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Ex-NHL star Kovalev doesn't like today's NHL playing style

Alexei Kovalev is not a huge fan of today’s NHL. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images)
Alexei Kovalev is not a huge fan of today’s NHL. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images)

Any hockey-watching veteran can tell you that the way NHL teams play today is very different than how it used to be.

But that claim is a little more serious coming from someone who’s been a part of that change like former star forward, Alexei Kovalev.

Kovalev, whose NHL career spanned from 1992-to-2013 has seen playing styles come and go over the years, and he is not particularly fond of the way today’s game is played.

The first ever Russian-born player drafted in the first round makes quite the claim. Many are familiar with the hockey cliche ‘get pucks deep,’ but Kovalev believes the mantra has taken over today’s game, and not for the better.

Another thought-provoking part of his statement is how he believes players do not get the opportunity to showcase their creativity because players are told to follow the system coaching staffs layout for the team.

Whether people like the change or not, the NHL, much like any professional sports league, will continue to evolve as the seasons pass.

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