Kovalev for Hart?

March 21, 2008   ·   Derek Felix   ·   Jump to comments

 

AP Photo Courtesy Getty Images by Winslow Townson

“If he (Kovalev) doesn’t have any votes for MVP, I will be really upset. We are at the top of the conference and he is a big part of it.” -Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau on his best player’s two goal, assist performance in a 4-2 win over Boston putting them back into the conference lead by a point.

Now there’s a sentence you never thought you’d see. Heck, even myself being the biggest Alexei Kovalev fan, I’m not surprised.

Oh. I’ve always been a huge supporter of No.27 ever since he debuted with the New York Rangers during the 1992-93 season.

It was a year later where AK27 performed quite well during the club’s run to that elusive and way too talked about Stanley Cup. Part of the first ever Russians to get their names engraved on it with teammates Sergei Nemchinov and Alexander Karpovtsev, Kovy scored perhaps the biggest goal in that memorable Mark Messier Guarantee taking a drop pass from No.11 and beating Marty Brodeur to start a now historic comeback in arguably one of the best series ever played.

Since that playoff run, the former 1991 Rangers’ first round pick (15th overall) has teased even his most diehard fans with amazing talent which easily could’ve resulted in a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Sure. The 15-year NHL veteran has had his moments while playing twice on Broadway, Pittsburgh and up at The Molson Centre.

Who could ever forget that bustout career season with the 2000-01 Penguins everyone envisioned (well at least me anyway) in which he notched 44 goals, 51 assists totaling 95 points with 12 power play tallies and a clutch nine game-winners? 

For all the misguided talk about how he benefited from playing with Mario Lemieux in No.66’s return to hockey, try again as Kovalev played alongside Robert Lang and current Ranger Marty Straka, who btw is one of the most underappreciated forwards of his time.

Sure, Lemieux and a motivated Jaromir Jagr faced the top checkers but really it was pick your poison because Kovalev’s line was that good.

So, should he have been nominated for the Hart that season over either Mario or Jagr? Well, where else do you think I came up with the novel idea for the Kovy274Hart name?!?!?!?!?!

After a second failed brief stint in New York a few years later in which those dreadful Ranger teams misused the star by typically playing him out of position at LW and not even trying him at the right point on the power play, he was eventually moved to the Canadiens for Jozef Balej (remember him) and a second round pick which turned into Bruce Graham (AHL fodder). So, who won that deal again?

Sure. Who could’ve predicted that Balej would go from looking promising to coming into camp out of shape and being exiled to Vancouver before an unfortunate injury finished his career. I still say it was just the luck of being a Blueshirt during what was a miserable time. Just ask Jamie Lundmark why his career got royally screwed up.

Up till last season, Kovalev had rebounded north of the border where every last thing puck is heavily scrutinized. If you recall before the lockout, his awful overreaction to a slash led directly to a Glen Murray OT winner putting the Habs on the brink in Round One falling behind to archrival Boston 3-1. That same heavily critiqued player bounced back in that series leading the Canadiens to three consecutive wins as they rallied for the first time ever (against Boston) from that deficit to comeback and beat the Bruins.

In his first full season up North, Kovalev produced at near a point-a-game pace tallying 65 points (23-42-65) in 69 contests for his best output since 2002-03 when he amassed 64 in just 54 games before being traded by the Pens to the Rangers.

Having turned 34 during a disappointing 2006-07 season in which he had only 47 points (18-29-47) along with a glaring minus-19 rating in 73 games, it looked like his career was shot. Were his skills diminishing? Or was it just the usual song and dance from a player who’s had his share of ups and downs?

It was in my NHL Preview that I didn’t give this year’s edition of the Canadiens much of a chance. Just to borrow a direct quote on how certain I was about them missing the playoffs and finishing near the bottom of the East, here’s this gem:

“Up front, Chris Higgins, Tomas Plekanec and Guillaume Latendresse must continue to progress because relying on Alexei Kovalev to score consistently is like asking Jim Dolan to fire Isiah Thomas.”

So much for being able to predict the future as I also thought the Habs blueline was bad.

Maybe a motorcycle incident prior to the season was a wake up call of sorts for Kovalev. Whatever the reason, he’s turned in his best hockey since that career year in Pitt. However, the talent is far from the same. On this team, he is relied on to perform and lead his club.

Another couple of words I never thought I’d write about my favorite player. When Saku Koivu was out, guess who donned the ‘C?’ We’re talking about the richest tradition in all of hockey here! The Montreal sweater is one of the most special in all of sports right on par with the Yankee Pinstripes and famed Celtic Green. Just don’t tell the American media.

That same player who was thought to maybe be on the way out is now his team’s best player on what suddenly is a very deep team which could wind up representing the East-  going for that elusive 25th Stanley Cup and maybe become the first Canadian franchise to win it since those 1993 Patrick Roy Les Habitants way back when Kovalev was a 19 year-old rookie back in New York.

Scoring two breathtaking goals and assisting on another, AK27 led his team to a 4-2 road win at seventh seeded Boston putting the Habs a point back ahead of the Devils for tops in the conference.

The goals were No’s 32 and 33. He now has 77 points (33-44-77) in 75 games back to averaging slightly better than a point-per-game. With fellow Russians Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin vying for the NHL scoring lead and Hart, there’s little chance for the third older Russian to join them on the podium in June. Not with other deserving candidates such as Nick Lidstrom, Brodeur and Jarome Iginla deserving accolades for what they’ve done with their respective teams.

Is Kovalev important to his team’s chances this Spring? With all due respect to rookie Carey Price, you betcha! But he doesn’t do it alone. Not with help coming from Selke candidate Tomas Plekanec, those two Kostistyns plus Koivu, Long Island native Chris Higgins, Guillaume Latendresse, Norris candidate Andrei Markov along with physical freak Mike Komisarek, Roman Hamrlik plus double threat Mark Streit.

These Canadiens are very good for a reason. Still, Kovalev is their most skilled forward and probably their top player. At least when it comes to being proven in the postseason along with Koivu, he’s there.

So, does Kovalev deserve a few Hart votes? Sure. But if we’re going to say that, so does Mike Ribeiro on Dallas who is equally as valuable. Remember he was the guy deemed expendable traded for Janne Niinimaa. Yep. A player no longer in the league. So too is the game’s most unheralded young star Ryan Getzlaf with Anaheim.

You can also put in some votes for Mats Sundin. What a player! Maybe he’s not the brightest guy wanting to stay in Toronto but hey. How many players these days are loyal soldiers?

So, will Kovalev get some votes? Probably not. But he does play in a great place where hockey is treated like King and not like Britney Spears.

At least he has that much going for him but playing on an Original Six not given much of a chance and delivering the way he has should say plenty.

Maybe I did actually get it right seven years ago. Kovy274Hart.

Ochenb Horosho!