Ilya Kovalchuk tells story of NHL coach throwing out all of his sticks in fit of anger
With a career as long as Ilya Kovalchuk's, there's no doubt he has several good stories to tell. In an interview in his home country of Russia, Kovalchuk was asked if he ever had conflict with an NHL coach during his time in North America. Kovalchuk said there were a few incidents, but one sticks out in his mind.
Kovalchuk told a story of Curt Frasier, who was the coach of the Atlanta Thrashers at the time, throwing out all of his sticks after Kovalchuk got a penalty.
"When I first came to Atlanta, Curt Fraser was the coach. I played with a big curve on my stick. At that time in Canada, they used a stick with a straight hook. In one of the games I got suspended for bending my stick. The next day he threw away all my clubs and gave me straight hook sticks," said Kovalchuk.
"After that, he and I got into a bit of a fight. We yelled at each other. Then I started bending these sticks. Half of the blades broke. Eventually he let me play with my sticks."
Fraser was the first ever coach of the Atlanta Thrashers when the team first came into the league. It was his first and only head coaching gig in the NHL, which lasted from 1999 to 2003. Since losing that job, he has served as an assistant coach with a number of other NHL and AHL teams, as well as a stint as head coach of Kunlun Red Star of the NHL.
Kovalchuk last played pro hockey in 2020-21 with Omsk Avangard. Despite not playing for the last couple of years, Kovalchuk has not officially announced his retirement and refuses to rule out a return to playing.
Source:Sport24.ru
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