Childhood of Ilya Kovalchuk
Ilya Valerievich Kovalchuk, named after the Russian hero Ilya Muromets, was born in the city of Kalinin, present-day Tver.
The father of the famous hockey player, Valery Nikolaevich Kovalchuk, had a huge influence on his son. And in many ways predetermined his fate. “My father chose the hockey path for me. I was only four years old, and he and I already went to the gym, I jumped on the trampoline, kicked a ball, and generally trained. The fact is that my dad is an athlete himself, he played basketball. He looked at me, so to speak, with a coach's gaze. And I decided that it was worth taking up hockey.”
But it all started with general physical training and outdoor games. Later this all grew into a passion for acrobatics and swimming, and later into simultaneous basketball and hockey training. When Ilya was a little over five years old, his father assigned his son to the section of Viktor Zhukov, an excellent hockey coach and his friend. My father controlled every moment of the training process. It was Valery Kovalchuk who raised the boy into the hockey player we know. His father even taught him the famous “wrist” throw. This required more than one training: Ilya learned to throw a puck from plywood at the opponent’s goal painted on the wall.
Ilya Kovalchuk - hockey player, captain of the Russian national team
The young hockey player attended a regular school only until the fifth grade, and then was transferred to a sports class in a Tver sports boarding school. And when he turned 15, he was already in the graduating class of the Moscow Olympic Reserve School. His classmate, by the way, was Alina Kabaeva, a famous gymnast in the future.
Kovalchuk's wife training in quarantine. Even now she looks perfect
Ilya Kovalchuk
and
Nicole
met in 2004, and in 2007 they legalized their relationship. Since then they have motivated and complemented each other perfectly. The couple has four children - daughters Caroline, Eva and sons Philip and Artyom.
At a time when athletes are doing toilet paper challenges, Nicole and Ilya show how to support each other during quarantine. They demonstrated exercises suitable for home practice.
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In a difficult time for everyone, let's support each other, take care of yourself and your loved ones, and most importantly, Parents, Grandparents......VERY important??.. PS Do physical exercise at home, shoot a video, post it on your feed, let's do it together??? ?, I’ll choose the 3-5 best, send it?!!!#homeworkout #staystrong #family @nikolkovalchukofficial ❤️ @karolinakovalchukk ????
A post shared by Ilya Kovalchuk (@ilyakovalchukofficial) on Mar 22, 2020 at 6:08pm PDT
The video can be viewed on Ilya Kovalchuk’s Instagram.
Ilya watches his wife training outdoors.
The video can be viewed on the “Championship”.
They also pay attention to cardio. Ilya and his wife constantly go jogging outside.
The video can be viewed on the “Championship”.
Even before the quarantine, Nicole was known for her attitude towards sports - she always spent a lot of time in the gym. She worked out at Gold's Gym under the guidance of star trainer and famous former bodybuilder Charles Glass
.
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B??ty workout with @thecharlesglass??
A post shared by Nikol Kovalchuk (@nikolkovalchukofficial) on Feb 6, 2020 at 9:35am PST
The video can be viewed on Nicole Kovalchuk’s Instagram.
Nicole doesn't shy away from functional training. Such exercises help you stay in good shape, develop coordination and endurance. Intense and effective workout.
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HIIT workout??️♀️ #functional??
A post shared by Nikol Kovalchuk (@nikolkovalchukofficial) on Feb 5, 2020 at 11:48pm PST
The video can be viewed on Nicole Kovalchuk’s Instagram.
No hall? No problem – you can train anywhere. The main desire.
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No gym? No problem!???
A post shared by Nikol Kovalchuk (@nikolkovalchukofficial) on Oct 11, 2020 at 8:48am PDT
The video can be viewed on Nicole Kovalchuk’s Instagram.
Like most girls, Nicole pays great attention to training her lower body. Squats help work all the muscles in your legs.
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B??TY with @teambestphysique
A post shared by Nikol Kovalchuk (@nikolkovalchukofficial) on Jun 11, 2020 at 9:03am PDT
The video can be viewed on Nicole Kovalchuk’s Instagram.
Behind such beauty comes hard work. Just look how Nicole plows in the hall.
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It's Monday??? With my best trainer @istiprotraining Monday he is like this...??♀️ “Specialists” in knee joints, please do not worry. Everything is alright with them ? #motivation#fitnessmotivation#fitness#mondaylegday#glutesworkout#gymlife#healthylifestyle#healthyfood#loveyourself
A post shared by Nikol Kovalchuk (@nikolkovalchukofficial) on May 21, 2020 at 11:12am PDT
The video can be viewed on Nicole Kovalchuk’s Instagram.
Nicole says she trains six times a week. Four strength training sessions that work the major muscle groups on a separate day. He also practices boxing twice a week.
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I train six times a week?? Four strength days and one day HIIT training is high intensity interval training. Do I box twice a week? I love the atmosphere of a boxing gym. Oh, the sounds of lightning strikes on a punching bag, shadow boxing, endless jumping rope, and athletes shining with sweat☺️ On strength training days, I work out each muscle group on a separate day. On leg day, I concentrate only on working the gluteal muscles and hamstrings. If it’s the back, then I work only on this muscle group. Shoulders, biceps, triceps on the same principle☝? I do abdominal exercises once or twice a week, after the main workout. What sport do you prefer? I work out six times a week. Four days I do weights, one day HIIT high intensity training, and two times a week I do boxing. I love the atmosphere of a boxing club. Oh, these speedy sounds of hitting the punching bags, shadow fighting, endless jump ropes, and athletes that are glistening with sweat. During my strength training, I alternate days exercising different groups of muscles. When I have a legs day, I concentrate only on my buttocks and hips. Shoulders, biceps, triceps – are all on a different day following the same principle. I work on my abs twice a week after my primary routine. Which sport do you like?
A post shared by Nikol Kovalchuk (@nikolkovalchukofficial) on Feb 17, 2020 at 2:12am PST
In addition to training, Nicole also shares her secrets to success. Motivates and tells you how to keep yourself in shape.
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How many times have you told yourself that on Monday I will definitely start working out and eating right. But this day does not come... Here are some tips on how to start: ✅Focus on sub-goals. First, whatever your goal is in terms of physical wellness, learn to focus on small improvements rather than the end goal. If you need months of training to reach a certain weight or target, it can be easy to lose motivation. However, setting intermediate goals will help you stay motivated and give you a chance to celebrate your results. ✅Take before/after photos Tracking your workouts and results in terms of time, weight, endurance and sensation is a good way to constantly be aware of what we have done and what we still have to do. ✅Encourage yourself. ✅ Always try to enjoy what you do. If the goal you set for yourself makes you happy, then the secret to achieving it as quickly as possible is to enjoy every step along the way. Enjoyment and joy in the pursuit of physical well-being is fundamental to keeping our motivation high!♥️ #motivation
A post shared by Nikol Kovalchuk (@nikolkovalchukofficial) on Feb 2, 2020 at 10:24pm PST
And the result is not long in coming. Just a reminder, Nicole is the mother of four children.
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Metabolism. A fast metabolism is the secret to good health and fitness. But how to slow down a slow metabolism? It seems absurd to say this and even contradictory, but to speed up your metabolism, burn more calories and therefore lose weight, you need to eat. It seems counterintuitive, but consuming less than 1,200 calories a day may actually slow down your weight loss. If you eat much less than your daily requirement, your body enters a physiological state of hunger and then metabolizes all the foods, turning them into fats. For example: a woman with a moderately active lifestyle should consume from 1,400 to 1,500 calories per day, and a man - a little more than 2,000. It is very important to diversify your diet. Alternating foods from different food groups speeds up metabolism. Therefore, fiber-rich carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean proteins such as fish and white meat, and healthy fats such as nuts, seeds and olive oil should be present in your diet. When it comes to fruits and vegetables, follow the principle of seasonality. Need for training. It is also very important to train both with aerobic activity and, above all, with anaerobic activity, that is, with weights. The body remains toned thanks to protein synthesis or an intensive process that helps burn calories. It is completely wrong not to exercise when you are on a diet, because losing weight also leads to loss of muscle tissue. The result will be not only an insufficiently toned body, but also a slow metabolism. So move as much as possible friends! ??☺️ #motivation www.nikolkovalchuk.com
A post shared by Nikol Kovalchuk (@nikolkovalchukofficial) on Sep 3, 2020 at 9:38am PDT
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Source: www.championat.com
The beginning of Ilya Kovalchuk’s sports career
Even while studying in sports classes, the future captain of the Russian hockey team actively participated in competitions.
Ilya was a member of three Tver teams, and after his brilliant performance during the All-Russian tournament, he was noticed by the management of Dynamo Moscow. But Ilya was not a member of this club for long; he almost immediately moved to the Spartak children’s team, with which he participated in a tournament in Minnesota and earned the title of top scorer. During all this time, his father was next to him. Valery Kovalchuk supported his son and did not miss a single training session.
Professional career of Ilya Kovalchuk
Ilya Kovalchuk signed his first professional contract with Spartak Moscow.
He got straight into the adult team, bypassing the youth stage. At that time he was sixteen years old, and he turned out to be the youngest participant in the major league of the Russian hockey championship. But the unprecedented cases in his career did not end there. In 2000, his team won the Challenge Cup, a championship for hockey players under seventeen years of age, held in Canada. Having become the best player of the tournament, Kovalchuk ensured that his stick ended up in the hockey hall of fame, which is located in Toronto, a truly unprecedented case. Ilya Kovalchuk - about figure skating and leaving SKA Back in 2000, the press predicted him to be the first number in the NHL draft, and in 2001 Ilya Kovalchuk lived up to all expectations by becoming not just a member of the Atlanta Thrashers club, but its most productive player. Despite an injury in 2002, he was a top-five player in the league and had a staggering million-dollar annual salary. In the same 2002, during the Olympics in Salt Lake City, Kovalchuk led the team to third place, thereby earning the country bronze and himself the title of Honored Master of Sports.
2003 marked the beginning of a new stage in Kovalchuk’s life: this included participation in world championships as part of the Russian national team, and parallel training at the Russian State Academy of Physical Culture. And already in 2004 he received the Maurice Richard Trophy, a prize awarded to the best sniper in the league. In the same year, Kovalchuk won the Kharlamov Trophy as the best Russian in the NHL according to his compatriots, and according to the results of fan voting, he won the status of the most popular player in the NHL. In the same year, he also received the title of the most stylish man of the year according to GQ magazine.
But already in September 2004, due to financial problems, games in the league were stopped and a lockout was declared. But Kovalchuk managed shortly before to sign a contract for an annual salary of three million with the Ak Bars club. After the Kazan club Ak Bars, there was a period when Kovalchuk was a member of the team of Khimik near Moscow, but already in October 2005 a new contract was signed with Atlanta for five whole years. Of the 32 million a year promised to him, he had to pay 55 thousand for his absence at the beginning of the NHL season. In 2010, Atlanta failed to advance past the first round of the playoffs and then traded Kovalchuk to the New Jersey Devils.
In 2005 and 2007, Kovalchuk, being a member of the Russian national team, won bronze medals at the world championships. The game was especially significant in 2008, when Kovalchuk scored a goal in the final that decided the outcome of the game, thereby earning gold for the Russian team.
Ilya Kovalchuk Better in 30 years In the spring of 2010, Ilya Kovalchuk became the captain of the Russian team, but although he was the top scorer in this tournament, the Russian team lost the championship title.
In 2011, the team already took fourth place, and during the 2012 championship, when Russia became the champion, Kovalchuk was not on the team. During this time he participated in NHL games. During this championship, Ilya Kovalchuk led his team, the New Jersey Devils, to the finals, but the Stanley Cup went to another team, the Los Angeles Kings.
In the fall of 2012, in September, a lockout was announced, and Kovalchuk signed a contract for five million dollars a year with the St. Petersburg club SKA.
Personal life
The personal life of a sports star, unlike on the ice rink, is quiet and stable. The already famous hockey player in Russia Kovalchuk noticed his future wife while watching a video of the group “Mirage” on TV. The spectacular blonde, lead singer Nicole Ambrazaitis, immediately attracted attention, and the man decided that he would definitely meet her. Ilya and Nicole spent their first date in a cafe. The girl liked the athlete immediately. She appreciated his self-confidence combined with good upbringing and modesty.
Wedding of Ilya Kovalchuk and Nicole Ambrazaitis
After 5 years of marriage, the couple had a daughter, Carolina, and when she was 2.5 years old, Ilya and Nicole got married. The wedding ceremony took place on August 17, 2007. The wedding celebration was held first in Moscow, and then repeated in Tver, where Kovalchuk had many friends. A year later, the lovers got married. The sacrament took place in the Novodevichy Convent.
Ilya Kovalchuk with children Karolina, Philip and Artem
In 2009, there was an addition to the hockey player’s family: a son, Philip, was born, and a year later, Artem. When Kovalchuk signed a contract with the New Jersey Devils in 2010, the family moved to America to be closer to her husband and father. For the sake of her husband’s career, Nicole abandoned plans to become a singer and devoted herself entirely to raising children. In January 2014, daughter Eva was born.
The forward believes that then, in 2001, he was incredibly lucky, which he wrote about on Instagram, congratulating his beloved on her wedding anniversary. Photos of a happy family are regularly published there.
Interesting facts about Ilya Kovalchuk
The numbers “7” and “1” played an important role in Kovalchuk’s life.
For example: he wore number 17 for the Atlanta Thrashers. As Kovalchuk himself explains, this number was chosen for a reason. Ilya chose this number in honor of Valery Kharlamov, who played under exactly this number. But as part of the Russian national team, Kovalchuk plays under the number “71”, and all because the number “17” is unavailable, it is assigned to the same Valery Kharlamov forever. The media constantly mentions Kovalchuk’s so-called “trademark” wrist shot. Indeed, Kovalchuk’s wrist shot not only does not look like a standard wrist shot, but is almost always effective.
The private life of Ilya Kovalchuk
Ilya Kovalchuk was awarded the title “Honorary Citizen of Tver” in 2009. The same year marked the beginning of his career in private business; Ilya opened the Bronze restaurant in his hometown. Kovalchuk has truly “male” hobbies: cars and expensive watches.
Ilya Kovalchuk with his wife Nicole Ambrazaitis
Ilya is married. He met his wife, Nicole, back in the days when she was a member of the Mirage group. They got married in 2007. Now Ilya and Nicole Kovalchuk have four children: Artem, Carolina, Philip and Eva.
Ilya Kovalchuk and his family
Ilya Kovalchuk has a large, strong family. In 2002, he met his future wife Nicole Ambrazaitis, who was then still a member of the Mirage group. Five years later the wedding took place. Now the couple has four children: two sons Philip (6 years old) and Artyom (5 years old), two daughters Caroline (9 years old) and Eva. The latter was born on January 16, 2020.
The famous hockey player left a lot behind, achieved success and career heights, and created a happy family. Ilya's interests and talents are not limited to sports. For example, in 2013 he starred in the film “12 Months” as October. But he doesn’t stop there and constantly sets new goals for himself. If you liked the article, share it with your friends on social media. networks. And I say goodbye to you, see you again!
