- Ilya Kovalchuk
Infobox Ice Hockey Player
image_size= 270px
team=Atlanta Thrashers
former_teams =
league = NHL
position = Left Wing
shot = Right
height_ft = 6
height_in = 1.5
weight_lb = 225
nationality = Russia
birth_date = birth date and age|1983|4|15
birth_place =Tver ,Russian SFSR
draft = 1st overall
draft_year = 2001
draft_team =Atlanta Thrashers
career_start = 1999Ilya Valeryevich Kovalchuk (Russian: Илья Валерьевич Ковальчук, Il'ja Valer'jevič Kovalčuk; born
April 15 ,1983 , inTver ,U.S.S.R. ) is aRussia n professionalice hockey winger and alternate captain who currently plays for theAtlanta Thrashers of theNational Hockey League .Playing career
Ilya Kovalchuk began his professional career at theRussian Super League clubHC Spartak Moscow . He played there for two seasons before entering the NHL. Drafted by Atlanta first overall in the2001 NHL Entry Draft , Ilya Kovalchuk was the firstRussia n to be drafted first overall in NHL history.Cite web|url=http://www.nhlpa.com/WebStats/PlayerBiography.asp?ID=23607|title=NHLPA PLAYER BIO: Ilya Kovalchuk|accessdate=2006-09-13] In club-level competition, Kovalchuk wore the number 17 as a tribute toValeri Kharlamov , a Soviet superstar in the 1970s.Cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_27_225/ai_76550475|title=Few doubts surround top pick Kovalchuk - National Hockey League draft, hockey player Ilya Kovalchuk|accessdate=2006-09-23|publisher=The Sporting News|year=2001|author=Larry Wigge] When Kovalchuk played for his national team he wore number 71, which is 17 in reverse.Kovalchuk finished second to teammate
Dany Heatley in the voting for theCalder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2002.Cite web|url=http://www.nhlpa.com/WebStats/PlayerBiography.asp?ID=23607|title=NHLPA PLAYER BIO: Ilya Kovalchuk|accessdate=2006-09-13] Both were named to theNHL All-Rookie Team . In the2003-04 NHL Season Kovalchuk scored 41 goals, making him a co-winner of theMaurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy after tying for the league lead in goals along withJarome Iginla andRick Nash .Cite web|url=http://www.nhlpa.com/WebStats/PlayerBiography.asp?ID=23607|title=NHLPA PLAYER BIO: Ilya Kovalchuk|accessdate=2006-09-13] He also added 46 assists for 87 points, tied withJoe Sakic of theColorado Avalanche for second in the league that season, behindMartin St. Louis . Kovalchuk also participated in the2004 NHL All-Star Game . During the2004-05 NHL lockout , Kovalchuk played withAk Bars Kazan . After the lockout, Kovalchuk scored 52 goals in 2005-06, which tied him withAlexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals for third in the league in goal-scoring. He also tied his career-high of 46 assists for a career-high 98 points, finishing 8th overall in scoring and leading theAtlanta Thrashers in scoring for the second consecutive season. He also became the first Thrashers player to score 50 goals in a season. In the2006-07 NHL season , Kovalchuk's point production dropped for the first time in his career. He finished with 42 goals and 34 assists for 76 points. Despite his drop in production, Kovalchuk and the Atlanta Thrashers qualified for the playoffs for the first time. The team would lose to theNew York Rangers in four games, but Kovalchuk would score one goal and one assist in the series.In 2006 Kovalchuk played in the Torino Winter Olympics as a member of the
Russia n men's hockey team, and had a four-goal game onFebruary 19 in a 9–2 win over Latvia, but returned to Atlanta without a medal.In 2006,
Nashville Predators coachBarry Trotz said Kovalchuk "always plays with an illegal stick."Cite web|url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/scores106/106011/NHL17722.htm|title=Thrashers 4, Predators 3, SO|accessdate=2006-09-23|publisher=USA Today|year=2006] The NHL has subsequently, as of the 2006–07 season, changed the rules on stick curvature to allow for a much more curved stick than was previously allowed. Kovalchuk, under the new rules, claims to play only with a legal stick.On November 1, 2007 and November 3, 2007, Kovalchuk scored two consecutive hat-tricks despite a loss to the
Ottawa Senators and the win over theTampa Bay Lightning . He had a goal in the next game but lost the chance to score a hat-trick due to being injured midway through. It would have been an NHL record had he scored a third consecutive hat-trick.On
2008-01-23 Kovalchuk was suspended for one game by the NHL for a hit from behind onNew York Rangers defensemanMichal Rozsival in a game a day prior.Cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=351015|title=Thrashers' Kovalchuk suspended for one game|accessdate=2008-01-23|publisherNHL|year=2008]On
2008-05-18 Kovalchuk played in the IIHF Championship Game inQuebec City, Canada where he scored just twice. However, he scored the tying goal in the final game for the Gold medal to bring the game to overtime and then the game winner goal to give Russia its long-awaited gold medal.Awards
*Played in NHL YoungStars Game - 2002
*NHL YoungStars Game MVP - 2002
*NHL All-Rookie Team - 2002
*Played in NHL All-Star Game - 2004, 2008
*NHL Second All-Star Team - 2004
*Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy - 2004 (shared withJarome Iginla andRick Nash ).Records
*Atlanta Thrashers franchise scoring leader, 466
*Atlanta Thrashers franchise goal scoring leader, 254
*Atlanta Thrashers franchise single season goal total, 52 (2005–06,2007-08)Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Notes
External links
*hockeydb|56745
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