usually involved hanging out in the right face off circle in the O Zone, regardless of where the puck was. I watched him one night (I think he was on Ottawa at the time) where there was zero chance he needed a shower.

On paper, in terms of career G/A/Pts he is very close to his contemporary and HOFer, Sergei Fedorov. Yet for some reason I always remember him as an underachiever; he could either be the best on the ice, or invisible. Maybe one of the most talented but most inconsistent?

But he made up for it occasionally with plays like this:

he was one of the guys who made some people develop reservations about the attitude/dressing room effect of "Russians". For part of the Great 8's career I heard him referred to as "Kovalev with a Better Shot". (To give Ovie his due he worked and became a solid two-way player after Boudreau got fired.) IMHO Federeov was a better player (on and off the ice) and IIRC had more big years for G and P. As you suggest, the indelible impression Kovie left was "this guy should be better". I have trouble seeing Kovalev lasting with Scotty Bowman the way Federov did and he seemed to always have "issues" in NY, Mtl, Pittsburgh, and Ottawa.