Yardbarker: Alexei Kovalev

Five reasons Canucks blogger Alix Wright loves hockey

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 15:30:45 -0500

(Ed. Note: Our series "5 Reasons I Love Hockey" features puckheads from all walks of life revealing five things that either made them a fan or that keep them watching hockey. It will run every weekend. Have a suggestion for a "5 Reasons" guest blogger? Hit us on email. Enjoy!)Alix Wright blogged on the entertaining The Humming Giraffe before joining Canucks Hockey Blog earlier this year, bringing with her the Vancouver Canucks fan passion and offbeat humor that's chara...

Enigmatic Kovalev still showing how electric he can be

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:25:13 -0500

Moving from Montreal to Ottawa and with 36 years of wear on his wheels, Alexei Kovalev hasn't lost much. The mercurial Russian star still can take over a game, Wes Goldstein says.

Kovalev hurts old team as Sens defeat Canadiens

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:22:00 -0500

Alexei Kovalev had a goal and an assist in his first game against Montreal, leading the Ottawa Senators to a 3-1 win over the struggling Canadiens on Saturday night.

Puck Previews: Kovalev back in Montreal; Hossa skates

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:45:52 -0500

Here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished.Preview: Ottawa Senators (4-2-0) at Montreal Canadiens (2-4-0), 7 p.m. EST.Alexei Kovalev makes his first appearance inside Bell Centre since he signed with the Senators in the off-season. Expecting a mixed reaction, Canadiens fans would likely give a few extra cheers if Kovalev fails to improve ...

Alexei Kovalev spurns the Predators?

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:06:42 -0500

Brandon Felder, the Predatros beat blogger over at HockeyBuzz, posted an interesting article a few days ago. He says that Alex Kovalev, now an Ottawa Senator, had an agreement with the Predators on a 1 year, $4.5 million contract. He goes to as saying that GM David Poile had the press release ready and all [...]

More Breaking News: Alexei Kovalev Signs with Ottawa

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:03:26 -0500

TSN is also reporting that Alexei Kovalev, the supremely talented and oft-undermotivated winger has signed a two-year deal with the Ottawa Senators. The deal is worth $10 million. One of the most skilled players in the league, the Togliatti, Russia native is also one of the most unpredictable. He can look spectacular one night, controlling the [...]

Senators sign Alexei Kovalev to two-year deal

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:20:21 -0500

The Ottawa Senators have signed forward Alex Kovalev to a two-year contract.

Canadiens Will Not Re-Sign Kovalev

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:10:00 -0500

by Bruce CiskieFiled under: Canadiens, Eastern, NHL Free AgencyWhen NHL free agency launched on Wednesday, there was near-immediate speculation that the Montreal Canadiens had come to a two-year agreement with forward Alexei Kovalev. Nothing was ever announced, and it quickly became clear that Montreal had no such agreement.The Canadiens moved quickly on Wednesday, signing forwards Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta, and making it clear through that action that Kovalev wasn't a lock to retu...

Pasquale Mangiola And The Three Habs

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 02:56:48 -0500

Coming off a disastrous 1-4-1 road trip, the last thing the Montreal Canadiens' needed was to be embroiled in another controversy.

With the Montreal media in a frenzy about the teams rapid descent down the Eastern Conference standings, any good news that's fit to print is hard to find.

Tracts of glorious pine trees are plowed under as the media attempts to play Sherlock Holmes in his latest mystery: What The Hell Is Wrong With The Habs?

Barring a miraculous clue from the sole of a dusty hob nail boot, the mystery of the Habs will fail to satisfy.

The media are smart enough to know that there are only so many times you can hammer home the point that the Canadiens are under performing.

So, it stands to reason the media will take their collective boot off the throat of the Canadiens' and look for something else.

French language newspaper La Presse were the first to find the rotting fish in the brine.

I don't want to get sued so you may find the word alleged or reportedly sprinkled throughout this diatribe.

It is alleged that the Kostitsyn brothers (Sergei and Andrei) and Roman Hamrlik are acquaintances of a Pasquale Mangiola, a man who has alleged links with organized crime.

Mangiola was arrested and charged with conspiracy and cocaine trafficking by Montreal police last week, in a sting operation called "Project Axe."

Allegedly the police have recorded conversations between Mangiola and two of the players.

La Presse was quick to point out that the three Canadiens' were not suspected of anything more sinister than a good night on the town with Mangione.

However, the optics of it all don't look good.

In a hastily put together press conference Friday afternoon, Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey would not brush aside the allegations made by the media.

"I can only go on what I know," Gainey told TSN.ca. "It's not good for our team. It does not reflect well on our team, it does not reflect well on the individuals and it cannot be extinguished as a possible inhibitor to our performance."

While there are many people who want to be associated with a professional hockey team for good reasons. not everyone is a chaste.

For decades there have been hangers on and ruthless people who want to befriend young, millionaire hockey players and gain access to the inner sanctum of a club.

Gainey said that the Kostitsyn brothers and Hamrlik simply made a bad choice in whom they chose to associate with.

"We've made the players aware that this is not the kind of conduct that is part of people in our organization and for them individually as young athletes, as professionals who are trying to attain their goals, that they have to make stronger choices than the person beside them," Gainey told TSN.ca.

The NHL security department, which visits each team yearly to talk about issues, including personal associations, is aware of the situation.

"The NHL is aware of the reports and is in the process of gathering information," deputy commissioner Bill Daley said in a statement released on Friday.

Surprisingly, various Habs' blog sites are silent on this issue. They were more interested in the recent trials of Alexei Kovalev.

This isn't the first time organized crime has crossed paths with NHL players.

According to an investigation by PBS, Pavel Bure was friends with Anzor Kikalishvilli who, according to the FBI and Russian law enforcement, is the co-head of a Russian organized crime operation.

The FBI stated that Russian hockey great Vyacheslav Fetisov was linked to a Russian mobster named Vyacheslav Ivankov. Ivankov spent ten years in a U.S. prison for extortion and was charged and acquitted of two murders in a Russian restaurant.

I've got to give kudos to Alex Rodriquez for his recent troubles. If this situation is worse than initially thought, then A Rod may be the best and most obtuse saviour the NHL has ever seen.

You Are What You Are: Taking a closer look at the Alexei Kovalev controversy

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 18:13:33 -0500

?You are what you are.?-Bill This quote is simple yet equally brilliant and, in this case, indeed applicable to the Alexei Kovalev situation that has been overblown by the media for some time ?You are what you are.?-Bill Over the course of Alexei Kovalev?s career, the ...

Entry 'Kris Letang traded for Alexei Kovalev?' (ID:115408) edited by user 'PenguinsExperience'

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 02:00:36 -0500

Published Blog: Penguins Experience Title: Kris Letang traded for Alexei Kovalev? Author: PenguinsExperience Kris Letang is a healthy scratch tonight and the trade rumours have begun to fly. ?Personally, I hope the ...

Kovalev returning to Canadiens tomorrow

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:16:53 -0500

From Alex Kovalev is still a Montreal Canadien and apparently ready to resume practising with the NHL team on Read the entire story This situation is getting more bizarre by the day.? While Kovalev was only scheduled to sit out the next two games (the Habs play Pittsburgh ...

Some Home Cookin' This Week Could Be Caps' Big Gain

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:42:32 -0500

If the Capitals play focused and disciplined and hard during their?three home games this week against three beleagured opponents they will have a terrific opportunity to make up some serious ground on first-in-the-East Boston. Montreal, Colorado, and Pittsburgh -- all once-proud teams that have ...