Defending Kovalchuk and the KHL

"Nothing I can do. In Soviet Russia, contract signs you."

Okay, all this talk about Ilya Kovalchuk is a little ridiculous. The big news lately is that Kovalchuk wanted to stay in the KHL for the remainder of the season. As most Russian NHL players were on their way back to the states, Ilya made it quite apparent that he was in no rush to return right away. He expressed his loyalty to his team, SKA St. Petersburg, and his desire to remain in Russia to play in their all-star game and hopefully the rest of the season. This, of course, sparked a huge amount of controversy and unwarranted over-reactions.

The Kovalchukian quote that seems to have everyone in a tizzy is this statement from a couple days ago: "I want to stay in St. Petersburg, but I have contractual obligations in the NHL, which will be hard to break." Here in North America, many fans, particularly Devils fans, take personal offense to this statement. People like to look at this quote and right away come to a final determination that Kovalchuk doesn't like playing for the NHL or the Devils, wants to stay in Russia for the rest of his life, and is unloyal. Slow down, Devils fans. And over-zealous Ranger fans. And bitter Thrashers fans. Perhaps you missed the part where he said he wants to finish the season with SKA, not his career. Besides, when Kovy expressed his desire to remain in the KHL this season, the NHL's CBA was still not actually finalized. The players union had still yet to ratify it, so why should Kovalchuk be in such a rush to return to a state of uncertainty? Besides, he seems to be having a pretty good time in the motherland.


"I GOALED!  I GOALED!  I GOAL AGAIN!"

I understand the initial feelings that this statement alone may stir, but let's try to remain objective here, rather than condemning Kovy to a state of eternal damnation. Imagine you played in a league with a commissioner who told you that you can't play until you give him more money. So, you take your all-star resume to Russia's league instead, where you quickly find yourself captain and top-scorer of one of the best and most storied teams in that league. You've become a fan favorite. Then, several months into the season, the NHL calls and lets you know that they've settled and are ready to begin a half-season. But with half of an unbelievably successful season already under your belt in the KHL, not to mention a first-place position in the standings and an all-star game just a few days away, would you not want to stick around for a little longer? Hell, I'd want to break my contractual obligations too. But by "breaking contractual obligations", Kovy meant, "find a way to finish out the season with SKA before returning to New Jersey to honor my contract for the rest of my career."

"37 goals? That's nothin. I'm tellin ya, Ron here could
do better. The Russian are NOTHIN!"

Don Cherry, who has made his opinion of Russian hockey players quite apparent over the last few years, had a lot to say about the Kovalchuk situation too. He tweeted, (yes, tweeted), about how offended Lou Lamoriello and Devils fans should be about Kovy wanting to stay in Russia. He went on to attack his contract, saying it's too big for a guy who "only" scores 37 goals. He finished up by saying "I'm sorry to say Lou, he'll be back." Yes, Don. I'm sure Lou Lamoriello is just devastated that the NHL's 5th leading scorer last season will be back to play for him again.

The point is, people continually say that Kovalchuk's desire to finish the season in Russia shows that he is not loyal. I think it does exactly the opposite. He has played in a league (the NHL) that has clearly shown that it isn't loyal to it's players or fans, so why should he be loyal to that league? The NHL pushed him to Russia this season, where he doesn't want to disappoint thousands of fans and a hockey club that depends on him night in and night out to be the driving force behind their first place team. As far as loyalty is concerned, SKA is the team that Ilya Kovalchuk is loyal to this season. The fact that he had the balls to stand up and defend himself and his team earns him a ton of respect points in my book. The people who say they don't want him back because he is not loyal or not worth his contract are idiots.

Photo credits: RIA Novosti/Alexey Filippov, Steve Dangle, Bruce Mason