Good article on tsn.ca showcasing Kovy;
On the eve of the 2007-08 NHL season, a reporter asked Bob Gainey if rookie centre Mikhail Grabovski, who earned an opening day roster spot with the Montreal Canadiens, could elevate the play of Alex Kovalev.
"Maybe it's up to Kovalev to get Grabovski moving," the general manager replied.
Fast forward three months later. While young Grabovski is developing his game in the minors, Kovalev has certainly been a motivator. The 14-year NHL veteran has got his other teammates 'moving' - all the way up to fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
A lot can be credited to the Canadiens' regular season success thus far. Their young players are stepping up, their power play is as lethal as ever and they're playing much better in five on five situations. And there are few doubts in hockey-mad Montreal about who's spearheading these improvements.
Not only has Kovalev rebounded to become the team's leading scorer, he's also taken the role of a teacher for their young core of players. And while he re-discovered his playing style after watching old tapes from his New York Rangers days over the summer, Kovalev - widely considered the most exciting right-winger on the team since Guy Lafleur - is also absorbing a lot from the team's next generation of stars.
"Sports is always a learning process," he explained to reporters after Tuesday's 4-0 win over Washington. "And being a more experienced guy, you always learn something from the younger guys. You give them the experience you've had in the past and that's the way you create a good line and a good team."
The 'good line' that Kovalev refers to is arguably one of the most explosive in the league - the one he shares with centre Tomas Plekanec and winger Andrei Kostitsyn. While head coach Guy Carbonneau spent a good part of the season shuffling his lines to get more scoring, Kovalev's unit has remained intact.
The Russian veteran credits that back to the good communication he shares with his Plekanec and Kostitsyn. When he's not dazzling the crowd on the ice with his skating and puck-handling skills, he's often seen talking to them on the bench and giving out advice during the game.
"You can't just keep quiet and just keep it to yourself when something goes wrong," he said. "You have to try to figure it out yourself and play as a team."
Those words are a refreshing contrast to last season, when Kovalev scored only 18 goals and had the task of trying to get winger Sergei Samsonov in a groove.
This year has been a much different story with Belerussian forwards Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn under his wing.
"I try to help the Kostitsyns as much as possible," he said.
"I remember when (Andrei) came here, he had so much talent. Actually, both of them had so much talent. They were scared to make mistakes and dumped the puck in which wasn't their kind of style and you could see it. (Andrei) started playing with us and we tried to give him that confidence - to let them control the puck as much as possible and not look after me all the time. And look at him now, he's confident and puts pressure on the other team."
That confidence has paid dividends for Montreal's 13th sibling duo in team history. Andrei has 11 goals and 22 points in his last 23 games, while Sergei - who burned the Capitals with a shorthanded goal on Tuesday - has 11 points in 20 games. They have been so impressive, Carbonneau has even put them out together for a few shifts.
"(Having) the brothers together is always a good thing," said Kovalev.
"They know each other well, play together very well and understand each other well. In Russia, we had teams with two or three brothers and they knew where they were on the ice with their eyes closed. You can throw them into different situations and they can do something, so it's always a good thing."
It's also a good thing for Kovalev, who's having a lot more fun with the younger players developing and the Canadiens on a roll. "Of course I'm having fun," he told reporters with a grin on Wednesday night. "Every game."
Source.
#27 Alex Kovalev 2007-08
Jan 30 2008, 01:28 PM
