Alexander Ovechkin gets all the flashy headlines. Pavel Bure did before him. Sergei Fedorov is my favorite Russian player ever. Old school types will be sure to mention the likes of Vladislav Tretiak, Viacheslav Fetisov, Valeri Kharlamov or Igor Larionov.
But when all is said and done, will Ilya Kovalchuk be considered the best Russian player ever?
Yes, I just asked that question about Ilya Kovalchuk. Yes, the same Kovy who has been oft-maligned for his $100 million contract, his at-times indifferent play and his lack of winning much of anything.
The New Jersey Devils sniper scored his 400th goal of his NHL career last week. Seeing as that he is only 28 years old and has a contract until 2025, it seems likely Kovy will become the first Russian player to reach the magical 500 goal mark (Fedorov is closest at 483). Health willing, it seems plausible that Kovalchuk will reach the 600 goal mark.
Is that enough to rank him as the best Russian player ever? No, it is not. He needs to win something for people to really start appreciating his amazing talents. He has been in the NHL for eleven seasons now and has only played in nine post-season games. He needs to lead his team on an extended run. It is in the Stanley Cup playoffs where the great players separate themselves from the rest. Kovalchuk needs to take that next step.
Perhaps 2012 is the year? Though Pittsburgh is looking like the odds on favorite to win the Stanley Cup, the Eastern Conference is wide open. With a favorable first round match up the Devils could surprise a lot of people. Martin Brodeur is still capable of putting it all together at the right time. Underrated Travis Zajac is back. Zach Parise, David Clarkson and the veteran Patrik Elias are having very good seasons.
Aside from Brodeur, the Devils' fortune will depend most heavily on Kovalchuk. As great of a scorer as he has been, which Kovy will show up in the playoffs?
It goes without saying that Kovalchuk is a special talent. He is shooter first and foremost, and with his explosive shot who can blame him. He is a puckhandling wizard, though he can be guilty of overhandling the puck rather than using his teammates. He is a solid two way player, though he has seemingly shown disinterest in the defensive game at times in his career.
With a strong playoff Ilya Kovalchuk can finally gain league wide respect for what he really is: one of the best hockey players in the world.
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