Rg.org has done wonderful work interviewing former Russian
NHLers recently, and their latest interview is with a former Montreal Canadiens
player, Ilya Kovalchuk, even though he wasn’t with the team for long.
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While he played less than 1,000 games in the NHL, Kovalchuk
was a great offensive talent who scored 876 points over the course of his
career. He’s also one of those players who played in the NHL but felt the need
to go home after a while; after signing a 15-year deal with the New Jersey
Devils in 2010, he announced his retirement from the NHL in 2013 and walked
away from the 77 million left on his contract.
After playing part of six seasons in the KHL with SKA St.
Petersburg, Kovalchuk decided to return to the NHL, signing a contract with the
Los Angeles Kings. After 17 games in his second season in LA, he was traded to
the Canadiens and played 22 games with the Habs during the 2019-20 campaign
before being flipped to the Washington Capitals. He went back to Russia at the
end of that season.
In his short tenure with the Canadiens, the left winger scored
six goals and seven assists for 13 points, but he still made some highlight-reel
plays that quickly made him a fan favorite. The “Kovalshow” brought in some light in an otherwise very bleak season for the Canadiens.
In an exclusive interview with RG.org, the former NHL star
was asked about Canadiens’ prospect Ivan Demidov and praised him, saying he was
a bright and hard-working young man with a true passion for the game. He also
mentioned that he’s heard he puts in a lot of extra work and is confident he
will do well in Montreal.
Just like Andrei Kovalenko a couple of days ago, Kovalchuk emphasizes
the importance of respecting the local culture and not being shy about speaking
the language. He also agrees hockey is like a religion in Montreal, which comes
with intense scrutiny, and that’s something he’ll need to be ready for.
Thankfully, the organization is well-aware of that fact, and
any player joining the Canadiens has to complete a training and awareness
program that prepares them for that reality, as France Margaret Belanger
explained in a recent interview.
There are only three games left in SKA St. Petersburg’s
regular season, and after a losing streak, Roman Rotenberg’s men have
straightened the ship of late, winning their last four games. We’ll see if that
translates to success in the playoffs.
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