Ice hockey at REW 2021: world champions, a Stanley Cup winner, and the Canadian ambassador to Russia
Moscow has hosted an ice
hockey gala match between teams representing REW and Roscongress Sport Club as
part of the sporting programme for Russian Energy Week. Taking part in the
award ceremony was Canadian Ambassador to Russia Alison LeClaire.
The REW team was captained by
General Director of Zenit Football Club (St. Petersburg) Alexander Medvedev,
while the Roscongress Sport Club team was captained by Rotex President Evgeny
Romaskevich.
Among those to represent Forum
participants in the match were Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade
Alexey Besprozvannykh, as well as ice hockey Olympic medallists Alexey Yashin
(World Championships winner) and Valery Zelepukin (Stanley Cup winner). The
team’s head coach was chief referee and vice president of the Kontinental
Hockey League Alexey Anisimov.
Vostok Resorts CEO Dmitry
Anfinogenov, ice hockey world champion Alexander Svitov, and former general
manager of KHL team Kunlun Red Star Scott MacPherson made up the initial
offensive trio for Roscongress Sport Club. Taking up the position as coach of
the team was chief of the refereeing department at the Ice Hockey Federation of
Russia Mikhail Karpushin.
“This ice hockey season is a
special one. We are marking 75 years of Russian hockey, and the Russian team
will attempt to defend their Olympic title. So, hockey will be under the
spotlight – we’ll be watching, supporting, and of course, playing. There is
already a long-standing tradition of holding ice hockey matches and other
sporting events at international forums, and I am in no doubt that this trend
will only continue to grow,” said Alexander Medvedev.
The match ended in a
hard-fought draw, with the final score 4–4. Member of the Civic Chamber Natalia
Pochinok – playing for Roscongress Sport Club – was named player of the match.
Canadian Ambassador to Russia
Alison LeClaire congratulated both teams on their game, and highlighted another
key anniversary. “As a Canadian, it’s always nice to hear the sound of hockey
sticks on ice. I’d like to note that we’ll be marking a major event next year –
the 50th anniversary of the first series of matches played between Soviet and
Canadian hockey players,” she said.
Rotex and VostokEnergoService are general sporting programme partners for REW 2021, with Roscongress Sport Club as organizer.
The Russian Energy Week International Forum is taking place in Moscow from 13 to 15 October. It is being organized by the Roscongress Foundation, the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, and the Moscow City Government.
