Russian “Game of the Year” Between NHL & KHL Stars Success – Hockey Writers – NHL News

The NHL world is in the dog days of summer when news is scarce, and fans crave anything hockey related. Signings have slowed down to the point where there might be one or two announcements, and it looks like the 2024-25 season will creep its way to everyone eventually. Well, on the weekend of July 20, Utah HC defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and forward Artemi Panarin brought together Russia's top NHLers and KHL All-Stars for a charity game at the CSKA Arena in Moscow, Russia. The charity exhibition game, aptly named “Game of the Year,” featured 16 Russian players from the NHL and 16 from the KHL to raise money for charity and auction signed jerseys.

Some of the NHLers inducted were Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Andrei Svechnikov, Pyotr Kochertkov, Pavel Buchnevich, Dmitry Kulikov, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Kirill Kaprizov. Ovechkin was one of the first players to commit to the event, which elevated the exhibition game to a new level. The KHL partners featured the likes of Nikita Zaitsev, Alexander Radulov, Nikolai Goldobin, Sergey Tolchinsky, Grigori Panin, Egor Yakovlev, Vadim Shipachyov, and Alexander Nikishin.

From Russia With Love

The match was to be shown live on Match TV in Russia, via the broadcast channels of the match and the NUUM app. From the opening ceremonies announced to the sold-out crowd at CSKA Arena, people knew the charity game would be electrifying. The sell-out crowd drove the players crazy, hoping that someone was interested in the exhibition game.

When asked about tickets sold before the day of the event, Sergachev said via Google Translation from sports.ru, “A few months ago, when I went to Artemi Panarin and I had Sasha Ovechkin with the idea of ​​holding such a game, I went to Artemi Panarin and I talked with Sasha Ovechkin about the idea of ​​holding such a game, I understood that the audience would be interested, but I did not think of such a movement. Online tickets sell out in a day, and my friends are always calling and texting me asking for a chance to enter the stadium. I can see how our fans miss games of this scale when the best Russian players gather on the ice. Being the organizer of such an event is a great honor for me, but at the same time a great responsibility. On July 20, together with our partners and our editorial team, we will try to give everyone a great hockey holiday. I am waiting for everyone in the CSKA Arena, as well as on TV screens and smartphones – our match will be shown live on the Match TV channel.”

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From the presentation to the purple NHL jerseys and orange KHL jerseys, something about the charity game made it more meaningful than Sergachev and Panarin could have imagined. The game was full of highlight reel goals, tactical near misses, and incredible saves.

Here are the lines for both teams:

The NHL:

Panarin – Buchnevich – Svechnikov
Ovechkin – Malkin – Kovalchuk
Dadonov – Chinakhov – Podkolzin
Voronokov

Orlov – Sergachev
Romanov – Gavrikov
Kulikov – Lyubushkin

Bobrovsky
Kochetkov

The KHL:

Goldobin – Shipachyov – Radulov
Tkachev – Atanasov – Poryadin
Volkov – Jaskin – Burdasov

Nikishin – Zaitsev
Panin – Mironov
Sharipzyanov – Konyushkov
Nesterov

Nabokov
Berdin
Dorozhko

Ovechkin was the first to get on the board, naturally, but it was a crazy crafty effort from Panarin that really stole the show. It looks like a combination of lacrosse and spin-o-rama moves. Before entering, people are still on their feet. However, the roof would blow off if it did.

The ability to throw that effort out there gave the impression that the players were there to entertain and raise money for charity. Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov got on the scoresheet as he put the NHL Stars up 3-1 five minutes into the first period. It was clear that although the boys were there to have fun, it doesn't mean that they don't want to be chosen by other players “for pride”. The game ended in a 8-8 tie because The Great 8 was there. At one point, the NHL Stars took a 6-1 lead before the KHL Stars came back to tie it after going down 7-4 at one point. It ended up getting into a shootout just for the fun of it.

Ovechkin was named MVP of the Game of the Year.

A Lot of Money Raised by Donation

In the end, the game was a huge success, and it seems that the fans and players really enjoyed it. The “sum” of the money obtained from this charity game is expected to go to some charities that will be named later, and the organizers of the event will be promoting the jerseys on social media.

In addition, the event raised more than 10 million rubles, or about $114,000. That does not include jerseys for sale. When asked about the choice of colors, Sergachev said, “I think we have managed to create a collection of interesting and memorable sports uniforms, which the teams will wear in a charity match on July 20. I hope the fans will appreciate the bright and modern design.” of hockey jerseys and their colors. I am sure that now the collectors will be chasing them.”

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There's no doubt that jersey collectors, especially Russian fans, will be clamoring to get their hands on one of those jerseys. In addition, the proceeds from donated jerseys to charities are also amazing. I have to give props to Sergachev and Panarin, as well as the organizers, for putting on the event. Also, fans being able to sell out the event on a warm day in July shows how much Russian fans want to see their stars play together. Even if it's a charity exhibition game featuring stars from their league and stars they've watched play in North America in the NHL.

The Start of a Trend?

Although we are not even 48 hours from the end of the “Game of the Year,” could this be the start of more events for Russian players in Russia? Can we see this with Liiga players in Finland or the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) in Sweden? It could be a great opportunity to see Finnish and Swedish players from those leagues against native players playing in the NHL. Charities in those countries can benefit from games like these, and fans get to see their favorite North American players play against their favorite Liiga or SHL players. Regardless, the event created by Panarin and Sergachev was a huge success; hopefully we'll see more of this in the future.