A hair over 12 years since he first retired from the NHL, we have a new inside perspective on Ilya Kovalchuk's retirement and leaving the New Jersey Devils high and dry in the 2013 offseason.
Former Devils forward and assistant coach Dave Barr, who's been working in Russia with the KHL's Avangard Omsk for parts of the last two seasons, didn't necessarily fault the 42-year-old superstar for leaving the Devils and sticking to his ideals.
"I really like Kovy. We had a great relationship. He led the league in penalty kill goals, although he’s not thought of as a neutralizer. He’s a real man. I respect him a lot both for his game and for his behavior off the ice," Barr told Championat of Kovalchuk. "He’s very proud, and I think he just didn’t like the conditions he was in. That’s why he got out of them (laughs). He gave up a lot of money to get a lot of money."
Surprise response to Ilya Kovalchuk's retirement more than a decade later
Kovalchuk, now on the verge of officially announcing his retirement from playing hockey, was one of the most electric players in Devils history in his short time with the team.
In parts of four seasons, the former No. 1 overall pick scored 89 goals, 112 assists, and 201 points in 222 regular-season games, adding 10 goals, 15 assists, and 25 points in 28 playoff games.
It helps, too, that the recapture charge the Devils have been paying since Kovalchuk's retirement is officially off the books as of last month. Any and all damage the Russian star did to the franchise is fully in the past now.