Alexei Kovalev facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alexei Kovalev |
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Kovalev with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2011
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| Born | February 24, 1973 Tolyatti, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
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| 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 |
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| National team |  Unified Team and Russia |
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| NHL Draft | 15th overall, 1991 New York Rangers |
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| Playing career | 1989–2017 | ||
Alexei Vyacheslavovich Kovalev (Russian: Алексей Вячеславович Ковалёв; born February 24, 1973) is a famous Russian ice hockey coach and former player. He played over 1,300 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) during his 18-season career.
Kovalev played for several teams, including the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, and Florida Panthers. He won the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994. Today, he works as an assistant coach for HC Kunlun Red Star in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
Contents
Playing Career
Becoming an NHL Star
Alexei Kovalev was picked by the New York Rangers in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 15th player chosen overall. This made him the first Russian-born player to be drafted in the first round of the NHL.
Kovalev was known for his amazing stickhandling and powerful shots. He was a key player for the Rangers when they won the Stanley Cup in 1994. He, along with Alexander Karpovtsev, Sergei Nemchinov, and Sergei Zubov, were the first Russians to have their names on the Stanley Cup trophy.
During a break in the NHL season in 1994–95, Kovalev went back to Russia. He played for his hometown team, Lada Togliatti. He scored many goals and assists in just 12 games.
Moving Between Teams
In 1998, Kovalev was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He quickly became a top player there. In the next two seasons, he had some of his best years, scoring 76 and 95 points. Points are a way to measure how many goals and assists a player gets.
In 2003, Kovalev was traded back to the New York Rangers. But his time there was short. In 2004, he moved to the Montreal Canadiens. He played very well in the playoffs that year, scoring six goals in 11 games.
During another NHL break in 2004–05, Kovalev played in Russia for Ak Bars Kazan. He also played for the Russian national team at the 2005 World Championships. He was even named the best forward of the tournament!
Leading the Canadiens
Kovalev signed a new contract with the Montreal Canadiens in 2005. On December 20, 2005, he scored his 300th career goal. He also reached 700 career points.
In 2007, some comments Kovalev made in Russian caused a stir. But he bounced back strongly. During the 2007–08 season, he had an amazing year. He scored 35 goals and 49 assists, totaling 84 points. Because of his great play, he was named captain for some games when the regular captain was injured.
In 2009, Kovalev was chosen to be the captain of the Eastern Conference team. This was for the NHL All-Star Game held in Montreal. He was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the game. He scored his 100th goal with the Canadiens in March 2009.
Later Career and Retirement
In 2009, Kovalev signed with the Ottawa Senators. On December 25, 2009, he was surprisingly not chosen for the main Russian team for the 2010 Winter Olympics. However, he was a reserve player. On January 3, 2010, he scored a career-high four goals in one game!
On November 22, 2010, Kovalev reached another big milestone. He scored his 1,000th career point in the NHL.
On his 38th birthday in 2011, Kovalev was traded back to the Pittsburgh Penguins. His second time with the Penguins was short. He then played in Russia for Atlant Moscow Oblast in the KHL.
In 2013, Kovalev tried to return to the NHL with the Florida Panthers. He played well in his first game, scoring a goal and two assists. On March 21, 2013, he announced his retirement from professional hockey.
But his retirement didn't last long! In June 2013, he signed with a Swiss team, EHC Visp. He played 44 games and helped them win the Swiss NLB championship. He announced his retirement again in 2014.
In 2016, Kovalev thought about coming back to the NHL again. He even played one game for EHC Visp, the team he had become general manager of. He got an assist in that game.
Life After Playing
Managing Career
In March 2016, Alexei Kovalev became the general manager for EHC Visp in Switzerland. This means he helped manage the team and make decisions about players.
Amazing Achievements
- First Russian/Soviet player drafted in the first round of the NHL (15th overall in 1991).
- One of the first four Russian players to win the Stanley Cup (1994).
- First Russian player to be a captain of an NHL All-Star Team.
- Captain of the 2009 NHL Eastern Conference All-Star Team.
- Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2009 NHL All-Star Game.
- Scored his 1,000th career point on November 23, 2010.
- Played the most NHL games (1,302) by a player born and trained in the Soviet Union.
Off the Ice
Personal Life
When Alexei was eight years old, he had a heart problem. This stopped him from playing hockey for two years while he got treatment. Luckily, he recovered and became a hockey star!
Kovalev is also a licensed aircraft pilot. He has a step-sister named Adel Bukary and a brother named Maximilian Kovalev.
Charity Work
Alexei Kovalev has done a lot of good work off the ice. In 2006, he started "Kovy's Kids Suite" at the Bell Centre. This allowed children with heart conditions to watch hockey games for free.
In 2008, he released a DVD called My Hockey Tips and Training Methods. He gave all the money from the DVD sales to charities. These charities help children with heart problems.
International Play
Alexei Kovalev also represented his country in many international tournaments. He won several medals for Russia and the Unified Team (a team from former Soviet countries).
| Medal record | ||
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| Ice hockey | ||
| Representing Russia |
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| Winter Olympics | ||
| Bronze | 2002 Salt Lake City | |
| World Championships | ||
| Bronze | 2005 Austria | |
| Representing Unified Team |
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| Winter Olympics | ||
| Gold | 1992 Albertville | |
| World Junior Championship | ||
Representing  CIS |
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| Gold | 1992 Germany | |
| European Junior Championship | ||
| Silver | 1991 Czechoslovakia | |
| Silver | 1990 Sweden | |
Awards and Honors
NHL
- NHL All-Star Game player: 2001, 2003, 2009
- NHL Second All-Star Team member: 2008
- NHL All-Star Game MVP Award: 2009
- Stanley Cup champion: 1994 (with New York Rangers)
- NHL's First Star of the Month: February 2001
- NHL's First Star of the Week: March 30–April 5, 2009
- NHL's Offensive Player of the Week: November 6–12, 2000; November 5–11, 2001
- Molson Cup Award (monthly) winner: November 2005, November 2007 to February 2008
- Molson Cup Award (season) winner: 2008
International
- 1992 Winter Olympics – Gold Medal in Ice Hockey
- 2002 Winter Olympics – Bronze Medal in Ice Hockey
- 2005 IIHF World Championship – Best Forward
See Also
- List of NHL players with 1,000 games played
- List of NHL players with 1000 points
