MOSCOW, March 31 (R-Sport) - Star winger Ilya Kovalchuk ruled himself out of May's world hockey championships Monday, citing a knee injury.
His statement came less than two hours after he was included in the Russian national team's roster for a preparation tournament for the world championships, at which Russia will try to recover from the disappointment of losing in the quarterfinals at its home Olympics last month.
"Today I've been forced to report that doctors insist on operating on my knee, which was injured in the course of the season," Kovalchuk said. "The operation will probably take place this Friday in Munich, after which a rehabilitation period awaits me."
Kovalchuk was ever-present in the KHL playoffs this month for his team SKA St. Petersburg, which he captains. His team was eliminated 4-2 by Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in their Western Conference semifinal series, which concluded Friday.
Kovalchuk moved to SKA from the New Jersey Devils in the summer, walking out on an NHL contract that had 12 years and $77 million left to run. At the time, he said one motivation was to ensure his status as a key player for Russia at the Sochi Olympics, in which he was a top-two forward every game.
