Andrei Kovalenko

Did You Know?

• Kovalenko was elected deputy of the State Duma in September 2020 as a candidate of ruling United Russia.
• He defeated long-time governor of Yaroslavl Oblast Anatoly Lisitsyn in a special election in Yaroslavl constituency No. 194.
• In the 2021 elections, Lisitsyn won the constituency with 36.5% of the vote, while Kovalenko received 27.3%.

Playing career

Nicknamed "The Tank" for his stubborn presence in front of the net, Andrei Kovalenko was picked 148th overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1990 NHL draft while playing for CSKA Moscow. He later moved to the Montreal Canadiens alongside Jocelyn Thibault and Martin Ručinský in the trade that sent Patrick Roy and Mike Keane to the Colorado Avalanche. In 1996, Kovalenko netted the last goal ever scored at the Montreal Forum, the fourth in a 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars. Three years later, as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes, he scored the first goal in the history of the RBC Center during a 4-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils. His final NHL season was 2000-01 with the Boston Bruins, after which he played in the Russian Super League for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, Avangard Omsk, and Severstal Cherepovets. His son, Nikolai Kovalenko, was drafted by the Avalanche in 2018.