Andrei Kovalenko was a very good player at times in the 176 games he spent with the Edmonton Oilers, but he’ll always be remembered, at least by this writer, as the co-star in the caper that saw him and Russian running buddy Boris Mironov go AWOL while bar-hopping in Los Angeles.
It was that incident that spawned the infamous “I was out looking for Kovy” excuse by Mironov, who barely made it back to the team hotel the morning after the big bender in time to catch a team flight back to Edmonton. Bobo never did find Kovalenko, but apparently looked in several bars for him to no avail – Kovalenko missed the flight altogether.
Andrei Kovalenko #51
Right Wing
Born Jun 7 1970 — Gorky, Russia
Height 5.11 — Weight 216 [180 cm/98 kg]
Drafted by Quebec Nordiques
Round 8 #148 overall 1990 NHL Entry Draft
BY THE NUMBERS
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-93 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 81 | 27 | 41 | 68 | 57 | 13 |
| 1993-94 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 58 | 16 | 17 | 33 | 46 | -5 |
| 1994-95 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 45 | 14 | 10 | 24 | 31 | -4 |
| 1994-95 | Tolyatti Lada | Russia | 11 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 14 | |
| 1995-96 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 26 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 16 | 11 |
| 1995-96 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 51 | 17 | 17 | 34 | 33 | 9 |
| 1996-97 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 74 | 32 | 27 | 59 | 81 | -5 |
| 1997-98 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 59 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 28 | -14 |
| 1998-99 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 43 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 30 | -4 |
| 1998-99 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -5 |
| 1998-99 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 18 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 3 |
| 1999-00 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 76 | 15 | 24 | 39 | 38 | -13 |
| 2000-01 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 76 | 16 | 21 | 37 | 27 | -14 |
| NHL Totals | 620 | 173 | 206 | 379 | 389 |
NOTABLE
Kovalenko, a blocky five-foot-11, 215-pound (when he was actually in shape) winger, enjoyed the finest season in his 620-game NHL career with the Oilers in 1996-97 when he scored 32 goals and had 59 points, leaving him third in team scoring behind only Doug Weight and Ryan Smyth.
Kovalenko had a nose for the net, was a bulldog within 10 feet of the crease and was not the least bit afraid to go where the greasy goals are scored. The problem with Kovalenko, at least as coach Ron Low saw it, is he was the dictionary definition of inconsistent. Kovalenko could, and did, look like a world-beater for stretches. Then, he’d go missing – on and off the ice.
The swings in his play was the deal-breaker for Kovalenko in Edmonton. The 109 points and 51 goals Kovalenko had in the 176 games he played with the Oilers – he also had 4-3-7 in 13 playoff games — is pretty good by any standard, but Low and general manager Glen Sather found it increasingly difficult to tolerate the no-shows.
THE STORY
I can only imagine the numbers Kovalenko might have put up he’d bothered to show up for every game, or at least the majority of them, but he never did manage it. His performances swung between “wow” and “WTF,” leading into one of the final straws – the all-nighter in Tinseltown.
I was with the Oilers on that trip. A still-gassed Mironov made the flight. Kovalenko didn’t. When we got back to Edmonton later that day, I called Kovalenko’s wife to ask if he was home yet and if she knew what happened. “No, I do not, but I will be asking,” she said, obviously sour.
I don’t know if she got a satisfactory answer when her husband caught a later flight home. What I do know is Low and Sather never got the answers they were looking for about Kovalenko’s all-over-the-place performance on the ice, and they moved him along to Philadelphia. He was out of the NHL and back home in Russia after the 2000-01 season with Boston.
This series will look at the top 100 Edmonton Oilers from the NHL era 1979-80 to 2014-15, starting with 100 and working up.
Listen to Robin Brownlee Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the Jason Gregor Show on TSN 1260.
PREVIOUSLY:
- 77. Brett Callighen
- 78. Jimmy Carson
- 79. Raffi Torres
- 80. Mike York
- 81. Andrew Cogliano
- 82. Mariusz Czerkawski
- 83. Eric Brewer
- 84. Tom Poti
- 85. Radek Dvorak
- 86. Igor Kravchuk
- 87. Lubomir Visnovsky
- 88. Luke Richardson
- 89. Willy Lindstrom
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For reason I can no longer recall I talked to Kovy’s ex on the phone once and she had some VERY unpleasant things to say about him. I remember she called him “Kovalenko” and said it as if she was spitting at the same time.
I remember hearing stories about him smoking in the back hallway during practice. Not sure if it is true but that will always be the first thing I think about when I hear his name.
True. A few guys smoked, even between periods of games. Had a butt with Danny Markov between periods at Rexall once.
How was he acquired? Free agent signing or trade in the off season?
It was a trade. Scott Thornton to the Habs for Andrei Kovalenko.
His biggest goal as an Oiler was tying the Game 7 series against Dallas in 1997.
On his way out I believe he was part of a 3-way deal that went something like this:
Kovalenko EDM -> PHI
Daigle PHI -> TB
Selivanov TB -> EDM
Basically what happened was the Oilers traded him to Philly for Daigle, Daigle then cried like a two year old and demanded that he needed to be traded because he wouldn’t play for the Oilers, hence him going to TB for Selivanov. Worked for us because the Oilers clearly got the better of the three players.
Thanks for the story Robin- I think the term “enigmatic Russian” was invented for Kovalenko.
I still have a soft spot for this era of the plucky Oiler teams (and players) after management sold off the first generation of talent in the early 90s.
I remember him arriving and I remember him leaving– any update as to what he is doing now?
Kovy’s big-time. He’s chairman of the KHL.
That’s hilarious– I can envision him hammering out a transfer agreement with another federation with a smoke in hand and a bottle of vodka on the table.
Isn’t that a standard Russian business practices ?
Actually he’s the chairman of the KHL-PA.
Brownlee, it sounds like you sewered him to his wife… haha, a gutless move. Jokes aside thanks for the story
I remember the quote when he was shipped out of town “I won’t miss him, West Edmonton Mall might miss him but I won’t” Low(I beleive) said it or something close to that
An embarrassment to Russians.
Signed
Goose Gossage
Thanks again Mr Brownlee great series.
Oh man you sold him out to his wife?!?!? Hahaha that’s hilarious!
Just doing my job, Bub.
I’m guessing she knew. Team flight got back to Edmonton at noon or so. He wasn’t on it.
Brownlee and wolverine the only two people (fictional or otherwise) that I’ve seen use bub in a sentence hahahah
~You can tell them apart easily enough. Logan’s the one with the pleasant demeanour.
hahaha i dont think calling a guys wife after a night out is part of your job bub.
Dang kurt stop making my list of bub users longer.