Alexei Kovalev

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This article is about the Russian ice hockey coach and former NHL player. For other uses, see Alexei Kovalev (disambiguation).
Alexei Kovalev
Kovalev with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2011
Born (1973-02-24) February 24, 1973 (age 51)
Tolyatti, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 222 lb (101 kg; 15 st 12 lb)
Position Right wing
Shot Left
Played for Dynamo Moscow
New York Rangers
Lada Togliatti
Pittsburgh Penguins
Montreal Canadiens
Ak Bars Kazan
Ottawa Senators
Atlant Moscow Oblast
Florida Panthers
National team Unified Team and
 Russia
NHL Draft 15th overall, 1991
New York Rangers
Playing career 1989–2014
2016–2017

Alexei Vyacheslavovich Kovalev (Russian: Алексей Вячеславович Ковалёв, IPA: [ɐlʲɪkˈsʲej vʲɪtɕɪˈslavəvʲɪtɕ kəvɐˈlʲɵf]; born February 24, 1973) is a Russian professional ice hockey coach, executive and former professional player. He is currently serving as the assistant coach for HC Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

During his career, he played in over 1,300 National Hockey League (NHL) games over 18 seasons for the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, and Florida Panthers between 1992 and 2013. He was originally drafted by the Rangers and won a Stanley Cup with them in 1994.

Kovalev also played in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) with Atlant Moscow Oblast, and was last active with EHC Visp of Switzerland's National League B.[1]

Playing career[edit]

Kovalev was drafted by the New York Rangers in the first round, 15th overall, of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He became the first Russian-born player to be drafted in the first round in the history of the NHL as well as the first Soviet player to be drafted in the first round. Best known for his stickhandling skills, deking ability and wrist shot, he became an important part of the Rangers' 1994 Stanley Cup run, finishing with the third-most points for New York in the 1994 playoffs. Kovalev, Alexander Karpovtsev, Sergei Nemchinov and Sergei Zubov were the first Russians to have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup.[2] The Rangers' Stanley Cup win is well remembered in Europe because of the first Russian names on the Stanley Cup, as MSG Network broadcaster Al Trautwig said in his essay, Garden of Dreams.[2]

During the 1994–95 NHL lockout, Kovalev returned to Russia to play for his hometown team Lada Togliatti, the defending International Hockey League champion from 1994. Kovalev scored eight goals and eight assists in 12 games.[citation needed] He also participated in Lada Togliatti's 30th anniversary game, and scored a hat-trick for the Lada veterans team.[citation needed]

Just 14 games into the 1998–99 season, on November 25, 1998, Kovalev was traded, along with Harry York, to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Petr Nedvěd, Sean Pronger and Chris Tamer. While only putting up 46 points in 63 games with the Penguins, he managed a strong effort with 12 points in 10 post-season games. In the next two seasons, he recorded two of his best seasons in the NHL with 76 and 95 points, respectively.

In a trade to mainly reduce their salary, Pittsburgh sent Kovalev back to the Rangers on February 10, 2003. He was sent, along with Dan LaCouture, Janne Laukkanen and Mike Wilson, for Mikael Samuelsson, Rico Fata, Joel Bouchard, Richard Lintner and cash.

On March 13, 2004, Kovalev was traded to the Montreal Canadiens for Jozef Balej and a second-round draft pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. While only managing three points in 12 games in the regular season, Kovalev broke out in the 2004 playoffs, registering six goals and ten points in 11 games.

Kovalev spent the 2004–05 NHL lockout playing for Ak Bars Kazan, in the Russian Superleague (RSL), where he registered 23 points in 35 games. He then played for Russia at the 2005 World Championships in Austria, and was named the tournament's best forward.

As an unrestricted free agent, Kovalev opted to re-sign with Montreal on a four-year contract paying $4.5 million annually just prior to the start of the 2005–06 season, on August 3. He scored his 300th career goal and recorded his 700th point on December 20, 2005, against Dominik Hašek in a 4–3 win against the Ottawa Senators.[citation needed]

In 2006, Warrior signed Kovalev to endorse their hockey sticks. Warrior designed a custom shaft known as the AK27.

In 2007, Kovalev sparked controversy when he allegedly criticized his team, coaching staff and the Montreal media in an interview with a Russian reporter in his native language. Though the reporter who conducted the interview later rescinded Kovalev's quotes, and the tape she used never surfaced, a majority of the fans and members of the media believe the criticism to have actually happened.[citation needed] This story was especially controversial due to the poor performance by Kovalev in the 2006–07 season, amassing only 18 goals, 29 assists for a total of 47 points.

During the 2007–08 season, Kovalev found a resurgence playing alongside linemates Andrei Kostitsyn and Tomáš Plekanec, recording a total of 35 goals, 49 assists for a total of 84 points in 82 games. As of the season's completion, he stood at the 94th spot of the top 100 all-time NHL scorers.[3] Due to his inspired play, Kovalev was awarded the Canadiens' captaincy on two occasions during the season, replacing the injured Saku Koivu in his absence.

The following season, in 2008–09, Kovalev was named captain of the Eastern Conference at the 2009 NHL All-Star game in Montreal, and won Most Valuable Player honors as a result of his two goals, assist and game-winning shootout goal.[4] Late in the season with the Canadiens, Kovalev scored his 100th goal with the club on March 31, 2009, against former teammate and Canadiens goaltender Cristobal Huet of the Chicago Blackhawks.[5] At the end of the week, he was named the NHL's First Star for the Week ending April 5 after scoring two goals and seven assists, helping lead the Canadiens to three wins during that time.[6]

Kovalev with the Ottawa Senators.

On July 6, 2009, Kovalev signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Ottawa Senators as an unrestricted free agent.[7] On December 25, 2009, Kovalev was excluded from the main roster for the Russian team for the 2010 Winter Olympics, to the surprise of fellow countryman Evgeni Malkin (though he was selected as a reserve by Team Russia in case an injury occurred during the tournament).[8][9] On January 3, 2010, Kovalev scored a career-high four goals in a 7–4 win against the Philadelphia Flyers. [10]

On November 22, 2010, Kovalev netted his sixth goal of the season, scoring his 1,000th point in his career, notching the goal at exactly 10:00 of the first period against the Los Angeles Kings.

Kovalev during his second tenure with the Penguins in March 2011.

On February 24, 2011, his 38th birthday, Kovalev waived his no-trade clause to be traded back to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a conditional seventh-round draft pick.[11] The pick would have been upgraded to the sixth round if the Penguins had reached the second round of the playoffs, which they did not. At the time of the trade, the Penguins were without 12 of their regular players, including Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

Kovalev's return to Pittsburgh was brief, as General Manager Ray Shero announced on May 28, 2011, that he had no intention of re-signing the underachieving forward.[12]

After failing to sign with an NHL team for the 2011–12 season, Kovalev returned to Russia to play with the Atlant Moscow Oblast in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).[13] In June 2012, he was released from the two-year deal he signed with Atlant Moscow Oblast, at which point he declared his desire to return to the NHL.[14] "Hopefully, I'll find an NHL team," Kovalev told the Montreal Gazette.

After the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Kovalev was given a tryout by the Florida Panthers,[15] eventually signing a one-year contract with the team.[16] "You could see how talented they are and they want to be in this League. All I want to do is help them. …I know I can match anyone in this locker room. I can still play this game," Kovalev said about the Panthers.[17] In his first game as a Panther, Kovalev scored a goal and recorded two assists, one of the latter of which was an assist on teammate Jonathan Huberdeau's first career NHL goal.

On March 21, 2013, Kovalev officially announced his retirement from professional hockey.[18] At that point, he had not played for the Panthers since a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on February 22.[19]

However, Kovalev's retirement lasted less than three months. Swiss National League B (NLB) team EHC Visp announced on June 10, 2013, that they had signed him to a one-year contract with an option for a second year.[1] He appeared in 44 regular season games, notching 22 goals and 30 assists for 52 points and winning Swiss NLB championship.

On July 3, 2014, Kovalev again announced his retirement from professional hockey at the age of 41.[20]

On January 30, 2016, Kovalev revealed that he was yet again considering a return to professional ice hockey in the NHL. He referenced Jaromír Jágr, who is of similar age to him, as his reason to believe a comeback was possible. A team specifically mentioned was the Canadiens, however no team reached out to him.[21]

Kovalev made a return to professional ice hockey on October 18, 2016, playing again for EHC Visp, the team he has become general manager of, after forward William Rapuzzi became injured before the day of the game. Kovalev gathered an assist on a goal by Jon Rheault, and finished the game with 14 penalty minutes, after receiving a game misconduct and being ejected from the game in the third period, for a hit from behind.[22] Kovalev had been taking part in team practices since the beginning of the season.[23]

Managing career[edit]

In March 2016, it was announced that Kovalev has signed with EHC Visp of the Swiss National League B to become general manager of the club.[24]

Accomplishments[edit]

  • First Russian/Soviet player to be drafted in the first round; 15th Overall, First Round, 1991
  • One of the first four Russian players (along with Alexander Karpovtsev, Sergei Nemchinov, and Sergei Zubov) to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup;
  • First Russian player to be a captain of an All-Star Team;
  • Captain of the 2009 NHL Eastern Conference All-Star Team;
  • Most Valuable Player of the 2009 NHL All-Star Game;
  • November 23, 2010, recorded 1,000th (and 1,001st) career point(s) against the Los Angeles Kings, scoring a goal and an assist;
  • Most NHL games played by a player born and trained in the Soviet Union (1,302).

Personal life[edit]

At the age of eight, Kovalev himself was diagnosed with a heart disorder that prevented him from playing hockey for two years while he underwent treatment.[25]

Kovalev is a licensed aircraft pilot.[26] He has a step sister Adel Bukary and a brother Maximilian Kovalev. His parents hailed from Brighton Beach, Brooklyn.

Charity Work[edit]

In October 2006, he unveiled the Kovy's Kids Suite at the Bell Centre to give children with heart conditions the opportunity to attend hockey games at the Bell Centre.[27] In March 2008, Kovalev released a two-disc DVD titled My Hockey Tips and Training Methods. He donated 100 percent of the DVD sale profits to charities that promote cardiac care for children.[28]

Career statistics[edit]

Regular season and playoffs[edit]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1989–90 Dynamo Moscow USSR 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1990–91 Dynamo Moscow USSR 18 1 2 3 4 — — — — —
1990–91 Dynamo–2 Moscow USSR-3 21 16 9 25 20 — — — — —
1991–92 Dynamo Moscow CIS 26 16 8 24 16 7 1 1 2 4
1991–92 Dynamo–2 Moscow CIS-3 4 5 0 5 12 — — — — —
1992–93 New York Rangers NHL 65 20 18 38 79 — — — — —
1992–93 Binghamton Rangers AHL 13 13 11 24 35 9 3 5 8 14
1993–94 New York Rangers NHL 76 23 33 56 154 23 9 12 21 18
1994–95 Lada Togliatti IHL 12 8 8 16 49 — — — — —
1994–95 New York Rangers NHL 48 13 15 28 30 10 4 7 11 10
1995–96 New York Rangers NHL 81 24 34 58 98 11 3 4 7 14
1996–97 New York Rangers NHL 45 13 22 35 42 — — — — —
1997–98 New York Rangers NHL 73 23 30 53 44 — — — — —
1998–99 New York Rangers NHL 14 3 4 7 12 — — — — —
1998–99 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 63 20 26 46 37 10 5 7 12 14
1999–00 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 82 26 40 66 94 11 1 5 6 10
2000–01 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 79 44 51 95 96 18 5 5 10 16
2001–02 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 67 32 44 76 80 — — — — —
2002–03 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 54 27 37 64 50 — — — — —
2002–03 New York Rangers NHL 24 10 3 13 20 — — — — —
2003–04 New York Rangers NHL 66 13 29 42 54 — — — — —
2003–04 Montreal Canadiens NHL 12 1 2 3 12 11 6 4 10 8
2004–05 Ak Bars Kazan RSL 35 10 12 22 80 4 0 0 0 8
2005–06 Montreal Canadiens NHL 69 23 42 65 76 6 4 3 7 4
2006–07 Montreal Canadiens NHL 73 18 29 47 78 — — — — —
2007–08 Montreal Canadiens NHL 82 35 49 84 70 12 5 6 11 8
2008–09 Montreal Canadiens NHL 78 26 39 65 74 4 2 1 3 2
2009–10 Ottawa Senators NHL 77 18 31 49 54 — — — — —
2010–11 Ottawa Senators NHL 54 14 13 27 28 — — — — —
2010–11 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 20 2 5 7 16 7 1 1 2 10
2011–12 Atlant Moscow Oblast KHL 22 1 5 6 16 — — — — —
2012–13 Florida Panthers NHL 14 2 3 5 6 — — — — —
2013–14 EHC Visp NLB 44 22 30 52 82 11 7 8 15 37
2016–17 EHC Visp NLB 11 3 7 10 24 — — — — —
NHL totals 1,316 430 599 1,029 1,304 123 45 55 100 114

International[edit]

Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  Russia
Winter Olympics
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Salt Lake City
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Austria
Representing Unified Team
Winter Olympics
Gold medal – first place 1992 Albertville
World Junior Championship
Representing  CIS
Gold medal – first place 1992 Germany
European Junior Championship
Silver medal – second place 1991 Czechoslovakia
Silver medal – second place 1990 Sweden
Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
1990 Soviet Union EJC 6 4 3 7 6
1991 Soviet Union EJC 6 8 3 11 22
1992 CIS WJC 7 5 5 10 2
1992 Unified Team OLY 8 1 2 3 14
1992 Russia WC 6 0 1 1 0
1996 Russia WCH 5 2 1 3 8
1998 Russia WC 6 5 2 7 14
2002 Russia OLY 6 3 1 4 4
2004 Russia WCH 4 2 1 3 4
2005 Russia WC 9 3 4 7 16
2006 Russia OLY 8 4 2 6 4
Junior totals 19 17 11 28 30
Senior totals 52 20 14 34 64

Awards and achievements[edit]

NHL[edit]

International[edit]

Transactions[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Hockey-Olympiasieger Kowalew ins Wallis!". blick.ch. June 10, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Kalinsky, George (2004). Garden of Dreams. New York: Stewart, Tabori, & Chang. ISBN 1-58479-343-0.
  3. ^ Montreal Canadiens Stats
  4. ^ "Kovalev, Thornton named All-Star team captains". TSN.ca. January 22, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  5. ^ "Canadiens put away Blackhawks". CBC. 2009-03-31. Archived from the original on 4 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
  6. ^ "Kovalev named NHL 1st star of the week". CBC. 2009-04-06. Archived from the original on 12 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
  7. ^ "KOVALEV SIGNS TWO-YEAR DEAL WITH SENATORS". The Sports Network. 2009-07-06. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  8. ^ "Kovalev, Frolov, Zubov and Kulemin added to Olympics squad - Russia at Olympics in Vancouver news, interviews, quotes, videos". Archived from the original on 2010-01-25. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
  9. ^ Scaringi, Joe, "From Russia with Love" Archived 2010-02-20 at the Wayback Machine, 10 February 2010, accessed 21 June 2010.
  10. ^ "Senators 7, Flyers 4". Associated Press. 2010-01-04. Archived from the original on 2010-01-29. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  11. ^ "Pens Acquire Kovalev From Sens For Conditional 7th-Round Pick". TSN. February 24, 2011. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  12. ^ "Mike Comrie and Alex Kovalev won't be Penguins next season - ProHockeyTalk". ProHockeyTalk. 29 May 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  13. ^ Nicholas Goss. "NHL". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  14. ^ NHL notes: Jackets listening to offers for No. 2 pick [1][usurped]
  15. ^ "Alex Kovalev, Marek Svatos invited to Florida Panthers training camp". miamiherald. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  16. ^ "Florida Panthers: Veteran Alex Kovalev signs". tribunedigital-sunsentinel. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  17. ^ "Russian star Alex Kovalev hopes to supply firepower and advice to the Panthers". tribunedigital-sunsentinel. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  18. ^ KOVALEV RETIRES AFTER 19 YEARS IN THE NHL https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=418798
  19. ^ Report: Alex Kovalev retires http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=661513
  20. ^ KOVALYOV ENDS CAREER http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/?tx_ttnews[tt_news]=9013&cHash=12505355ad405fd158fdc0ec55fb95e1
  21. ^ "Alex Kovalev still wants to play in the NHL: 'If Jagr can do it, so can I"". 30 January 2016.
  22. ^ "Alex Kovalev Makes Surprise Comeback in Swiss League, Gets Ejected". sportsnet.ca. 2016-10-18.
  23. ^ "EHC Visp's Alexei Kovalev Makes Comeback in Game Against EVZ Academy". swisshockeynews.ch. 2016-10-18.
  24. ^ Visp, EHC. "Alexei Kovalev is EHC Visp's new team manager, Visp signs several new players". swisshockeynews.ch. Retrieved 2016-03-24.
  25. ^ Brodie, Rob (27 August 2010). "Kovalev foundation raises funds to make hearts beat". NHL.com. Ottawa Senators. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  26. ^ Grief, Ari (31 March 2013). "Alex Kovalev: The Merchant of Chills and Thrills". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 12 December 2017. Alex Kovalev is an accomplished and licensed aircraft pilot
  27. ^ "Kovalev committed to kids in need". NHL.com. Montreal: Montreal Canadiens. 24 October 2006. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  28. ^ The Canadian Press (17 March 2008). "HABS FORWARD KOVALEV SAYS HOCKEY DVD TO HELP KIDS WITH HEART TROUBLE". hehockeynews.com. Montreal: The Hockey News. Retrieved 12 December 2017.

External links[edit]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by New York Rangers first round draft pick
1991 		Succeeded by
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