The Ilya Kovalchuk Theory of Losing

For my first blog post, I'd like to share with everyone a little theory I've been working on for some time now; the Ilya Kovalchuk Theory of Losing. This theory basically looks at one key question. Is Ilya Kovalchuk one of the biggest losers in professional sports history?

                    

I think so.

Since Kovalchuk entered the league in 2001, he has scored more than half a goal per game, and has averaged about a point per game over his entire career. Superstar stuff. He’s got one of the best shots in the NHL, some of the best hands, and is one of the fastest skaters. He’s an extremely consistent scorer who teams usually gameplan around. All of this boils down to one, 100 million dollar question: Why is he such a loser?

While yes, Kovalchuk has enjoyed considerable personal success early in his career, his teams have not. Kovalchuk played his first eight years in Atlanta, and only made the playoffs once. Kovalchuk and his teammates seemed to miss the golf course though, and were swept in four games by the Rangers. So, if you’re keeping score at home, that’s eight seasons, one playoff berth, zero playoff wins.

Some people may say, “come on, he was playing in Atlanta”. A year and a half ago, this argument may have had some merit; but not anymore. Last year, marred in another Ilya-like losing season, the Thrashers dealt Kovalchuk at the deadline to the Atlantic division leading, playoff bound Devils. “Finally, Kovalchuk gets to play for a winning team!”

Or so we thought. The third seeded Devils lost to Philly in five games in the opening round, with their Kovalchuk led offence scoring four goals in their losses. Most people thought this was the end of Kovalchuk experiment in Jersey, but sadly for Devils fans, it wasn’t. In the offseason, The Big L was signed to a ridiculous 15 year, 100 million dollar deal, and the Atlanta Thrashers couldn’t be happier.

In the first year of the Kovalchuk experiment, the Devils, possibly the most consistently successful teams of the last 15 years (behind the Red Wings), have turned into the ’09 Nets.  What about the Thrashers, you may ask? Well, the team that couldn’t win despite having Ilya Kovalchuk is now winning without him. The Thrashers are currently tied for 7^th in the Eastern Conference, and are playing exciting, winning hockey.

Winning is the easiest thing in sports to quantify. Winners win, losers don’t. When the movement of one player turns a perennial bottom feeder into a winner, and a perennial winner into the Detroit Lions, there’s only one word for that player.

Loser.