By JOHN MANASSO

Ilya Kovalchuk made sure he had tickets earlier this season when the Cleveland Cavaliers played the Hawks at Philips Arena. Kovalchuk, whose father Valeri played professional basketball in Russia, wanted to see the phenomenal LeBron James.
 
Because James is American and his sport is basketball, he became a household name when he was taken No. 1 in this summer's NBA draft.
 
Conversely, Kovalchuk, who played for the Moscow club Spartak, also was taken No. 1 in his sport's draft and was a sensation in his rookie year as an 18-year-old. But he was an obscure Russian few outside of North America had seen play, let alone heard of.
 
That's changing. Some say Kovalchuk has become the best player in the NHL.
 
New Jersey Devils center John Madden, one of the game's top defensive forwards, said this recently to the New York Daily News: "I made a statement the other day that [Jaromir] Jagr is the best player [in the league]. I want to rephrase that because Kovalchuk is the best."
 
He's certainly not obscure anymore. Voted a starter for today's All-Star Game in St. Paul, Minn., Kovalchuk finished with the most votes of any player. Starting from the darkness of an expansion franchise in its second season that finished 29th in the league, Kovalchuk's maturation has helped transform the Thrashers into a playoff contender in less than three seasons. He still makes questionable decisions with the puck at times; there are just fewer of them.
 
"A big-time goal-scorer doesn't mean he'll make you win," Thrashers coach Bob Hartley said. "A complete hockey player on both sides of the puck will give you a better shot of winning the close games or of winning the [Stanley] Cup. That's one thing that Kovy understands."