Kozlov wants 'to keep playing'

By CHRIS VIVLAMORE

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The end is not near for Slava Kozlov.

The Thrashers’ 37-year-old forward said he has no plans to retire, even as he enters the final year of his contract with the Thrashers and his 18th NHL season.

“I want to keep playing,” Kozlov said this week from Thrashers training camp. “I’m not thinking about retirement. Anything can happen, but I want to keep going. I don’t know how many years, but one year at a time right now.”

Kozlov, and those around him, see no signs of him slowing down. He is the model of conditioning. Thrashers coach John Anderson described Kozlov as being in the top five percent of the team in fitness.

“I still love the game,” Kozlov said. “I’ve been preparing the right way. I’m pretty sure I can play for a few more years. If I get worn down or I get injured ... But right now I’m healthy and ready to go.”

Kozlov, 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, still follows the conditioning program given to him by his father. He spent much of the off-season running on the beaches of Miami as he prepared for his seventh season with the Thrashers. In pre-training camp physicals, Kozlov finished first in the cardio-related testing.

“As I get older, I can work out longer,” Kozlov said. “I don’t get so tired. I spoke to a couple of guys, older guys that run marathons. They said they got better after [age] 30. I can still run a lot.”

Kozlov can still play. Last season he finished with 76 points (26 goals, 50 assists), the second-most points in his six seasons with the Thrashers.

It was a big rebound from his 41-point season in 2007-08.

The 76 points were second on the team and 24th in the NHL. His 50 assists were second on the Thrashers and tied for 17th in the league. His 26 goals were third on the Thrashers to Ilya Kovalchuk and Bryan Little.

Kozlov had 43 power-play points last season, second in the league only to Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin.

“At his age, a lot of guys either retire or get weeded out,” linemate Rich Peverley said. “He’s proven he can be a top player in the league.”

Kozlov is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent following the season. He will make $3.85 million in the final year of a three-year contract he signed with the Thrashers in 2007.

Thrashers general manager Don Waddell is not ruling out the possibility that Kozlov will continue his career with the Thrashers.

“He’s a guy that’s going to play a number of years,” Waddell said. “I don’t want to put the horse before the cart, but if he has any kind of year like he did last year there is no reason we wouldn’t want him back.”

Kozlov is a team leader. That comes by virtue of his 17 years in the NHL. Although Kozlov would prefer the Thrashers locker room to have “20 leaders” he leads by example. However, he has been known to take players under his wing.

“He’s a great example,” fellow Russian Kovalchuk said. “He knows how to win, he has a couple Stanley Cups. He is a successful player. ... He taught me a lot. Not on the ice, but off it. He helped me a lot with the language.”