Ice hockey-Ovechkin headlines Russian World Cup squad

TORONTO, March 2 (Reuters) - Washington Capitals sharpshooter Alexander Ovechkin will spearhead an Russian attack at the World Cup of Hockey as the Russian Ice Hockey Federation announced the initial roster for the September showcase on Wednesday. A three-time National Hockey League MVP, Ovechkin leads the NHL in goals with 40 this season but will not carry the offensive burden alone with a lineup that includes teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov, who sits fifth in scoring with 20 goals and 65 points, and Detroit Red Wings playmaker Pavel Datsyuk. The eight teams taking part in the Sept. 17 to Oct. 1 World Cup which will be played in Toronto must complete their 23 man rosters by June 1. The World Cup will be the first since 2004. Squad: Goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky (Columbus Blue Jackets), Semyon Varlamov (Colorado Avalanche), Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning) Defence Dmitry Kulikov (Florida Panthers), Andrei Markov (Montreal Canadiens), Dmitry Orlov (Washington Capitals) Forwards Artem Anisimov (Chicago Blackhawks), Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit Red Wings), Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay), Nikolay Kulemin (New York Islanders), Evgeny Kuznetsov (Washington), Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins), Vladislav Namestnikov (Tampa Bay), Alex Ovechkin (Washington), Artemi Panarin (Chicago Blackhawks), Vladimir Tarasenko (St. Louis Blues) (Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto Editing by Mark Heinrich)