Ilya Kovalchuk Retires

[Boogeyman]

The guy may have personal reasons for doing this other than financial gain, we may never know. With that said, the guy has always come off as "sketchy" and an anti-NHL commie. He was the little ring leader of the Russian clique in the NHL.

That or NJ is really that bad. Why does everyone, besides Patrick Elias and Martin Brodeur jump ship at first opportunity over there?

[canaan]

Wat

[BurghersAndDogsSports]

This is pretty funny, though at this point I think the Devils are better off with the cap space. Square peg, round hole.

They aren't getting the cap space back thanks to the Luongo rule in the new CBA.

Don't quote me but didn't their season start going south when he got hurt? I think he was a big part because they play boring but he provided some offense. I think it's a huge loss not even considering cap implications.

[Pucks_and_Pols]

something something, space time continuem, karma, yadda yadda yadda

[Pitt87]

This is just about the worst thing that you can do to a team... 'retire' after your team has a chance to get the best possible FA.

Talk about decimation... they have virtually no scoring left. Adam Henrique is not an answer....

[Idoit40fans]

This is pretty funny, though at this point I think the Devils are better off with the cap space. Square peg, round hole.

They aren't getting the cap space back thanks to the Luongo rule in the new CBA.

Don't quote me but didn't their season start going south when he got hurt? I think he was a big part because they play boring but he provided some offense. I think it's a huge loss not even considering cap implications.

Yeah, he was the most important player on that team 5 hours ago. He was the difference between them being a playoff team and a basement team. Though 5 years from now, he would be an anchor.

[JS©]

[SubtropicalPenguin]

Wow, I didn't see this coming. He had to know he was going to make this decision. To wait until a week into free agency is a seriously *****bag move. I can only imagine how pissed NJ fans are right now. All I can say is, Wow!

You have to think they make a strong push to get that draft pick back now, but I just don't see the league relenting on that issue. This whole fiasco has set the Devils organization back a couple of years. I really hope this isn't a sign of things to come, but you can bet other GMs are taking note and taking stock of their Russian players right now.

[columbia]

Some good action here:
http://www.devilsrule.com/discuss/viewforum.php?f=5" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think Kovalchoo is teh awesome and will miss him in the NHL.

[MRandall25]

Some good action here:
http://www.devilsrule.com/discuss/viewforum.php?f=5" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think Kovalchoo is teh awesome and will miss him in the NHL.

Some NSFW language.

[stopper40]

What are the legal ramifications of him playing in the KHL while he still has a valid NHL contract? I know he's retired but he couldn't come back to any team in the NHL now if he wanted. Could this start a war betwen the KHL and the NHL on some level? If he signs for $20 million with a khl team, what's to stop some team from throwing more at Malkin or Ovy?

[brwi]

Wow, I didn't see this coming. He had to know he was going to make this decision. To wait until a week into free agency is a seriously *****bag move. I can only imagine how pissed NJ fans are right now. All I can say is, Wow!

You have to think they make a strong push to get that draft pick back now, but I just don't see the league relenting on that issue. This whole fiasco has set the Devils organization back a couple of years. I really hope this isn't a sign of things to come, but you can bet other GMs are taking note and taking stock of their Russian players right now.

They definitely are, just like several GM's got skittish about taking Russian players with high #1 picks after the Radulov fiasco several years ago. This is the kind of sting for a franchise that doesn't stop hurting for a while.

While I could generally care less about the Devils' franchise or LL, the timing of this move by Kovalchuk seems almost intentional. Wait until the big names aren't available in UFA and the bigger trades done and then sign your retirement papers and say bye-bye. Seems like a real d-bag move to me and deliberately sticking it to the Devils who were paying him everything he ever wanted. Not a class move at all.

[MRandall25]

What are the legal ramifications of him playing in the KHL while he still has a valid NHL contract? I know he's retired but he couldn't come back to any team in the NHL now if he wanted. Could this start a war betwen the KHL and the NHL on some level? If he signs for $20 million with a khl team, what's to stop some team from throwing more at Malkin or Ovy?

He doesn't have a valid contract anymore. He was "released" from it when LouLam signed off on his retirement. For all intents and purposes, he's a free agent.

[penny lane]

We'll make this penguin related. Good stuff from Rob Rossi!

When in Russia, intimidation is a powerful motivator. In July 2006, Malkin was pressured into signing a new contract with Metallurg Magnitogorsk after club officials refused to leave his parents' house. Ultimately, agent J.P. Barry legally broke that deal and helped his client get to Pittsburgh, but the experience permanently scarred Malkin's psyche.
He felt taken advantage of, and he feared for possible repercussions against his parents, Vladimir and Natalia, and brother, Denis. Malkin said he decided then that he would never put himself or his loved ones in a similar situation

Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/434 ... z2YmxsJ2XE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook

[Gaucho]

Was it Yashin who ran into trouble with the Russian mafia?

[Gaucho]

No, Bure. Right?

[penny lane]

No, Bure. Right?

yes, but wasn't Alexander Mogilny also worried about his family?

[npv708]

[brwi]

No, Bure. Right?

There were rumors that Yashin, Bure and Radulov all had family threatened back home by the Russian Mafia to come back home and play.. Whether any are true whatsoever......no idea. Sometimes athletes just do whatever the hell they feel like doing at the moment, but I wouldn't also totally discount the Russian mafia angle with some hockey players either.

[Desiato]

Even though he's been productive for parts of the past two seasons, I don't think the Devils are necessarily *that* sad to see him go. Simply put, he's not even close to the same player they traded for.

Putting his cap hit of $6.67 million until 2025 aside, he was due to be paid over $55 million over the next five seasons. Not what you want to be paying a 1 ppg player as he goes over the hill on a rebuilding team.

[Dickie Dunn]

German Titov's father and brother (I think) both died under shady circumstances like a month apart when he was playing for Anaheim.

[Boogeyman]

We'll make this penguin related. Good stuff from Rob Rossi!

When in Russia, intimidation is a powerful motivator. In July 2006, Malkin was pressured into signing a new contract with Metallurg Magnitogorsk after club officials refused to leave his parents' house. Ultimately, agent J.P. Barry legally broke that deal and helped his client get to Pittsburgh, but the experience permanently scarred Malkin's psyche.
He felt taken advantage of, and he feared for possible repercussions against his parents, Vladimir and Natalia, and brother, Denis. Malkin said he decided then that he would never put himself or his loved ones in a similar situation

Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/434 ... z2YmxsJ2XE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook

He didn't hesitate to play for that organization during the lock out. Couldn't have been that bad. In my opinion, this is probably some what accurate but drenched in sensationalism. The Malkins probably had a couple pushy car salesmen in their home and got sold. Highly doubt anyone was holding a gun to their heads, so to speak.

That Russian mob stuff is lore and fairy tales (in regards to hockey players). Except for Bure, but he was directly related to a sketchy crew. In fact, the rumor is he was in "business" with a mob king pin or whatever. There was a point where it was believed that Bure would be killed if he would have returned to Russia. It had nothing to do with hockey or where he played.

[Malkamaniac]

Really sucks. I actually liked Kovalchuk. It's a shame they lost Parise too after all of this. Tough situation for NJ.

[pcm]

Well he probably waited to see if the Devils would be any good, then decided he didn't want to have to do all the work himself after Parise and then Clarkson jumped ship.

[pcm]

Life as a Devils fan:

bjlaac wrote:
I'm not buying this homesick (bleep) anymore. Name one team it happened to once and then tell me how in the (bleep) Niedemeyer ( i wanna play with my brother Wah Wah) and Sutter (I miss my farming and my home Wah Wah) and Parise (I want to go home and play with my best friend wah wah) and Kovi (I want to be in mother Russia with my family wah wah) all happens to the same (bleep) team over and over again

You forgot Clarkson- "wah wah I wanna go home to Toronto and get a ridiculously long and expensive contract wah wah."