Ilya Kovalchuk officially calls it a career and retires at 40

Ilya Kovalchuk, the 2001 1st overall pick to the Atlanta Thrasher, has officially called it a career after playing in Russia for one final season.

After playing professionally for over two decades, former 1st overall pick Ilya Kovalchuk has decided to call it a career at 40 years old and retire in an effort to look for more of a management role in his homeland, Russia.



Kovalchuk played in 926 career NHL games with the Atlanta Thrashers, New Jersey Devils, LA Kings, Montreal Canadiens, and Washington Capitals, amassing 443 goals and 876 career points. He is most well-known for leaving the NHL in 2013 to return to play in Russia while he had one of the most expensive contracts in NHL history with the Devils.

At his best, Kovalchuk was a 50-goal scorer who could torch defenses at will. He won the Rocket Richard in 2003-04 and was an all-star multiple times.

We wish him well as he moves on past his playing career and hope to see him back in North America one day either as a Hall-of-Fame inductee or as a front-office member.

Source - Markerzone
Ilya Kovalchuk announces his future in hockey