Ovechkin struggled with drills at age 8

When Sasha was 8, he struggled to stay on his feet in practice and had trouble doing figure-eight drills. In games, the coach wouldn't put him on the ice until late in the game, and only if it was already a blowout. His peers were way ahead of him.
Then, thanks to his parents and their favoured standing in the Russian sports world, he started to practice up to three times a day, often individually with the best coaches. Skating, Strength. Puck handling.
Today, Alexander Ovechkin is the best, or second best, player in hockey.
Not every late-blooming kid turns out to be an Ovechkin. But the benefits of practice, focus and dedication apply across the board at every skill level, on the ice and in life.
When skating was a barrier to my son fully enjoying hockey in his first year, we enrolled him in power skating lessons with London's Larry Turgeon and the Lambeth Skating Program. It paid dividends. My son soon went from being unable to skate backwards across the ice to being one of the fastest, elite skating players in his league. It wasn't genetics or anything I did or anything his minor hockey coaches did (it's not their job to teach skating). It was my son's focus and getting better and the talent of his instructor.
All parents of young players starting out in hockey should invest in power skating lessons. It's the core skill. It's wiser to spend money on power skating early instead of excessive tournaments - and fancy composite sticks.
BTW, the new Ovechkin biography is now on my reading table.Search Amazon.com for Alexander Ovechkin