LOS ANGELES — Star forward Ilya Kovalchuk’s return to the National Hockey League officially began on July 1, when he signed a three-year deal worth $6.25 million per season with the Los Angeles Kings. But his introduction to the local media here in Southern California got off to an inauspicious start.
Earlier in the week, the Kings invited the local media to an informal press gathering to meet and speak with the 35-year-old veteran of more than twelve NHL seasons in which he was a perennial 30-goal scorer—he reached the 52-goal mark twice in his NHL career and won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the NHL’s leading goal scorer in the 2003-04 season with 41 goals.