Sidney Crosby cashed in last summer, and now hockey's Alex Ovechkin is
working to parlay his status as a rising star on the ice into a
feature role as a product pitchman off the ice.

Ovechkin, a forward for the Washington Capitals, was this year's
league MVP while also leading the NHL in scoring and goals. Fellow
third-year player Crosby, center for the Pittsburgh Penguins, had
similar success in 2006-07, when he was the league's top scorer and
MVP, and taking his team to the 2007-08 Stanley Cup Final. The two are
the NHL's biggest and youngest stars, but just how marketable are
Ovechkin and Crosby?

Can they break through hockey barriers and into the mainstream like
Wayne Gretzky, who built long-term relationships with companies such
as Ford, a brand he still represents 10 years after he retired? Or
will they be relegated to endorsements largely unseen outside their
local markets?

"Ovechkin certainly has enthusiasm and personality as his greatest
assets," said Bob Stellick, president of Stellick Marketing
Communications Inc., Toronto, a firm specializing in hockey and other
sports. "With the Capitals having some success this year, it has
certainly helped his profile. However, his English skills and the fact
that Washington is not a major U.S. market team — like New York,
Chicago, L.A. or Boston — doesn't help.