Barely 24 hours after being named co-captain of his new team, Avangard Omskof the KHL, Ilya Kovalchuk showed that he is still capable of getting the job done.. In his first game against Kunlun Red Star on Wednesday, the 37-year-old wasted little time getting on the scoresheet, getting a goal with just under five minutes left in the second period.
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Despite his best effort, Kovalchuk's team would end up losing 4-3 in a shootout to Red Star.
You would have to go back to the Gagarin Cup playoffs in 2018, when he was playing with SKA St. Petersburg, to see Kovalchuk's last goal in the KHL before this one. . His team lost in the Western Conference final against CSKA Moscow in six games.
On December 26, Kovalchuk signed a contract with Avangard Omsk following a return to the NHL that would last two years. Kovalchuk played for LA, Montreal and then Washington last season before becoming a free agent again. With a two-year contract in place with Avangard, it's a safe bet Kovalchuk will finish his hockey career in his home country of Russia.
