Sportbladet meets the 26-year-old in Switzerland
Lausanne. Ruben Kovacs, 26, left Sweden and the SHL.
He is now successful in the Swiss League with Lausanne.
-I wanted to get away from everything and all temptations. “I think I have matured with this step,” says the father of three.
Ruben Kovacs is only 26 years old.
But he managed to achieve a lot during his time as a hockey player and as a person:
Diagnosis of ADHD and NPF.
I saw a close friend die in a traffic accident.
Lost my driver’s license several times.
He caused a storm of fans at Luleå when he chose to sign for Örebro midway through the season.
He made targeted gestures that sparked bilious fever in many.
He ended his 17-month stay at Örebro as out of favor, was benched and dropped out of the team, despite leading the league in indoor scoring.
“I can thank my children”
He now lives in Lausanne, southern Switzerland, and has three children and a large German shepherd with his wife, Minatsu. It is family peace in the apartment in the suburb of Loutry and the storms have subsided with a gentle, calm breeze on the shores of Lake Geneva.
1/2Photo: Jamie Wickstrom
– Now I’ve landed, I’m more mature and I feel good. I wanted to get away from everything in Sweden, all the temptations and things that could get me into trouble. “Now I can focus on my family and ice hockey – just the way I want,” he says.
He was always honest and unfiltered. The thing that probably got him into trouble and made people think and think about him.
-I will always be the same person, but I have more important thinking now and I can thank my child for that. I spend a lot of time with my family and I feel good about it and then I finally matured.
“Close acquaintances of gang violence”
Robin grew up in Västertorp in southern Stockholm. He has a hockey school in Flemingsburg and Visatra. He got into trouble early in society. Supportive ADHD, less diligent in school and may have difficulty staying within limits. When his sisters were taken care of, mother and father Kovacs had to work a little more with their son.
-If I didn’t play ice hockey today, I probably would have done some things. I had a really hard time in school and I had a lot of friends who probably didn’t point me in the right direction.
– I have acquaintances who are close to gang violence and they quickly learn about what is happening there, perhaps even before the media appeared in Sweden.
– What’s happening is sick. Now there is a long way to reach a solution. The gang doesn’t take anything into consideration. Sure, people get locked up, but there are a lot of people who want to join gangs. There is a queue for them and everyone is attracted by money, cars and gold chains and the reward is to gain respect in the suburbs.
In Switzerland, the situation is calmer. You don’t drive very fast, you don’t have the same gang violence problem as in Sweden, and no one knows Robin Kovacs.
No one knows his biography.
There are no preconceived ideas.
“Put something else behind the poke.”
– It’s so nice to avoid all that nonsense on and off the ice. I don’t have a problem with bullshit on ice, as long as it’s within certain limits. I even heard an opponent mocking me because of the traffic accident when my close friend died, so I felt insulted and angry. I would like to add that the opposing player apologized, which is appreciated.
The striker has been involved in several controversial hockey-related events in the SHL. He changed clubs midway through the season, from Luleå to Örebro, and in the 2022 qualifiers was challenged – despite leading the league on internal points. He sat in the stands when Örebro played the quarter-final against Luleå.
Now he chose to give his full version of what happened.
Without filter. No handbrake.
– Örebro didn’t think I delivered. To me it seems strange. I was in the top two in the indoor points league in all the teams I participated in and decided the tough matches. I believe that such a threat cannot be removed on ice. There was something else behind the poke. Maybe I was ready for Lausanne, and maybe it came from a higher place. I also chose not to travel with the team to the final match in Lulea, even though I was asked to leave. I’m a very strong person, I know what I want and if I’m really offended or if someone wants me to look bad, I’ll be determined. So I did not follow up because of the treatment I received.
Promise to AIK
The season in Switzerland has just begun. Lausanne is a club in the rebuilding phase. They have a new coach and a new athletic director. Kovacs will lead the team with the king of the SHL from last season, Antti Sumela.
-We are playing here and now, performing well and not clinging to the puck too much. We love the game’s quick turns and finding situations. If we make a mistake, it will easily backfire, you should know that because we are facing the opponent’s most powerful weapon. I would like to stay in Switzerland and Lausanne, but I have to be able to deliver. I love that pressure.
Ideally, he wants to complete his career abroad.
He is enjoying life now.
But he has a promise.
To Ike.
-I would like to play at AIK before my career ends. I said I would do it one day and I would stick with it. We’ll see when enough is enough, concludes Ruben Kovacs.