Finger-wagging Kovalchuk on quite a roll

[canadiancreed]

ATLANTA (AP) -- Ilya Kovalchuk never imagined that a simple point of the finger could create such a stir.

Or maybe he's just being coy.

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Clearly, the Atlanta Thrashers' star doesn't mind being the center of attention, whether it's scoring more goals than anyone in the NHL or taunting Pittsburgh phenom Sidney Crosby.

"Hockey is a fun game," Kovalchuk said Monday. "I'm just an excited guy. I'm always excited about my goals, whether it's one or 41. That's why I'm playing hockey: to score goals and win games."

Kovalchuk has been scoring plenty of goals -- nine in the last five games, giving him a league-best 32 -- and the Thrashers have been winning plenty of games, surging into contention for the first playoff berth in franchise history.

Atlanta, which got off to a miserable start, is 10-2-3 in its last 15 games, second in the Southeast Division and seventh overall in the Eastern Conference -- one spot above where it needs to be to keep playing beyond the regular season.

"I don't care how many goals I score," Kovalchuk said. "I just want to be in the playoffs."

Along the way, the 22-year-old Russian will surely keep things interesting. His knee-sliding, fist-pumping celebrations put an exciting face on a league that had turned boring and stale before its crippling lockout. He's also becoming a marked man for breaching some of the sport's most basic codes of conduct.

Take last Friday, for instance.

Kovalchuk and the Thrashers were hosting Crosby and the Penguins, a matchup between two of the league's brightest young players.

In the first period, Kovalchuk checked Crosby from behind. The Pittsburgh teenager retaliated with a whack of the stick, drawing a slashing penalty. In the second period, Crosby went off again for slashing. Just 24 seconds into the power play, Kovalchuk scored from the top of the circle with one of his devastating slap shots.

As soon as the puck ripped the net, Kovalchuk spun around and pointed a finger at Crosby, who was stepping out of the penalty box. Afterward, Kovalchuk explained that he was trying to teach the rookie a lesson.

"He took a stupid penalty," Kovalchuk said. "He's an 18-year-old kid and he's got to learn he can't play like this."

A few days later, Kovalchuk was more conciliatory toward Crosby, the league's top draft pick and its most heralded player since Eric Lindros.

"Hockey is an emotional game," Kovalchuk said. "It's nothing personal. He's a good hockey player. It's nothing -- just excitement and emotions."

The Penguins were incensed by the gesture and nearly rallied from a 5-0 deficit. But Kovalchuk delivered another dagger with an open-net goal in the final minute, giving him a hat trick and Atlanta a 6-4 victory.

The following night in Pittsburgh, Kovalchuk bedeviled the Penguins again with two more goals, leading the Thrashers to a 4-3 win.

Don Cherry, the outspoken commentator for CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada," ripped Kovalchuk for his gesture toward Crosby.

"I've seen a lot of things in my life, but I've never seen a guy pointing to a guy in the penalty box," Cherry said. "Someone should've broken his arm, but they didn't."

While Atlanta coach Bob Hartley didn't care much for the finger-pointing, either, he seemed to understand it was Kovalchuk's way of expressing himself in a burgeoning rivalry that could define the league for the next decade or two.

"They're two great young players who will sell the National Hockey League for years to come," Hartley said.

Kovalchuk is doing his part. He was one of the most prolific scorers in the old clutch-and-grab NHL, managing 29 goals as a rookie, 38 in his sophomore season and 41 -- tied for the league lead -- in the last year before the lockout.

This season, even though he missed all of training camp and the first three games in a contract dispute, Kovalchuk is on pace to score 62 goals. He has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the new rules and stricter officiating that were imposed after the lockout to create more scoring -- and help lure back disgruntled fans.

"You've got more space," Kovalchuk said. "They can't hook and hold you anymore. They've got to get body position on you. If you're a good skater, it's easier for you to beat them now. It opens up things more for the speed guys, the skill guys. The game is more fun. Even if it's a 3-zip or 4-zip game, it's not over yet. It's more exciting for the fans."

Kovalchuk plans to keep doing what he's doing -- even if it means offending someone from time to time.

"I have always been exciting," he said. "I don't think about it before the game, or a week before the game. No, it comes into my mind right after the goal. It's all emotion."

Did anyone else expect this guy to take over for Heatley as Atlanta's go-to guy? I know I'm surprised kinda.

[jazzrack]

He's also becoming a marked man for breaching some of the sport's most basic codes of conduct.

i find this funny considering its hockey

[Splitter24]

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

Did anyone else expect this guy to take over for Heatley as Atlanta's go-to guy? I know I'm surprised kinda.

You shouldn't be all that surprised considering he averaged 40 goals over each of the two previous seasons whether Heatley was in the lineup or not.

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by jazzrack

i find this funny considering its hockey

you're see the players of the sport as mindless barbarians?

Remember this is the sport that is probably the only one that still shakes hands and congradulates their opponets on a good game after matches, although mostly in the playoffs now.

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by Splitter24

You shouldn't be all that surprised considering he averaged 40 goals over each of the two previous seasons whether Heatley was in the lineup or not.

it has been a few years since I was rabid about the game. I figured he'd be another Yashin or what not; godo with good linemates, but not so good without them (and not because he's russian as well)

[What!]

I am not surprised at all by Kovalchuks output this year. I always thought he was the most talented goal scorer in the game and with the new rules he is unstoppable. I think he has the best combination of shooting power and accuracy in the league and he is a pretty good skater also. Also it should be noted that he missed games early on in the season because of an contract holdout and took some more games to get into the flow of the game again.

I watched the game with Crosby and he did take a cheap shot at Crosby but also got Crosby off of his game. I always been a fan of Kovalchuck so I dont have as much hatred towards him as most Pittsburgh fans. They booed him every time he touched the puck the next night. He still had two more goals. I also think Atlanta is going to make the playoffs. They are red hot right now and seem to only be getting better and healthier.

[dsvitak]

Originally Posted by jazzrack

i find this funny considering its hockey

I thought the only code was to pound some guy in the face, or piledrive him into the ice.

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by dsvitak

I thought the only code was to pound some guy in the face, or piledrive him into the ice.

^^^^^^^
never saw a hockey game since Slapshot

[Kekkonen]

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

Did anyone else expect this guy to take over for Heatley as Atlanta's go-to guy? I know I'm surprised kinda.

You mean, am I surprised that the guy who scored 87 points in the old clutch-and-grab NHL as a 20-year-old is putting up huge numbers two years later in a more wide-open league? No, I'm not. And I see no reason why he couldn't keep it up. And what's really scary is the fact that if he has anything resembling a normal career progression, he's still a couple of years from his prime.