He was in full uniform, shoulder and shin pads, helmet and stick, as he waited for the signal to make his way to the bright lights.
Ilya Kovalchuk would soon walk down a hallway in his skates, ready for action, like so many times in his career. Only this time a nearby voice from a staffer solidified that this was far from a hockey rink.
Kovalchuk was about to shoot a video, in a nondescript studio in Torrance. Without giving away too much, the commercial is a fun, Hollywood-themed take on the newest star attraction for the Kings, whose promotional work in his previous NHL stops typically didn’t have a comedic slant.