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Stanislav Galiev is living large in the U.S. capital thanks to Alexander the Great.

Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals celebrates his 26th birthday Saturday.

Attending the Washington Capitals' training camp for the second straight year, the Saint John Sea Dogs forward is getting a whiff of the NHL and staying as a house guest of fellow Muscovite Alexander Ovechkin.

Saturday night, quite likely, Galiev will join Ovechkin as the hockey superstar celebrates his 26th birthday.

"He is a pretty fun guy,'' Galiev said this week. "I knew him before this because we both played for the Dynamo in Moscow, but I didn't know him that well. This summer we hung out a few times, and now we are good friends."

The Capitals' third-round pick in the 2010 NHL entry draft, Galiev arrived in Washington on Aug. 15. He stayed in a hotel at first, but after it became too expensive for him, Ovechkin took the young winger under his wing.

"He told me, 'You can move in with me if you want to' '' Galiev said. "I have been staying with him for two weeks."

Galiev, who rooms with fellow Sea Dog Jason Cameron in Saint John, is enjoying somewhat more luxurious accommodations at Ovechkin's residence in Arlington, Va., near the Capitals' training complex. The only player to be named a first-team All-Star in each of his first five NHL seasons, Ovechkin signed a 13-year contract with Washington in 2008 worth $124 million.

"It is a pretty nice house,'' said Galiev, who is sharing the residence with Ovechkin and Dmitry Orlov, another prospect from Russia. A 19-year-old who has scored 125 points in 131 regular-season games with the Sea Dogs, Galiev was thrilled when his mother moved from Moscow to Saint John two years ago to provide him with a little tender loving care and a lot of Borscht.

But there is little home cooking being done at Chez Ovechkin.

Giving a tour of his crash pad to the Sports.com network a few years ago, he showed off his kitchen and then confessed that he needs a few pointers.

Perhaps Gordon Ramsay will make a house call.

"I tried to cook with my brother,'' Ovechkin said. "We were going to make a salad, potatoes and filet mignon.

"The salad was good, but we had no meat and no potatoes.

"There was a lot of fire."

Criticized previously for not taking on a big enough leadership role, Ovechkin showed up at training camp a week early and 10 pounds lighter, and has been skating with the rookies. In a Crosby-esque moment, he even did a floor hockey clinic this week at a Catholic school in Falls Church, Va. for 220 fifth- through eighth-graders.

"For me to get to skate with a player like him, it is a big thing for me,'' Galiev said. "It is like, 'Wow.' "

Galiev was nervous when he came to Washington for his first training camp a year ago, but is more comfortable the second time around. On Thursday, in fact, he had an assist in a game against the Flyers' rookies in Philadelphia, and has caught the eye of Capitals' coach Bruce Boudreau with his hard work.

"When I was drafted by the Capitals, I was super happy,'' he said. "They were my favourite team, and some of my favourite players are here. So it was amazing. But when I came here for the first time I was a little uncomfortable because I didn't know the coaching staff or many of the guys.

"Now I feel like I am in my hometown. I am happy to see everybody again."

Especially Ovechkin, who, quirky as he is, is showing Galiev and the rest of the Capitals' prospects a serious side.

"He tells us what we have to do off the ice, that we have to be disciplined and not to do stupid stuff,'' Galiev said. "He is a real professional and a great guy, and I am happy to be friends with him."

There is of course the other side of Alexander the Great; the fun-loving Ovie side.

Among other things, he boasts that he has Vladimir Putin's home telephone number – "He is never home when I call" and has a keen interest in anything Dolce & Gabbana. He has his own clothing line, a girlfriend he met on a Russian dating site, and a knack for dead-panning in funny TV commercials. He is also extraordinarily talented at video games.

"Every night we go out together and then come back and play FIFA soccer on a Sony PlaySation,'' Galiev said. "We always play two to a team, with me and Dmitry (Orlov) on the same side.

"The first three times we played Alex and his teammate, we beat them."

Then Ovechkin challenged them to another game, with the winner buying dinner. Picture a mongoose inviting a cobra to supper.

Ovechkin easily won his dinner.

"He wanted to go to a steakhouse,'' Galiev said. "Not Subway."

Marty Klinkenberg is the senior writer of the Telegraph-Journal. He can be reached at martyklinkenberg@hotmail.com.