Former #1 pick shares a shocking Christmas day announcement: he is done with hockey?

Back in the early 2000s, Ilya Kovalchuk was one of the hottest names in hockey. From 2003-2008, Kovalchuk netted 40 goals four years in a row and won a Rocket Richard trophy too.

Eventually, the Russian would leave Atlanta for brighter pastures in New Jersey where he hoped to win a Stanley Cup. However, he left his new team after just four years to return home to Russia for what seemed like good. Despite being one of the best players in the world, Kovalchuk preferred playing at home.

in 2018, Kovalchuk decided to make a return with the LA Kings and played two more years in the NHL playing with the Kings, Montreal Canadiens, and Washington Capitals, before heading back overseas.

Then from 2021-2023, Kovalchuk stepped away from playing hockey altogether for what seemed like his retirement but he made another return in 2023-24 with Spartak Moskva.

Going into this season without a contract, it looked like Kovalchuk would be retiring but he made it clear it was not the end yet. However, today on Christmas day, Kovalchuk has practically confirmed his playing career is over.

Looking back on his career, Kovalchuk was one of the most accomplished players in hockey history. Through 926 NHL games, 334 KHL games, and another 64 Russian Super League games, Kovalchuk netted over 600 goals and 1,283 professional points.

There is no doubt that if he were to have played out his contract with the New Jersey Devils, he would have scored over 1000 NHL points and played over 1000 games.

At 41 years old, Kovalchuk is likely to move to a new job within hockey as either a coach or manager and will look to instill the knowledge he learned throughout his career in young players today.