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It’s obvious Ilya Kovalchuk is having a lot of fun playing for the Canadiens.

After Thursday’s morning skate in Brossard, I asked the 36-year-old Russian when was the last time he had this much fun playing hockey.

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“I’m always actually having fun to play because that never was my job, it’s always been my favourite thing to do,” Kovalchuk said. “It’s the game, to be around the guys. But when you feel that support from the room and you see the guys that everybody is on the same page, it makes it a little easier. Obviously, there’s younger guys here with hunger in their face and they work so hard every day, so it’s fun.”

Photo by Ed Mulholland / USA TODAY Sports

Kovalchuk picked up an assist in Thursday night’s 3-2 overtime win over the Anaheim Ducks at the Bell Centre, giving him 5-6-11 totals and a plus-6 in 14 games since signing with the Canadiens as a free agent. He has to be having more fun than he did during his two seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, who terminated what was left of his three-year, US$18.75-million contract on Dec. 17 after he cleared unconditional waivers.