smon Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 Found a fantastic article in the Gazette, worth a read. "STU COWAN The Gazette Sunday, January 21, 2007 Canadiens fans seem to have a love/hate relationship with Alex Kovalev. No player on the Canadiens is blessed with more individual skills to bring fans out of their seats at the Bell Centre, but no player is more frustrating to watch on too many nights. The hate part of the relationship was evident when coach Guy Carbonneau decided to make Craig Rivet and Sergei Samsonov healthy scratches for last Tuesday's game against the Vancouver Canucks, which the struggling Canadiens lost 4-0. After listening to radio phone-in shows as well as comments from other media members, it's obvious a lot of people felt it was Kovalev who should have been sitting in the press box. I have to agree. And Jacques Demers, who coached the Canadiens to their last Stanley Cup victory in 1993, also agreed. Demers, who is now a hockey analyst for RDS, was on TSN's Off the Record Thursday night, and host Michael Landsberg asked him about Carbonneau's decision to sit Rivet and Samsonov. "I would not have benched Craig Rivet, because Craig Rivet plays . . . that's my opinion," Demers told Landsberg. "Craig Rivet plays hurt, plays sick, had played 158 (consecutive) games. Was Craig Rivet playing well? No. Was he trying hard every night? Absolutely. I would have benched someone else. "I would have benched Alex Kovalev," Demers added, "because Alex Kovalev is a very talented player who could change the game around for Montreal on a given night. But he has a reputation to play one out of four games, and that's exactly what he's done. I don't know what's wrong with him. To be honest with you, off the ice he's a great guy. He's got so much talent, but he has a reputation like that. I know he doesn't like to hear that, but it's a fact." There are two moments that stand out in my mind when I think about Kovalev in a Canadiens uniform - one bad and one good. First, the bad moment: It was the second overtime period of Game 4 of the 2004 Eastern Conference quarterfinal against the Boston Bruins. Kovalev had the puck near the Canadiens' blue line when he was slashed on the hand by Travis Green. Kovalev let go of the puck, reached to grab his hurting hand and collided awkwardly with teammate Sheldon Souray, giving Glen Murray a clean breakaway, which he buried to give the Bruins a 4-3 victory and a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. "I saw he got slashed," Souray told reporters after the game. "Maybe it should be a penalty, but do you stop playing? In double overtime? ... I was just caught by surprise that he left the puck there and there was nobody behind him. So obviously, you want to go back and get the puck." Amazingly, the Canadiens came back to win the series in seven games, with Kovalev getting 10 points in 11 playoff games before the Habs were eliminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning, who would go on to win the Stanley Cup. But if the Canadiens hadn't rallied to beat the Bruins - and with the image of Kovalev leaving the puck at the blue line in double OT still fresh - you have to wonder if the Canadiens still would have signed him to a four year, $18-million U.S. free-agent contract after the 2004-05 lockout. Now, the good moment: It was last March 25, a Saturday night game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre. During the third period of a 6-2 Canadiens victory, Darcy Tucker tried to cheap-shot Kovalev. The 6-foot-2, 229-pound Russian exploded with raw emotion and showed what a physical presence he can be, flattening Tucker with an elbow and getting into a fight. The fans went wild. But I'm starting to wonder if Canadiens fans might be expecting too much from Kovalev these days. Recent statistics show that the 33-year-old has become a $4.5-million, 20-goal scorer with little physical presence who is a minus player. Heading into last night's game, Kovalev ranked 90th in the NHL in points (34), 106th in goals (12) and 668th in plus/minus (minus-7). In 48 games, Kovalev had been credited with only 25 hits to rank 406th in the NHL and 14th on the Canadiens. Mike Komisarek led the team with 160 hits, while rookie Maxim Lapierre already had 30 hits in only 12 games. Rookie Guillaume Latendresse had 101 hits in 47 games. Latendresse also had nine goals - only three less than Kovalev, who had 305 more minutes of total ice time than the rookie. Last season, Kovalev ranked 64th in the NHL in points (65), 84th in goals (23) and 433rd in plus/minus (minus-1). For the 2003-04 season - his first in a Canadiens uniform - Kovalev ranked 105th in points (45), 152nd in goals (14) and 770th in plus/minus (minus-9). "Montreal Canadiens depend on Alex Kovalev to change the game around for the team," Demers told TSN. "He has signed a four-year contract - after this year there's two years left - so he could make the difference. He has made the difference some nights and when he makes the difference, boy is he ever good. But he's not doing it enough for a team that has a lot of rookies and a lot of second-year players." Maybe Canadiens fans should start wondering if Kovalev is still capable of making a difference over the long haul." http://www.canada.com/topics/sports/hockey...aae&k=76518 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoZed Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 (edited) A nice find... but please people, try not to copy/paste entire articles. Just the link and a teaser will do. Copyright stuff and all... Thanks Edited January 21, 2007 by KoZed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortcat1 Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 a pretty fair reading of the situation... i hope, as many have said, that he will step it up in the playoffs as he 'always does'. GO :hlogo: GO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smon Posted January 21, 2007 Author Share Posted January 21, 2007 A nice find... but please people, try not to copy/paste entire articles. Just the link and a teaser will do. Copyright stuff and all... Thanks Oh sorry, feel free to remove whatever parts. Anyway, yeah I would share the author's sentiment. Kovalev has all the talent in the world, but the numbers don't lie. If only he could put it together consistently somehow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehjay Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 Serious, If Kovy can show up to play EVERY game we just may be sitting on top of the conference. Truth be told I sometimes wonder if we should still call him a great player if 'he comes out to play 1 out of 4 games', cuz great players are seen at the rink, on the ice every game, not so great or good players, well... ya'll get my drift right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 Kovalev has always been that way, and only fools would expect anything different, at this stage of his career. Still, he was much better for us last year...and I still think his knee is to blame. It's just my opinion, but I suspect he's damaged goods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehjay Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 Kovalev has always been that way, and only fools would expect anything different, at this stage of his career. Still, he was much better for us last year...and I still think his knee is to blame. It's just my opinion, but I suspect he's damaged goods. Well then, I still stick to my question. Does he MERIT the title of great player??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smon Posted January 21, 2007 Author Share Posted January 21, 2007 No, he doesn't. I recall a while ago someone was claiming that Kovalev was a "superstar", and he isn't that either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehjay Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 No, he doesn't. I recall a while ago someone was claiming that Kovalev was a "superstar", and he isn't that either. Yeah, I didn't want to go there cuz I know there are a lot of peeps out there that think he is the next best thing since slice bread, but I think that he is a hack, NOT a hack without talent, but a hack cuz he doesn't come out to play game in game out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Harry Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 Kovalev doesnt have the intensity to be a real superstar. For real ones like Koivu, Sundin, Iginla, SMith, Gretzky, pride always motivated them to always play their best, Kovalev doesnt have that and will never be at their level. That said, he does OOZE talent, and is a wizard in the offensive zone. He is one of the main reasons our powerplay is top 3, which is the only reason the habs are in 4th place. There is definitely room for him to improve tho, lately Ive noticed his more casual passing in the offensive zone (not a setup, just passing back to the D) has gotten sloppy and led to turnovers, this is something that can be fixed, but I dont think gainey will ever be able to get him to start banging like Iginla all season long. Keep in mind tho, he does step up his game for the playoffs, where it matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMMR Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 Bashing Kovalev is useless. Sure all Habs fans, players and coaching staff can wish he would play 82 games a year full out playing with reckless abandon but if he did that he increases his likelihood of getting seriously hurt. Kovalev will show up as he always does in the playoffs other than that I could care less. He is the most feared player on the Canadiens during the playoffs teams and goalies dread playing him because they know what he can do. I rarely complain about Kovalev because I accept what he is, do not expect 40 goals and 90 points because in all likelihood it will not happen. But expect big production in the playoffs and him to show a true leadership role there. So with Kovalev I have a LOVE LOVE relationship because I am not a fickle fan with unreasonable expectations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 Bashing Kovalev is useless. Sure all Habs fans, players and coaching staff can wish he would play 82 games a year full out playing with reckless abandon but if he did that he increases his likelihood of getting seriously hurt. Kovalev will show up as he always does in the playoffs other than that I could care less. He is the most feared player on the Canadiens during the playoffs teams and goalies dread playing him because they know what he can do. I rarely complain about Kovalev because I accept what he is, do not expect 40 goals and 90 points because in all likelihood it will not happen. But expect big production in the playoffs and him to show a true leadership role there. So with Kovalev I have a LOVE LOVE relationship because I am not a fickle fan with unreasonable expectations. Fair enough...but wasn't he merely so-so in the playoffs last year? I come back to my 'damaged goods' theory. And he's obviously not a great player, just a great talent. There's a world of difference, but sheer talent goes a fairly long way in my books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehjay Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 All this about Kovy and the playoffs is great to talk about and stuff, but there is a regular season b4 that and if he is a player that just comes out to play then, HE (Kovy) himself should take a pay cut and put the GOOD of the team before his own ego AND PLAY THE FOURTH LINE 'till the playoffs. IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aebischer4life Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 All this about Kovy and the playoffs is great to talk about and stuff, but there is a regular season b4 that and if he is a player that just comes out to play then, HE (Kovy) himself should take a pay cut and put the GOOD of the team before his own ego AND PLAY THE FOURTH LINE 'till the playoffs. IMO. lol people are so dumb. He's got the second most points among forwards on the team yet he should play 4th line? Get him a real center and he woulda had 10-15 more assists by now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocket_Rocket_Girl Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Kovalev has potential to be a very amazing hockey player. I dont think he seems like he really cares a lot of the time. He has opportunity and talent to get wayyy more goals then he does....... he just doesnt look like he wants it. He frusterates me because i know he can do a lot better...i have a love HATE relationship with him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTH Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 He isn't a hack. He may only play well 1 in every 4 games but he always tries and he plays with intensity. It's just that he's getting older and his endurance is weakening. It's not easy for a guy his age to play as many minutes a night as he does, powerplay and penalty kill, sometimes being doubleshifted onto the fourth line. He just hates losing and in the playoffs, he's just about the best player you can have out there. He's a leader. The only question is how many habs will follow him if he keeps putting up mediocre numbers during the regular season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMMR Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 I will follow and support him all year until he dissapoints in the playoffs. As for him just being so-so in the playoffs he scored 7 points in 6 games and had 4 goals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Harry Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 The only question is how many habs will follow him if he keeps putting up mediocre numbers during the regular season. I think he gets a ton of respect in the hockey world regardless of his production. Just look at the way young russians like Ovenchkin and Kovalchuk who have way more points worship the guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smon Posted January 22, 2007 Author Share Posted January 22, 2007 I will follow and support him all year until he dissapoints in the playoffs. As for him just being so-so in the playoffs he scored 7 points in 6 games and had 4 goals. I don't dispute that he's been a playoff performer over all these seasons, but you're slightly overrating how good he was last year. He scored all his goals before Koivu was injured. After he went down, Gainey called on him to lead the team offensively. Needless to say it didnt work out. In the cap environment, you have to ask whether the 4.5M he will get over the next two seasons is a worthy investment for an aging talent on the decline. One thing I will agree with that you said before regarding him and that he strikes fear into opposing goalies. That's true, and that's why I'm all for Kovalev staying a member of the Canadiens for the foreseeable future. He may not put up the numbers anymore but at least he's a threat to do so, and he's definitely playing much better than poor Sergei Samsonov. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aebischer4life Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 I don't dispute that he's been a playoff performer over all these seasons, but you're slightly overrating how good he was last year. He scored all his goals before Koivu was injured. After he went down, Gainey called on him to lead the team offensively. Needless to say it didnt work out. In the cap environment, you have to ask whether the 4.5M he will get over the next two seasons is a worthy investment for an aging talent on the decline. One thing I will agree with that you said before regarding him and that he strikes fear into opposing goalies. That's true, and that's why I'm all for Kovalev staying a member of the Canadiens for the foreseeable future. He may not put up the numbers anymore but at least he's a threat to do so, and he's definitely playing much better than poor Sergei Samsonov. He still scored 2 points in the 2 games where he played more then 12 minutes. Not his fault if Gainey decided to barely play him in games 3 and 6. Oh and he woulda had many more assists had Ribeiro been able to score on open nets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zumpano21 Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 I'm going to take an unpopular stance on this and say I'm perfectly fine with Kovy playing 1 out of every 4 games PROVIDED we make a reasonable seed for the playoffs. Kovy is not as durable as he used to be and would almost certainly get injured if he were to play the crash/bang type of game that a lot of us are advocating. IMO keep him healthy and let him strut his stuff in the playoffs which he WILL do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 There was no guarantee when Kovalev signed here that any of the other availlable forwards of his ilk and price ranges ( Satan, Demitra,) would have signed to play in Montreal........I am shure glad one of them did...... our mini-renaissance started with our upset over the powerfull Bruins and it's been a full house attendance at the Bell ever since....none of it would have happen if Kovalev had played elsewhere. Now that we have a descent team showing some aspect of regularity we think that every UFA veteran would die to come here play with our young forwards......Shanahan didn't and not many would either. I can see amateurs not looking a the big picture but I am surprise with the nature of this article within the Gazette's coverage of the CH.......look's more like a nothing bit that is deep fishing for negative points, the like you can see on some forums.....I find it somewhat innapropriately negative and not up to the Gazette's usual standard.....but that's just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMMR Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 I'm going to take an unpopular stance on this and say I'm perfectly fine with Kovy playing 1 out of every 4 games PROVIDED we make a reasonable seed for the playoffs. Kovy is not as durable as he used to be and would almost certainly get injured if he were to play the crash/bang type of game that a lot of us are advocating. IMO keep him healthy and let him strut his stuff in the playoffs which he WILL do. Your opinion is not that unpopular among people that truly understand the regular season is crap all that matters is the playoffs as long as you make it of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneSharpMarble Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Over paid, over rated and poor attitude. He plays moderatly better in the playoffs but has zero leadership abilities. His work ethic is awful and I hope to god it doesn't wear off on the younger players. His play is very selfish, he stands up for himself and only himself. If he feels he has been wronged by the refs he will act like an insolent child and put the team down with extra unprofessional penalties. Big time defensive liability. All that being said he is a great talent, probably the best on the team which isn't saying that much. Could we trade him? Probably, he doesn't make a crazy 6 million (even tho 4.5 is too much also). 2 more seasons and I imagine he will retire, then we will be free to look for a real franchise player if we don't have one coming up in the prospects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoRvInA Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Your opinion is not that unpopular among people that truly understand the regular season is crap all that matters is the playoffs as long as you make it of course. I whole heartedly believe in that! Screw the season the real season starts in spring! Kovalev is pragmatic and smart... Notice he doesnt even celebrate goals anymore... he does celebrate them if others score though... But watch him do his dance come playoffs! Ah Kovy... I got faith in him and like Benoit Brunet says... He cant do it all himself.. he needs a line to play with... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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