Former head coach of the Russian national team Vyacheslav Bykov stated that he supports hockey player Ilya Kovalchuk’s decision to return to Spartak Moscow “Sports Express”.
“Such athletes need to be in demand, they set an example for young people. Champions must pass their winning traditions on to the next generation of athletes! “I can only welcome Ilya’s decision,” Bykov said.
Kovalchuk was introduced as a team player in the match against Dynamo on 5 December. Then, the red-whites defeated their opponent with a score of 8:7 in overtime.
The red-whites are leading the Western Conference standings with 54 points. The blue-whites have the same points but have one game in hand.
Kovalchuk played for Spartak from 1999 to 2001. Together with the club, he became the champion of the Major League.
In the National Hockey League (NHL), Kovalchuk played in Atlanta, New Jersey, Washington and Montreal. In 2021, as part of Omsk Avangard, Kovalchuk became a three-time winner of the Gagarin Cup.
Previously Kovalchuk explained Return to Spartak.