Note: This item is listed with an asterisk, * , which means it is owned by a private collector, and is available on consignment. Ilya Kovalchuk wore this white jersey while playing for the Atlanta Thrashers during the 2002-2003 National Hockey League Season. This jersey has been photo-matched to the Thrashers' 5-4 win over the Washington Capitals on December 1, 2002, and to their 0-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on December 8, 2002. Kovalchuk was wearing this jersey when he participated in his first fight in the NHL on December 8, 2002 against the Edmonton Oilers at Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA. After Mike Comrie of the Oilers finished a check with his forearm on Kovalchuk's nameplate, Kovalchuk indicated his offense with a pair of slashes. He shoved Comrie in the face, dislodging his helmet, and the pair dropped their gloves. With his superior reach, Kovalchuk wasted no time in yanking Comrie's jersey up and off his body, throwing heavy punches with his right hand all the while. Comrie tried to fight back, but Kovalchuk had more weight to throw around and he wasn't afraid to use it. The fight spilled to center ice, where the officials eventually called it off. Kovalchuk was assigned five for fighting and two minors for high sticking and unsportsmanlike conduct, while Comrie was assessed with a game misconduct in addition to his five-minute penalty. In his second season in the NHL, Kovalchuk played in 81 games for the Atlanta Thrashers. He improved upon his performance the prior season with 38 goals and 29 assists for 67 points, coming in second on the Thrashers in goals and third in points. League-wide, his 38 goals placed him seventh in the NHL. On December 6, 2002, he scored the first hat trick of his NHL career against the Washington Capitals. Atlanta's first overall pick in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, Kovalchuk came in second in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy for the most proficient first year player in 2002. In 2004, he won the Maurice Richard Trophy for the NHL's top goal-scorer, was named to the league's Second All-Star Team, and and was awarded the Valeri Kharlamov Trophy for Russia's Player of the Year. Kovalchuk was named an NHL All-Star in 2004, 2008, and 2009, and was named to the First All-Star Team in 2012. He finished his NHL career with 443 goals and 876 points in 926 games. Playing for his country, Kovalchuk earned an Olympic Gold Medal with Russia in 2018 in PyeongChang and a Bronze Medal in 2002 in Salt Lake City. He won two Gold Medals at the IIHF World Championships, along with two Silver Medals and three Bronze Medals. He won three Gagarin Cup Championships with the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia, scored two Cup-clinching goals, and was named KHL Playoffs MVP in 2015. The jersey includes a Certificate of Authenticity from MeiGray.
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