Igor Shesterkin and Vladislav Gavrikov are headed to Russia for a summer showcase that has turned into one of the country’s biggest hockey events.
The current Rangers stars will join former Blueshirts forwards Artemi Panarin and Pavel Buchnevich in the annual Match of the Year charity game on July 25 at SKA Arena in St. Petersburg, according to the event’s official Instagram page.
The game was launched a few years ago by Panarin and Utah Mammoth defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, with the money raised going to Panarin’s Arena Play sports center network and Sergachev’s Sector 98 charity foundation. Match of the Year first took place in 2024 and has become a summer gathering spot for many of Russia’s top NHL and KHL players, with future Hall of Famer Alex Ovechkin part of the mix.
“I got injured and was going through rehab (in 2023-24 with the Tampa Bay Lightning). I had more free time, so I decided to call Artemi and suggest we combine our efforts,” Sergachev explained recently. “Then Artemi said, ‘Why don’t you call Ovechkin, and the three of us can organize everything together?'”
This summer marks the event’s first stop in St. Petersburg after its first two editions were held in Moscow.
“We’re seeing just how much interest there is in the match from people all across the country, so we decided to take the event on the road,” Panarin explained.
The format is different this time, too. Instead of NHL players facing KHL stars, the event used a draft on Sunday, with Ovechkin the lone exception after determining his team by drawing a lottery ball.
Panarin and Sergachev served as captains, and Panarin - who was traded to the Los Angeles Kings this past February - used one of his picks on Shesterkin and Gavrikov. Buchnevich, who spent his first five NHL seasons with the Rangers before being acquired by the St.
Louis Blues, ended up on Sergachev’s side.
Panarin’s roster is packed with NHL names, including Kirill Kaprizov, Sergei Bobrovsky, Matvei Mitchkov, Valeri Nichushkin, and Dmitry Orlov. Sergachev’s team is led by Ovechkin and also includes Ilya Sorokin, Yaroslav Askarov, Kirill Marchenko, Aliaksei Protas, Vasily Podkolzin, and Alexander Romanov.
Hockey Hall of Famer Igor Larionov is among the coaches for the charity game, which also features musical acts and an atmosphere that rivals the NHL All-Star Game.
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