Future Hall-of-Fame 50-Goal Scorer Announces His Retirement Mid-Season

Russian hockey player Ilya Kovalchuk, who is a former 50-goal scorer and will no doubt be in the Hall of Fame one day, has announced his retirement in the middle of the season from professional hockey.

Kovalchuk hasn't played in the NHL since the 2019-20 season when he finished his career with the Washington Capitals. He has been playing overseas with the HC Spartak Moscow.

Kovalchuk was the first-overall pick by the Atlanta Thrashers during the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. In his career in the NHL, he has scored 443 goals and added an identical 443 assists in 926 games.

Back in 2013, Kovalchuk announced his retirement from the NHL, but that was short-lived as he ended up returning to the league in 2018 with the Los Angeles Kings.

He was the first-ever Russian player to be selected first overall in the NHL. At the end of the 2003-04 season, Kovalchuk won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy for being the league's leading goal scorer.

This was a unique time, as the Trophy was shared between Kovalchuk, Rick Nash, and Jarome Iginla, who each finished the year with 41 goals.

After Kovalchuk announced his retirement in 2013, which turned out to be temporary, he ended up playing in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg, where he captured two 'Gagarin Cups' in 2015 and 2017. He truly showed his offensive skills in that league.

We wish Kovalchu the very best in whatever path he chooses to take going forward.