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Ilya Kovalchuk, 40, scores goal in first professional hockey game since 2021

Originally posted on Daily Faceoff | By Steven Ellis | Last updated 12/24/23

He’s back, baby.

Long-time NHL star Ilya Kovalchuk made his professional hockey return with the KHL’s Spartak Moskva on Sunday, scoring an empty net goal in a 5-2 win over Kunlun Red Star. It was Kovalchuk’s first game since April 28, 2021 when he was a member of the Avangard Omsk. Kovalchuk never officially retired from the game, but at 40, a return seemed unlikely.

Instead, Kovalchuk signed with Spartak earlier this month in an attempted return, and it all paid off today as Spartak skated to its fifth consecutive win. It was an empty-netter, but a goal’s a goal, and at his older age, Kovalchuk will take it.

Hey, a goal is a goal.

Welcome back, Ilya Kovalchuk! pic.twitter.com/qH5XYndnE4
— KHL (@khl_eng) December 24, 2023

Kovalchuk skated on Spartak’s second line alongside Kovalchuk’s former New Jersey Devils teammate Andrei Lotkinov and winger Maxim Tsyplakov.

Drafted first overall by Atlanta in 2001 back in his first stint with Spartak, Kovalchuk’s professional career has definitely been fascinating. He got his start with the Thrashers during the 2001-02 season, immediately making an impact as one of the NHL’s top young players.

In 2010, Kovalchuk signed a monster 17-year, $102 million deal with the Devils, but the NHL rejected it in favor of a $15-year, $100 million deal. Kovalchuk sparked controversy by leaving the NHL to join SKA St. Petersburg in 2013, playing five years before returning to the NHL.

After a couple of years bouncing around teams, Kovalchuk ended up in the KHL in 2020-21 for a stint with Avangard Omsk. He took some time off hockey, and would go on to serve as GM of Russia’s Olympic team in 2022 – his only managerial role to date.

In 926 NHL games over 13 seasons, Kovalchuk managed to score 443 goals and 876 points. While he never won the Stanley Cup, he led the NHL in goals in 2003-04 with 41 and was named to the NHL’s first all-star team in 2011-12. Among other honors, Kovalchuk won three KHL championships, two World Championships and was named MVP of the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.

This article first appeared on Daily Faceoff and was syndicated with permission.

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