Alex Kovalev announces retirement

Former NHL All-Star Alex Kovalev has retired after 24 years in professional hockey.

“I’d have loved to play until I’m 50 but the injuries from the last few seasons don’t let me continue my career,” Kovalev told TV channel Kanal 9 (via IIHF.com). “It’s a hard decision for me but it is what it is. It was my last season.”

Kovalev, a three-time All-Star, won the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994, and amassed 430 goals and 1029 points in 1316 games split between the Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers.

The talented winger represented Russia and the Soviet Union at three Olympic Games, capturing a gold medal in Albertville in 1992, and a bronze medal in Salt Lake City in 2002.

Although he was often saddled with the tag of "enigmatic Russian," Kovalev was a magician with the puck, making the seemingly impossible possible.