Most Hated New Jersey Devils Opponents Of All Time
By Nick Villano
7. Ilya Kovalchuk
Players Taken Out On The Way: Darcy Tucker and Adam Graves
This one might be the most controversial. This is the only player on this list who is here because of what he did while he was a member of the New Jersey Devils. He left the Devils worst than any player in franchise history. This fanbase has seen some great players leave unceremoniously. Scott Gomez, Bobby Holik and John MacLean eventually went to play for the New York Rangers. Zach Parise and David Clarkson left to go home. However, the way Kovalchuk retired makes us hate him.
Some Devils fans realize how much Kovalchuk actually helped the Devils in the long run. He could have retired after the years where he was making more than $11 million, which would have cost the Devils millions against the salary cap. Still, leaving when the Devils needed him to lead this team, pushing the franchise into an early rebuild, and watching them miss the playoffs in what will be seven times in the next eight seasons.
The Moment He Became The Enemy:
It was a July afternoon. The Devils lost Clarkson just a week earlier to Toronto. They spent big money on Ryane Clowe, Michael Ryder and re-signing Marek Zidlicky. The team was doing its best to rebound after missing the playoffs in a lockout-shortened season. With Kovalchuk in tow, the Devils still had the chance to be a contender.
Then, Kovalchuk retired and the Devils quickly became a team too old to do much, with a prospect pool that might be the worst in all of the NHL. Most of their roster was near retirement age and they were looking at Kovalchuk to carry the team to prosperity. Instead of stepping up, he went to a league where his life could be simple while playing at home.
What makes it worse is how Kovalchuk performs since he returned to the NHL. His contract demands made it impossible to trade him before he used the 36+ loophole to return. This past season, he scored the deciding shootout goal in a win for the Montreal Canadiens. In his only other game against the Devils, he scored and the Los Angeles Kings won 5-1. Gross.