Look who’s back on the ice.
Alexei Kovalev made a surprise comeback to hockey on Tuesday when he suited up for EHC Visp, a second-division Swiss professional team of which he is general manager.
Faced with a tough roster decision after one of his forwards was forced to bow out due to injury prior to game time, Kovalev turned to a reliable substitute: himself.
Not only did the 43-year-old lace up the skates for his first competition since 2013-14 (also with EHC Visp), he penciled himself into the team’s second line.
Kovalev certainly made his mark on the game, assisting on the opening goal in the first period and picking up a whopping 14 penalty minutes. He was even ejected late in the game after receiving a two-minute minor for hitting from behind and a 10-minute misconduct. (Click for the full box score)
There’s no word on whether this is a long-term comeback or just a one-game emergency lace-up.
The longtime NHL star registered 430 goals and 599 assists in 1,316 career NHL games with the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers.
