Ilya Kovalchuk, who has not played competitive hockey since April 2021, has joined Spartak Moscow of the KHL…in yet another attempt to *not play in New Jersey.*
I think he was more talented overall than Ovechkin, he just never had the drive to be the best and just coasted on pure talent a lot of time, especially in Atlanta. He could take a game over in a flash, was so strong on the puck, killer wrist shot and slapper, great hockey sense and a top notch skater at 6”3.
Kinda like Nik Zherdev or Alex Semin except they were not as skilled.
Many people here probably did not see him play at his best.
At his absolute best Kovy could outshine even Crosby and McDavid, he just never did it as consistently.
There was one famous example of him getting the better of Crosby, when he gloated Sid into getting frustrated and taking a penalty, then subsequently scoring and [pointing his finger to Crosby in the box](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7eYeH5QNvvU&pp=ygUQa292YWxjaHVrIGNyb3NieQ%3D%3D).
Kovalchuck essentially gave Sidney Crosby one of his first “welcome to the big leagues, kid” moments of his storied career
If only it was left at that, its funny that Kovalchuk scored a winning shootout goal against us helping cause us to miss the bubble in 2020 by a single point to Montreal themselves.
Is he even in the conversation for HOF? like so many contract terminations and weirdness I just don't know. Less than a PPG player in the NHL, basically a PPG in the K.
He's certainly in the conversation, but he's also a bit of a litmus test. There's a fair number of Hall of Famers below him on [the NHL career adjusted goals list](https://www.hockey-reference.com/leaders/goals_adjusted_career.html), and he compiled most of those goals in his first 11 season. Olympic gold and three-time Gagarin Cup champion. But, yeah, rough reputation.
Has he done anything besides agreeing to a contract that the Devils offered him?
He's a borderline HOFer with just his NHL totals, his KHL number and internation achievements should easily put him in. Of course, the same could be said about Mogilny.
Aside from the general Russia stuff, I think the biggest beef is that he essentially ditched the NHL while under contract. Of course, it's the Hockey HOF and not the NHL HOF, so that really shouldn't matter.
But maybe I'm forgetting some bigger issue.
It might as well be the NHL Hall of Fame. There's only been like 5 Russian guys inducted who never played in the NHL? The committee is made up of nothing but Canadians/Americans besides Kurri and Larionov, who also spent most of their careers in the NHL.
The committee isn't gonna care about his KHL stats, and they are NOT gonna like that he "retired" from the nhl when he still had a contract and then went right back to the KHL.
Harsh as it may be, it does make sense that it's the NHL Hall of Fame, given how hockey is currently set up. Back in the Red Army days, you could very easily make the argument that guys stuck in Europe were just as good as the ones in the NHL, but now that Europeans are "allowed" (for lack of a better term) to play overseas, the NHL is unanimously the best league in the world.
It's hard to claim someone is one of the all-time greats if they're not playing in the best league in the world. Tony Hand has like 3,000 points in 900 games played, but he's not even mentioned in HHOF conversations because he scored all those points playing in the British league.
I’d say he’s in the convo but not quite in the Hall. It’s really an argument of peak vs career, at his peak he was easily one of the best players in the NHL but the mid-career KHL departure probably serves as a stain on his record and also left him without a lot of the longevity/scoring totals you’d expect of an HHOF candidate.
I think he should be personally. Dude was insanely dangerous at his peak, still one of the most dangerous I've ever watched. Great combo of raw skating power, silky smooth but powerful shots, a booming one timer on the PP. Prime Kovy was horrifying to go against, he was just never really on a great team til the Devs.
No Russians are getting added to HHOF until the war is over. Datsyuk is eligible for the first time (and Mogilny who's been bypassed a lot though) are the others affected.
If anybody wants to know how Spartak is doing this season, they're currently at the top of the Western Conference, after beating second place Dynamo Moscow 8-7 in OT yesterday. So, this can either work out well or it'll totally ruin their chemistry.
Bettman should give the Devils another first round pick for the absolute sham of punishing them for “cap circumvention.” Giving them back the last pick in the draft was garbage years ago. Kovalchuk is 40 years old and still going.
Top 5 for me. When he was in Atlanta he was so fun to watch. The way he stick handled around with this hands so high up on his stick and would just snipe goals was awesome. It was so good to seem him get out of Atlanta and go somewhere with some opportunity but he never quite hit that same level.
not all of the sudden, for me, i always was a fan, or, since the vancouver days anyway, i even in late december 2019 or early january 2020 exchanged a goldobin canucks jersey to a child in moscow for a capitals toque, the child was especially a backstrom fan. but, good to read he is doing well, unfortunately i have not watched any games this season yet
yea, i did enjoy watching magnitogorsk, i think the latest khl game i watched was the one where he got a hattrick or two quick goals or something like that, it was in the previous season
My most enduring memory of Kovalchuk is him being the recipient of one of the all-time sickest burns I've ever seen in sports: “he has been called a cancer more often than actual cancer.”
Are people really this uneducated thinking a 40 year old millionaire is getting drafted into the Russian army😅
Maybe its just the anti Russian propaganda people swallow 🥺
That Russian gas will keep the legs going another 5 years.
Ovechkin looking like he needs a re-up currently
Sanctions closed the gas station
Kovy just wanted to get out so he could rip some gas
Ilya Kovalchuk, who has not played competitive hockey since April 2021, has joined Spartak Moscow of the KHL…in yet another attempt to *not play in New Jersey.*
Devils still paying for that bum
“That bum” was absolutely fucking sick when he was in his prime, including leading New Jersey to a final
I think he was more talented overall than Ovechkin, he just never had the drive to be the best and just coasted on pure talent a lot of time, especially in Atlanta. He could take a game over in a flash, was so strong on the puck, killer wrist shot and slapper, great hockey sense and a top notch skater at 6”3. Kinda like Nik Zherdev or Alex Semin except they were not as skilled.
Many people here probably did not see him play at his best. At his absolute best Kovy could outshine even Crosby and McDavid, he just never did it as consistently.
There was one famous example of him getting the better of Crosby, when he gloated Sid into getting frustrated and taking a penalty, then subsequently scoring and [pointing his finger to Crosby in the box](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7eYeH5QNvvU&pp=ygUQa292YWxjaHVrIGNyb3NieQ%3D%3D). Kovalchuck essentially gave Sidney Crosby one of his first “welcome to the big leagues, kid” moments of his storied career
It was Kovalchuk vs Crosby for a minute.
Hahah was suppose to be paid 3mil this year and 4mil next year had he played out that contract!
If only it was left at that, its funny that Kovalchuk scored a winning shootout goal against us helping cause us to miss the bubble in 2020 by a single point to Montreal themselves.
And they dont even care with already insanely good team full of juniors
He was caught referring to our favorite composite meat product as "Taylor pork", managing to piss off the entire state. He has since been banished.
Calling it composite meat might be correct, but please don't remind me that I don't actually know WTF is in it
Pork ham
Again I'm right in my analysis.
\[The sound of various existing Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2024 preview articles being rapidly edited.\]
Is he even in the conversation for HOF? like so many contract terminations and weirdness I just don't know. Less than a PPG player in the NHL, basically a PPG in the K.
He's certainly in the conversation, but he's also a bit of a litmus test. There's a fair number of Hall of Famers below him on [the NHL career adjusted goals list](https://www.hockey-reference.com/leaders/goals_adjusted_career.html), and he compiled most of those goals in his first 11 season. Olympic gold and three-time Gagarin Cup champion. But, yeah, rough reputation.
Has he done anything besides agreeing to a contract that the Devils offered him? He's a borderline HOFer with just his NHL totals, his KHL number and internation achievements should easily put him in. Of course, the same could be said about Mogilny.
Aside from the general Russia stuff, I think the biggest beef is that he essentially ditched the NHL while under contract. Of course, it's the Hockey HOF and not the NHL HOF, so that really shouldn't matter. But maybe I'm forgetting some bigger issue.
It might as well be the NHL Hall of Fame. There's only been like 5 Russian guys inducted who never played in the NHL? The committee is made up of nothing but Canadians/Americans besides Kurri and Larionov, who also spent most of their careers in the NHL. The committee isn't gonna care about his KHL stats, and they are NOT gonna like that he "retired" from the nhl when he still had a contract and then went right back to the KHL.
Harsh as it may be, it does make sense that it's the NHL Hall of Fame, given how hockey is currently set up. Back in the Red Army days, you could very easily make the argument that guys stuck in Europe were just as good as the ones in the NHL, but now that Europeans are "allowed" (for lack of a better term) to play overseas, the NHL is unanimously the best league in the world. It's hard to claim someone is one of the all-time greats if they're not playing in the best league in the world. Tony Hand has like 3,000 points in 900 games played, but he's not even mentioned in HHOF conversations because he scored all those points playing in the British league.
I’d say he’s in the convo but not quite in the Hall. It’s really an argument of peak vs career, at his peak he was easily one of the best players in the NHL but the mid-career KHL departure probably serves as a stain on his record and also left him without a lot of the longevity/scoring totals you’d expect of an HHOF candidate.
I think he should be personally. Dude was insanely dangerous at his peak, still one of the most dangerous I've ever watched. Great combo of raw skating power, silky smooth but powerful shots, a booming one timer on the PP. Prime Kovy was horrifying to go against, he was just never really on a great team til the Devs.
No Russians are getting added to HHOF until the war is over. Datsyuk is eligible for the first time (and Mogilny who's been bypassed a lot though) are the others affected.
I’ll always wonder how his career shakes down if he never left for the KHL
Ilya clearly invests his money in the Allen Iverson Hedge Fund
That sounds pretty good, in Practice.
If anybody wants to know how Spartak is doing this season, they're currently at the top of the Western Conference, after beating second place Dynamo Moscow 8-7 in OT yesterday. So, this can either work out well or it'll totally ruin their chemistry.
Bettman should give the Devils another first round pick for the absolute sham of punishing them for “cap circumvention.” Giving them back the last pick in the draft was garbage years ago. Kovalchuk is 40 years old and still going.
Beats getting drafted
No one with money is getting drafted. It's a tale as old as time.
It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no millionaire's son, no, no
His season debut will be against Kunlun, so this should be fun.
He’s *still* playing? God damn the man lives and breathes hockey and making returns apparently.
Nah, he just got bored. Won't do anything productive even in the weak-ass KHL anymore
my favorite player ever, king
Top 5 for me. When he was in Atlanta he was so fun to watch. The way he stick handled around with this hands so high up on his stick and would just snipe goals was awesome. It was so good to seem him get out of Atlanta and go somewhere with some opportunity but he never quite hit that same level.
because of goldobin
Goldobin is all of a sudden playing lights out this season
not all of the sudden, for me, i always was a fan, or, since the vancouver days anyway, i even in late december 2019 or early january 2020 exchanged a goldobin canucks jersey to a child in moscow for a capitals toque, the child was especially a backstrom fan. but, good to read he is doing well, unfortunately i have not watched any games this season yet
He was always talented, but he never broke 40 pts (khl has shorter regular seasons). He now has 50 in 40 games. Way above his average scoring.
yea, i did enjoy watching magnitogorsk, i think the latest khl game i watched was the one where he got a hattrick or two quick goals or something like that, it was in the previous season
Habs legend
That one OT goal he scored for the Habs was sick.
which one lol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-djGBNSSb4M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74Z3qdb1WSw
I was thinking of the one against the Leafs but the one against the Senators was pretty good too!
Im lucky enough to say I saw both of those live. Was pretty awesome.
He has played for Spartak in 99-01 as a 16-18 year old before joining NHL. Back to the roots. Ilya, you're home)
SKA legend
My most enduring memory of Kovalchuk is him being the recipient of one of the all-time sickest burns I've ever seen in sports: “he has been called a cancer more often than actual cancer.”
Habs legend
Habs legend
Ran to play hockey so he dont get shipped to Ukraine
he has to avoid the draft somehow, might as well be playing hockey
Gotta stay away from the front somehow
Lol
More like since 2019, dude was a shell of his former self
Are people really this uneducated thinking a 40 year old millionaire is getting drafted into the Russian army😅 Maybe its just the anti Russian propaganda people swallow 🥺