Playing career

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. 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.

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. He occasionally stops in Tolyatti to give clinics at his old hockey school. He also participated in Lada Togliatti's 30th anniversary game, and scored a hat-trick for the Lada veterans team.

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.

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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

On July 6, 2009, Kovalev signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Ottawa Senators as an unrestricted free agent. 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). On January 3, 2010, Kovalev scored a career-high four goals in a 7-4 win against the Philadelphia Flyers.

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.

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. 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.

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). 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. "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, eventually signing a one-year contract with the team. "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. 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. At that point, he had not played for the Panthers since a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on February 22.

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. In his first and only season in the NLB, 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.

As of January 30, 2016, Kovalev has yet again considered a return to professional hockey in the NHL. He referenced Jaromir Jagr who is of similar age to him as his reason to believe a comeback is possible. A team specifically mentioned is the Canadiens, however no team has yet reached out to him.

Managing career

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.

Awards and achievements

NHL

• NHL All-Star Game - 2001, 2003, 2009
• NHL Second All-Star Team - 2008
• NHL All-Star Game MVP Award - 2009
• The Hockey News - Saku Koivu Award (Comeback Player of the Year): 2008
• NHL Stanley Cup champion - New York Rangers (1994)
• 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 (Ice Hockey) - Gold Medal
• 2002 Winter Olympics (Ice Hockey) - Bronze Medal
• (IIHF) World Championships - (Best Forward) 2005

Accomplishments

• First Russian/Soviet player to be drafted in the first round; 15th Overall, First Round, 1991
• First Russian player (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).

Off the ice

Kovalev is a licensed aircraft pilot. He is married to Eugenia Kovaleva.

Endorsements

Kovalev is a prominent endorsee of Warrior Hockey, making use of their range of products as a trademark, which includes his own signature stick, the AK27. Kovalev was also pictured on the cover of EA Sports' NHL 95 scoring a goal on Kirk McLean of the Vancouver Canucks in the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. 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. 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.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				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		—	—	—	—	—
1991-92	Dynamo Moscow	CIS		33	16	9	25	20		—	—	—	—	—
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
NLB totals				44	22	30	52	82		11	7	8	15	37
RSL totals				99	35	31	66	153		4	0	0	0	8
NHL totals				1316	430	599	1029	1304		123	45	55	100	114

International play

Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing Russia
Winter Olympics
	2002 Salt Lake City
World Championships
	2005 Austria
Representing Unified Team
Winter Olympics
	1992 Albertville
World Junior Championship
Representing CIS
	1992 Germany
European Junior Championship
	1991
	1990

Played for the Soviet Union in:

• 1990 European Junior Championship (silver medal)
• 1991 European Junior Championship (silver medal)
• 1992 World Junior Championship (gold medal)*

Played for the Unified Team (CIS) in:

• 1992 Winter Olympics (gold medal)*

Played for Russia in:

• 1992 World Championship
• 1996 World Cup of Hockey
• 1998 World Championship
• 2002 Winter Olympics (bronze medal)
• 2004 World Cup of Hockey
• 2005 World Championship
• 2006 Winter Olympics
• 2010 Winter Olympics (*reserve)

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1990	USSR	EJC		6	4	3	7	6
1991	USSR	EJC		5	8	3	11	8
1992	CIS	WJC		7	5	5	10	2
1992	CIS	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
2010	Russia	Oly		0	-	-	-	-
Senior int'l totals				52	20	14	34	64

Transactions

• June 23, 1991 — New York Rangers first-round draft choice (15th overall) in the NHL Entry Draft.
• November 25, 1998 — Traded by the New York Rangers, along with Harry York, to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Petr Nedvěd, Sean Pronger and Chris Tamer.
• February 10, 2003 — Traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with Mike Wilson, Janne Laukkanen and Dan LaCouture, to the New York Rangers in exchange for Joel Bouchard, Richard Lintner, Rico Fata, Mikael Samuelsson and a fourth-round draft pick.
• March 2, 2004 — Traded by the New York Rangers to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Jozef Balej and Montreal's 2004 third-round draft choice.
• July 6, 2009 — Signed a two-year $9.95 million deal with the Ottawa Senators.
• February 24, 2011 — Traded by the Ottawa Senators to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Pittsburgh's conditional 7th round draft pick in the 2011 NHL Draft.
• January 18, 2013 — Signed a one-year, $1 million (+300K signing bonus) contract with the Florida Panthers.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]