from Katie Baker of Grantland,

Two little princes, neither any older than 5 and both wearing hockey gloves that reached up to their tiny elbows, clung to their famous father’s broad legs as he stood in a hallway outside the SKA locker room after the Neftekhimik win. For the moment, SKA St. Petersburg remained atop the KHL standings. But young Artem and Philip Kovalchuk didn’t seem all too concerned with final scores or leaderboards; they just wanted to hang out with their dad.

“It’s good, because my family is here,” Kovalchuk said, his children chirping “Papa!” down at his calves. “The most important thing is I’m home, and I feel comfortable. I spent 11 years in the NHL, and it was great years. I decided it’s time to change a little bit. And especially here, the fans, they deserve to see some good players. And I’m in my prime, and I’m here.”

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