Alexander Ovechkin Posts to Twitter Account That He Is Engaged

It was rumored during the 2012 Summer Olympics that Alexander Ovechkin may have proposed to his girlfriend Maria Kirilenko. 

If you don't know who Maria Kirilenko is, let me fill you in briefly. She is a 25-year-old Russian tennis player, just two years younger than Alex Ovechkin. She is stunningly beautiful, if I do say so myself.

The two have been seen together a lot since they started dating over a year ago.

According to CSN Washington, at the time, it was just a rumor. Although, CSN Washington went on to speculate that Ovechkin stated Kirilenko was "good for him."

When asked "if the sound of wedding bells was in the air" after Kirilenko was spotted with a fancy ring, Ovechkin stated:

"

Oh, no. Just a present from me, thats all. No engagement. No wedding bells.

We have a good relationship. Its always nice to have that kind of person around you. Its good. [sic]

"

Then, today, in perfect time for the new year, the news broke out on Ovechkin's Twitter page with much excitement. That same excitement we saw when Ovechkin went nuts when Kirilenko won a bronze medal for women's tennis during the Olympics this summer. 

"

We are engaged !!!!!!! )))))))))

— Alex Ovechkin (@ovi8) December 31, 2012

"

There you have it ladies, sorry. The Great Eight is off the market and seems ecstatic about it. That's a lot of exclamation points and parentheses. What do those parentheses even mean?

If you were looking to get with a big time Capitals superstar, you are going to have to try your luck with someone else. 

Who knows, maybe the lockout has helped Ovechkin settle down in his personal life. Or is it just a coincidence that during the lockout he got engaged? Who knows.

Maybe it's a stab at the the NHL owners by Ovechkin saying something like, "I don't need your NHL to enjoy my life." Again, who knows. This is all just my own speculation. I could be completely off here. I have been before.

What I do know for a fact, now, is that Alexander Ovechkin and Maria Kirilenko will be getting married. 

Do you think he invites Gary Bettman and Bill Daly to his wedding?