Alexei Kovalev Alexei Vyacheslavovich " Alex " Kovalev ( , ; born February 24 , 1973 ) is a retired Russia n professional ice hockey player . He played in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) for the Ottawa Senators , Montreal Canadiens , Pittsburgh Penguins ( on two separate occasions ) , New York Rangers , with whom he was originally drafted and won a Stanley Cup in 1994 and the Florida Panthers playing over 1 , 300 NHL games over 18 seasons . Playing career . Alexei Kovalev was drafted by the New York Rangers in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft , first round , 15th overall . He became the first Russia n born player to be drafted in the first round in the history of the NHL . Best known for his stickhandling skills , dangling and wrist shot , he became an important part of the Rangers 1994 Stanley Cup run , finishing with the third - most points for New York in the playoffs . Kovalev , Alexander Karpovtsev , Sergei Nemchinov , and Sergei Zubov were the first Russians to have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup . The Rangers ' Stanley Cup win is one that ' s well remembered in Europe because of the first Russian names on the Stanley Cup , as MSG Network broadcaster Al Trautwig said in an essay for " Garden of Dreams " . During the 1994 – 95 NHL lockout , Kovalev returned to Russia to play for his hometown team Lada Togliatti , the defending International Hockey League champion from 1994 . Kovalev scored 8 goals and 8 assists in 12 games . Kovalev occasionally stops in Tolyatti to give clinics at his old hockey school . He also participated in the Lada Tolyatti 30th anniversary game , and scored a hat trick for the Lada veterans team . Just 14 games into the 1998 – 99 season , on November 25 , 1998 , he was traded , along with Harry York , to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Petr Nedvěd , Sean Pronger and Chris Tamer . While only putting up 46 points in 63 games with the Penguins , he managed a strong effort with 12 points in 10 postseason games . The next few seasons , he recorded two of his best seasons in the NHL with 76 and 95 points . In a trade to mainly reduce their salary , Pittsburgh sent Kovalev back to the Rangers on February 10 , 2003 . He was sent , along with Dan LaCouture , Janne Laukkanen and Mike Wilson for Mikael Samuelsson , Rico Fata , Joel Bouchard , Richard Lintner and cash . On March 13 , 2004 he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens for Jozef Balej and a second round selection in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft . While only managing 3 points in 12 games in the regular season , Kovalev broke out in the 2004 playoffs , where he registered 6 goals and 10 points in 11 games for Montreal . He spent the 2004 – 05 NHL lockout playing for Ak Bars Kazan , in the Russian Super League ( RSL ) , where he registered 23 points in 35 games . Kovalev played for Russia in the 2005 World Championships in Austria , and was named the tournament ' s best forward . As an unrestricted free agent , he re - signed with Montreal to a four - year contract , worth $ 4 . 5 million per year , on August 3 , 2005 , prior to the start of the 2005 – 06 NHL season . He scored his 300th career goal and recorded his 700th point on December 20 , 2005 against Dominik Hašek in a 4 – 3 win against the Ottawa Senators . In 2006 , Warrior Sports signed Kovalev to endorse their hockey sticks . Warrior designed a custom shaft known as the AK27 . In 2007 , Kovalev sparked controversy when he allegedly criticized his team , coaching staff and the Montreal media in an interview done with a Russian reporter in his native language . Though the reporter who conducted the interview later rescinded Kovalev ' s quotes , and the tape she used never surfaced , a majority of the fans and members of the media believe the criticism to have actually happened . This story was especially controversial due to the poor performance by Kovalev in the 2006 – 07 season , amassing only 18 goals , 29 assists for a total of 47 points . During the 2007 – 08 season , Kovalev found a resurgence playing alongside linemates Andrei Kostitsyn and Tomáš Plekanec , amassing a total of 35 goals , 49 assists for a total of 84 points in 82 games . As of the season ' s completion , he stood at the 94th spot of the top 100 all - time NHL scorers . Because of his inspired play , Kovalev was awarded the Canadiens ' captaincy on two occasions during the season , replacing the injured Saku Koivu in his absence . The following season , in 2008 – 09 , Kovalev was named captain of the Eastern Conference at the 2009 NHL All - Star game in Montreal , and won Most Valuable Player honors as a result of his two goals , assist , and game - winning shootout goal . Late in the season with the Canadiens , Kovalev scored his 100th goal with the club on March 31 , 2009 , against former teammate and Canadiens goaltender Cristobal Huet of the Chicago Blackhawks . At the end of the week , he was named the NHL ' s first star for the week ending April 5 after scoring 2 goals and 7 assists , helping lead the Canadiens to 3 wins during that time . On July 6 , 2009 , Kovalev signed a two - year , $ 10 million contract with the Ottawa Senators as an unrestricted free agent . On December 25 , 2009 , Kovalev was excluded from the roster for the Russian men ' s hockey team for the 2010 Winter Olympics , to the surprise of fellow countryman Evgeni Malkin . On January 3 , 2010 , he scored a career - high 4 goals in a 7 - 4 win against the Philadelphia Flyers . On November 22 , 2010 , Kovalev netted his sixth goal of the season , scoring his 1 , 000th point in his career , notching the goal at exactly 10 : 00 of the first period against the Los Angeles Kings . On February 24 , 2011 , his 38th birthday , Kovalev waived his no - trade clause to be traded back to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a conditional 7th Round Draft Pick . The pick would have been upgraded to the sixth round if the Penguins had reached the second round of the playoffs , which they did not . At the time of the trade , the Penguins were without twelve of their regulars , including Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin . Kovalev ' s return to Pittsburgh was brief , as general manager Ray Shero announced on May 28 , 2011 , that he had no intention of re - signing the forward . Off the ice . Kovalev is a licensed aircraft pilot . Alexei was referenced in the first episode of season four of the television series Alias when Michael Vaughn ( played by Michael Vartan ) attempted to deflect an enemy ' s suspicions by saying that he is often told he looks like Alexei Kovalev . He is married to Eugenia Kovalev . Endorsements . Kovalev is a prominent endorsee of Warrior Hockey , making use of their range of products as a trademark which includes his own signature stick , the AK27 . Kovalev was also pictured on the cover of EA Sports ' NHL 95 scoring a goal on Kirk McLean of the Vancouver Canucks in the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals . In March 2008 , Kovalev released a two - disc DVD titled " My Hockey Tips and Training Methods " . He is donating 100 percent of the DVD sale profits to charities that promote cardiac care for children . At age 8 , Kovalev himself was diagnosed with a heart disorder that prevented him from playing hockey for two years while he underwent treatment . International play . Played for the Soviet Union in : Played for the Unified Team ( CIS ) in : Played for Russia in :