Former NHL All-Star Announces Official Retirement From Hockey

Ilya Kovalchuk's career has been a wild ride. Drafted 1st overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2001, the Russian forward made a few back-and-forth moves between the NHL and the KHL and was involved in multiple controversies related to his contracts.

He played for the Thrashers for three seasons before going to the KHL for two years. Then, he played three and a half seasons for the Devils, finished the season in the KHL, and later came back to North America.

Then, in 2013, he spent five years in the KHL, winning two Gagarin Cups with St. Petersburg SKA in that span.

Later, he returned to the NHL for two seasons, playing for the Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, and Washington Capitals.

After all that, he returned to the KHL, where he played in the 2020-21 and 2023-24 seasons.

At 41 years old, Kovalchuk confirmed the next chapter of his career.

In a new development, we learned that Kovalchuk is officially retiring from his hockey career.

He ended up playing 926 games in the NHL, scoring 443 goals and 433 assists (876 points) in North America, and 432 games in the KHL, tallying 404 points.

He never won a Stanley Cup but won three Gagarin Cups and the Maurice Richard Trophy in 2003-04, an award he shared with Jarome Iginla and Rick Nash, who all scored 41 goals that season.

He had the best moments of his career with the Thrashers, scoring over 40 goals for four straight years between 2005 and 2009, including two 52-goal seasons.

There's no doubt that he will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame one day for his accomplishments.