Ovi and the others: what can fans expect from the "Match of the Year"

On July 13, the CSKA Arena in Moscow will host the "Match of the Year", which will bring together the best Russian hockey players on the planet. The Zapad team will be represented by Russian players playing in the NHL, and the Vostok team will include many famous KHL players. The lineups of the teams are full of star names. Alexander Ovechkin, Artemy Panarin, Mikhail Sergachev, Sergey Bobrovsky, Dmitry Orlov, Kirill Kaprizov, Evgeny Malkin and many others will play for Zapad. They will be opposed by the Vostok team, which also has a large number of famous hockey players. Here are just a few of them: Ilya Kovalchuk, Vladimir Tkachev, Vadim Shipachev, Nikita Nesterov, Damir Sharipzyanov, Semyon Chistyakov, Ilya Nabokov, Nikolai Goldobin, Maxim Dorozhko and others.

How was the Match of the Year in 2024?

For the first time, such a game was held a year ago — on July 20, 2024 — also on the ice of the CSKA Arena. It ended with an impressive score of 8:8, and a 1-1 draw was also recorded in the shootout. Egor Yakovlev, one of the participants in the "Match of the Year", said that no one played specifically for a draw because the teams were almost equally staffed and everyone wanted to win. Last year, thanks to donations from partners, participants and profits from ticket sales, we managed to raise 10 million rubles.

More than 30 children and adults with cerebral palsy and various musculoskeletal disorders received targeted assistance. As a result, the partners of the charity match helped 35 medical institutions in 22 cities of Russia with their participation. The total amount of this year's fee will be announced at the end of the match on July 13.

Fan Festival on match day

This year's Match of the Year show program will be bigger. If in 2024 all the events were held in the foyer of the arena, then in 2025 the match organizers Alexander Ovechkin, Mikhail Sergachev and Artemy Panarin decided to create a large and festive festival for fans who could not buy tickets to the game. All the guests of the event, without exception, will find a lot of activities and entertainment areas.

In addition, everyone will have the opportunity to watch the match broadcast on a huge digital screen installed specifically for the game next to the CSKA Arena. Channel One will show a live meeting of the best Russian hockey players playing in Russia and overseas. The broadcast will begin immediately after the end of the evening newscast at 18:00 Moscow time. The artists beloved by millions will be responsible for the mood of the guests and spectators of the Match of the Year and the Fan Festival. Among them are singer MIRAVI, the band Cream Soda and the cover band D2OE, as well as the well-known all over Russia "Ivanushki International".

Honoring Ovechkin

As part of the "Match of the Year 2025", special attention will be paid to honoring Alexander Ovechkin, an outstanding hockey player, forward of the Russian national team and the Washington Capitals club. On April 6, he scored his 895th NHL regular season goal, becoming the best marksman in league history and surpassing Wayne Gretzky's record of 894, which had seemed unattainable for more than 25 years. It is symbolic that the organizers decided to celebrate this event in Alexander's hometown of Moscow.

A few days before the event, the organizers held a press conference. Sergachev, Ovechkin and Panarin shared the most important details of the upcoming holiday.

Artemy Panarin stated that the main task is to help children and those in need. Alexander Ovechkin, the main headliner of the event, replied that he had only recently returned from a vacation that took place in Turkey, so the most important thing now is that he not be killed.

— I'm having fun. Again, the whole country was sick, the whole world was talking. It's nice when people come up and congratulate you. Everyone wants to see the best. Therefore, in any city where it is held, there is a sell-out. What can I say — the best will be on the ice. I just flew in from Turkey. The most important thing is that I don't get killed today (laughs)," said the Washington forward.