January 16, 2008

Russian Charity Games Feature ECAC Hockey Flavor

ECAC Hockey Director of Officiating Paul Stewart, a long-time NHL referee, once again will don referee armbands when he and numerous hockey greats, including former Harvard standout and Hobey Baker Award recipient Mark Fusco, participate in two charity all-star games January 18 and 20 in Russia.

Sponsored by Gazprom Export, the charity all-star games feature a team of World All Stars versus a team of Russian All Stars. The rosters are a Who's Who of hockey featuring former college and professional standouts such as Fusco, Scott Young, Bobby Farrelly, Scott MacPherson, Slava Fetisov, Igor Larionov, Mats Naslund, Jari Kurri and Esa Tikkanen, among others. The Gazprom export all stars feature Valerie Kaminski, Alexander Medvedev (CEO of Gazprom Export) and several other Russian hockey legends.

Lou Vairo, a former coach of multiple national teams, will step behind the bench to coach the all stars.

The event, first played last year, is a benefit to ex-hockey players in Russia and is played outdoors in the famous Red Square in the shadows of St. Basil's Cathedral and the Kremlin. Last year's event drew 2,000-plus spectators and featured the reunion of the "Great Five" line of Soviet-era hockey when Vladimir Krutov, Vyacheslav Fetisov, Igor Larionov, Alexei Kasatonov and Sergei Makarov suited up together.

The games will be played January 18 in St. Petersburg and January 20 in Moscow's Red Square.