Share and participate: Panarin and Sergachev have assembled teams of NHL and KHL stars

The third charity "Match of the Year" will be held at the SKA Arena on July 25. All the hockey stars." For the first time, the teams will not be divided into leagues: the teams were independently formed by captains Artemy Panarin and Mikhail Sergachev. Alexander Ovechkin proposed the idea of changing the usual format, as Panarin told Izvestia. As in previous years, all proceeds from the match will be used to support charitable foundations. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

How the "Match of the Year" appeared

The project was launched in the summer of 2024 on the initiative of Russian hockey players playing in the NHL and KHL. The organizers were Artemy Panarin's Arena Play company, Mikhail Sergachev's Sector 98 and Juice creative studio. The concept remains unchanged: to bring together the best Russian hockey players from both sides of the ocean on one ice and hold a charity match that will give fans the opportunity to see the stars together outside of the official season.

According to the results of last year's meeting, we managed to raise 30 million rubles. The proceeds from ticket sales and partner programs were used to support charitable foundations. It is the social component that remains the main difference between the project and traditional All-Star Matches.

After two matches, the project became one of the notable events of the hockey offseason. The first two meetings were held in Moscow, and in 2026, St. Petersburg will host the game for the first time.

The choice of the SKA Arena looks logical. It is the largest hockey arena in the world, capable of hosting about 23,000 spectators. In addition, St. Petersburg has long been considered one of the main hockey cities in Russia, where there is traditionally a high interest in such events.

For SKA Arena itself, hosting the "Match of the Year" will be one of the largest sporting events this summer.

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New format

The main change of the third "Match of the Year" will be the format of the meeting. If in previous times the national teams of Russian NHL and KHL players opposed each other, now the organizers have abandoned the division into leagues. The teams were formed by two captains, Artemy Panarin and Mikhail Sergachev. Each team includes both NHL hockey players and the leaders of the Kontinental Hockey League clubs, making the rivals as equal as possible.

— Ovechkin offered to make a draft before the "Match of the Year," Artemy Panarin told Izvestia. — Mikhail Sergachev and I liked playing in the KHL format against the NHL, so we played like this for two years. We decided to update the format so as not to offend the KHL players.

The match will take place on July 25. In addition to the game itself, the audience will enjoy a large-scale entertainment program with contests, autograph sessions and activities with the participation of hockey players.

"I admit, I'm really looking forward to this day," Ovechkin was quoted as saying by the press service of the organizers of the Match of the Year. — I am sure that a lot of fans and hockey fans will come to watch the game. And we will have a real celebration, and for everyone: for athletes and for the audience. By the way, my wife Anastasia and our two sons are coming to St. Petersburg with me.

Channel One will broadcast the meeting live. In addition to the television broadcast, it will be possible to follow the match on the broadcaster's digital platforms.

The team of Artemy Panarin

Goalkeepers: Sergey Bobrovsky, Igor Shesterkin, Nikita Serebryakov.
Defenders: Dmitry Orlov, Vladislav Gavrikov, Alexander Nikishin, Pavel Mintyukov, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Rushan Rafikov, Andrey Mironov, Nikita Lyamkin.
Forwards: Artemy Panarin (captain), Kirill Kaprizov, Matvey Michkov, Valery Nichushkin, Marat Khusnutdinov, Maxim Tsyplakov, Vadim Shipachev, Dmitry Yashkin, Maxim Shalunov, Alexander Barabanov, Alexander Zharovsky, Matvey Gridin.

Mikhail Sergachev's team

Goalkeepers: Ilya Sorokin, Yaroslav Askarov, Maxim Dorozhko.
Defenders: Mikhail Sergachev (captain), Alexander Romanov, Ivan Provorov, Ilya Lyubushkin, Dmitry Simashev, Daniil Pylenkov, Egor Yakovlev, Grigory Dronov.
Forwards: Alexander Ovechkin, Alexey Protas, Kirill Marchenko, Pavel Buchnevich, Vasily Podkolzin, Konstantin Okulov, Prokhor Poltapov, Mikhail Maltsev, Nikolai Goldobin, Vladimir Tkachev, Artem Galimov, Egor Surin.