Kunlun Red Star of the KHL has a new head coach for the 2020-21 season, and it is someone NHL fans will recognize immediately. Alexei Kovalev, a veteran of more than 1,300 NHL games, will take over behind the bench in his third year with the organization.
The enigmatic Kovalev was both loved and hated during his time in the NHL depending on which fan base you were a part of, but there was no one who ever doubted his skill. With more than 400 goals and 1,000 points along with a Stanley Cup in 1994, Kovalev was one of the most dominant offensive players of his era. He also famously clashed with coaching staffs, including an incident with Mike Keenan that resulted in Kovalev staying on the ice for more than five straight minutes (before scoring).
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that the nine players held out to start training camp have been cleared and will re-join the team. The group missed a full week of Phase 3 and will need to work even harder to get ready for the start of the playoffs. Unfortunately, the team did not have Sidney Crosby at practice again today when they held a full team scrimmage.
- Calgary Flames draft pick Milos Roman will be spending 2020-21 playing in the Czech Republic according to a Facebook post from the team. Roman was selected 122nd overall in 2018 and has yet to sign with the Flames. He spent the last three seasons playing with the Vancouver Giants of the WHL, but will return to the Czech league where he actually debuted as a teenager back in 2017.
Kovalev had as much or more talent than any player I’ve ever seen.
And I’ve seen Lemieux, Jagr, Francis, Crosby, Malkin, etc.