teeth. Their absence among players is played up in various shows, films, and series. Alexander himself did not get a tooth implant until the end of his career, and it was not just due to medical reasons and fear of re-injury. The historical moment occurred on October 5, 2007. Still quite green by NHL standards, Ovechkin was hit in the face with the shaft of a stick by Atlanta defenseman Steve McCarthy. Surprisingly, the referees ignored the foul. Blood appeared on the hockey player's lips. He had to finish the match with a cotton swab, and after the game, he received 14 stitches. The front tooth could not withstand the impact and was removed. Thus, Ovechkin's famous gap appeared. As if sensing a surge in popularity, immediately after the operation, Alexander noted: "Girls like this. I look very cool now. Like a warrior!" Since then, Ovechkin has not smiled with all 32 teeth. The gap has become part of his image. **The Big Game** In the hockey world, one can find many players, both active and retired, who have lost more than one tooth over the years. However, Ovechkin has been surrounded by immense attention since his youth. From his first steps in Moscow's Dynamo, it was clear that a big star was rising. Over the years, Alexander's greatness only solidified, and everything associated with him acquired special meanings: tinted visor, yellow laces. And so, the toothless smile has long been associated with Ovechkin. No doubt: the captain of the Washington Capitals has, perhaps, the most recognizable hockey smile on the planet. In theory, Alexander could have restored his tooth long ago. Judging by recent photos, even Brent Burns, whose smile is also quite popular in the NHL, has done so. But Ovechkin consciously refused. A repeated hit to the face with a stick could damage his jaw again and lead to much more serious consequences. Perhaps Alexander understood something else: the absence of the front tooth had long become part of his image as an NHL superstar and a world hockey icon. After his professional career, Ovechkin could very well visit a dentist and restore his front tooth. I am sure that for the opportunity to perform such a transformation on a great hockey player, doctors will have a real race among themselves. However, Alexander's signature smile makes him unlike other stars. Ovechkin will be remembered not only for his record number of goals, the Stanley Cup win, and his lethal one-timer. He will also be remembered for the gap, which over the years has become just as recognizable an element of his sports image. It is from such details that the image of an athlete is formed, one who is recognized even by those who have never watched matches of Moscow's Dynamo, the Russian national team, or the Washington Capitals.