Montreal Canadiens Hall Of Fame Case: Alex Kovalev
The Montreal Canadiens are well represented in the Hockey Hall of Fame, but a number of former Canadiens players also deserve attention. We are doing a series on a number of these former Habs greats who have a chance of being elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Wednesday, June 21.
If the Hockey Hall of Fame inducted players based on talent alone, Alex Kovalev would be a first ballot, slam dunk, no-doubt member. He would be among the most obvious choices of all-time, a unanimous choice without a doubt.
However, Kovalev’s career was that of a highly skilled player that rarely seemed to live up to that high billing. He could do amazing things with the puck on his stick, keeping it away from Hall of Fame defenders like an adult playing against peewees.
Kovalev could take the puck the length of the ice and just deke around everyone. He could set up teammates with an incredible pass and he could beat the best goaltenders in the world clean with a wrist shot, snap shot, slapper or even a deceptive backhander after stickhandling them into a hypnotic state.
But he could also be completely invisible and selfish. He could go weeks on end without finding the scoresheet and looking aloof on the ice. Almost like he didn’t care, or want, to be competing in the NHL at all.
Yet, even with all of the ups and downs, his career totals are that of a borderline Hall of Fame player. He doesn’t jump out as a surefire candidate, and he has been eligible since 2020 without being inducted, but he does have a bit of a case.
Kovalev was a first round pick of the New York Rangers and arrived just in time to join a stacked team. He scored 20 goals as a rookie in 1992-93 but took on a much bigger role in the following season, which would prove to be a magical one.
The Russian winger would score 23 goals and 56 points in 76 games that season. He added 21 points in 23 playoff games, stepping up to play a pivotal role as the Rangers won the Stanley Cup and ended a 54 year Stanley Cup drought. There was an infamous game in that postseason where captain (and Kovalev’s linemate) Mark Messier guaranteed a win against New Jersey in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final and then scored a hat trick. Well, the Rangers fell behind 2-0 in that game before Kovalev scored and then set up Messier’s first two goals en route to a 4-2 win.
Kovalev continued to have strong postseasons throughout his NHL career. He retired from the NHL having played 123 career playoff games, scoring 45 goals and 55 assists for 100 points.
Kovalev played parts of five seasons with the Canadiens and was an enigmatic figure. He would suit up for 314 regular season games, scoring 103 goals and 264 points. The team also made the playoffs in four of those seasons with Kovalev scoring 17 goals and 31 points in 33 games.
His best season came in 2000-01, when scoring was quite low, and he scored 44 goals and 95 points in 79 games. In total, he would score 430 goals and 1029 points in 1316 games in his career. That is just 12 less points, and 37 more goals, than first-ballot Hall of Famer Daniel Sedin and just 41 points back of Henrik Sedin. He also has four less points than Martin St. Louis.
The difference, of course, is each of those players won a Hart Trophy as league MVP in their career. Kovalev doesn’t have that individual hardware, only once earning a second all-star team nod, but he did play well in international competitions. He was named to the Tournament All-Star Team at his only World Juniors, when he won a gold medal in 1992.
Kovalev also won an Olympic gold medal in 1992, before NHL players were in attendance at those games. He earned a pair of silver medals at World Under-18 tournaments and combined for 18 points in 12 games at those events. He also won a bronze medal at an Olympics as well as a World Championships and was named the best forward at the World Championships in 2005.
Kovalev doesn’t get a lot of attention when it comes to debating Hall of Fame players. However, his work stacks up pretty closely to recent Hall of Fame inductees like the Sedin twins and St. Louis.
There are not many first-ballot Hall of Famers on this year’s ballot so those who were passed over recently will get a longer look once again. Kovalev is still a long shot, but he has a more compelling case than most would initially believe. His ability to perform in the playoffs and international tournaments are a big help.
I wouldn’t recommend holding your breath, but the new class will be announced on Wednesday, June 21 at 3:00 PM EST.