When we last saw Alexei Kovalev, he was playing for a second-tier Swiss team called EHC Visp and had 70 points in 59 games in leading them to the National League B championship.
And then he retired at age 41, after 24 years of personifying the “enigmatic Russian” stereotype while scoring 430 goals in 1,316 NHL games. “I’d have loved to play until I’m 50 but the injuries from the last few seasons don’t let me continue my career,” he said.
Well, he’s feeling better. He plays 3-on-3 hockey once a week, and trains and plays tennis three times a week.