NEWARK -- Standing as one, the euphoric Prudential Center crowd screamed as Ilya Kovalchuk skated on to the ice as the game's third star Friday night, an ovation he acknowledged with a wave of his stick.
He certainly could get used to this winning stuff, a feeling that often was foreign to him during his Atlanta days.
But this wasn't Dixie anymore. This was New Jersey, where winning is expected, not hoped for. That philosophy is symbolized by the three Stanley Cup banners that dangle from the arena rafters.
It is symbolized by his new goalie, Martin Brodeur, whom Kovalchuk referred to earlier in the day as "a legend."
And it is symbolized by Devils assistant coach Scott Stevens, whose will to win often left various opponents splattered all over the ice.
Now here comes Kovalchuk, acquired Thursday night in a blockbuster trade that instantly gave the Devils their most talented offensive player in team history.
And, in his New Jersey debut Friday night, Kovalchuk quickly learned that this team never quits.
Down 3-1, Kovalchuk saw his Devils claw and fight their way back to a 4-3 victory over the hapless Maple Leafs, an outcome he helped determine thanks to a pair of assists.
Maybe he didn't score. But the goals will come. And, in the long run, there is no doubt he puts the Devils up with the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins as the elite teams in the east.
Kovalchuk brings an air of instant excitement to this team. You could sense it almost every time he touched the puck. It was a welcomed start for Kovalchuk, who earlier in the day, could not resist taking a final backhanded swipe at his former team.
"I'm excited," the Russian superstar told a packed room of reporters. "For the first time in my career, I'm with a first-class organization."
And the Atlanta Thrashers weren't?
Maybe Kovalchuk didn't come right out and slag his former team. But it certainly sounds that way.
Kovalchuk admitted being blown away by the fact that Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello personally flew to Washington Thursday night to pick him up and bring him back to Jersey just hours after acquiring the former 50-goal scorer from the Thrashers.
"That was great," Kovalchuk said. "It meant a lot."
Kovalchuk and the Thrashers were in the U.S. capital in preparation for Friday's game against the Caps when the trade was made. He said he knew two days ago that he would be dealt after contract talks with the Thrashers went nowhere. The Thrashers were quick to issue a release Thursday claiming he had turned down a 12-year, $101-million US deal.
Of the many positives he sees in coming to New Jersey, one major advantage for Kovalchuk is the chance to play with Brodeur instead of trying to score on him.
"I tried scoring on him (at the morning skate) and even that was hard," he joked.
In the days leading up to the trade, Brodeur's buddies kept calling with rumours that Kovalchuk might be coming to Newark. Brodeur wasn't buying it.
"I didn't believe them," Brodeur laughed. "Then, when I saw the trade on the ticker, I thought: 'How amazing. It actually happened.'
"Yes, I'm excited. Who wouldn't be? But I think my son is even more excited than I am. I have to get him a Kovalchuk jersey now."
mike.zeisberger@sunmedia.ca
