Logo of the first edition of the Continental Hockey League All-Star Game.
The 2009 KHL All-Star Game was the inaugural edition of the All-Star Game classic for the newfound Continental Hockey League. The game was played outside, on a rink built for the purpose on the Red Square in Moscow, Russia.
The rink had a spall capacity, estimated at about 3,000; however, even fewer people (estimations mention some 2,500) attended the game, played by a cold temperature of -16 Celcius.
Format and nominations[]
The two teams that faced each other were Team Yashin (or Team Russia), named after its leader, Alexei Yashin, who led the best Russian players of the league, and Team Jágr (or Team World), named after Jaromír Jágr, who led the best non-Russian players of the league. Both Yashin and Jágr were chosen because they were both highly popular and both automatically linked to ice hockey in their respective countries. They captained their respective team. It was up to them to decide of their two assistant captains.
Players were nominated by two different ways. The starting roster of both teams was decided by popular vote on the KHL's website; the second line players were choosen by the media. Nominees were announced on December 26th 2008. As for the remaining and reserve players, they were announced by January 8th. Each team consisted of nine forwards, six defencemen and two goaltenders.
Events[]
The main event was preceded by skill competitions, very alike what can be seen in NHL All-Star Games. These competitions were the following (with their winner between brackets):
- The Fastest Skater ()
- Shootout Skill ()
- Long Range Shot ()
- Zigzag Team Relay ()
- Goalie Competition ()
- Accurate Shooting ()
- Speed Relay ()
The all-star game's format was decided by popular vote of the fans. The two alternatives were the currently adopted format, i.e. a "Russia vs. World" format, against a more standard interconference matchup. The adopted format helps promote the diversity of the league and the league itself outside of Russia.
Rosters[]
*International player's flags indicate nation of origin whereas Russian born player's flags indicate the Federal subject of origin. Two players of the Russian side, Kasparaitis and Zhitnik, were born in the former Soviet Union, respectively in Lithuania and Ukraine; they are today Russian citizens.
Game summary and result[]
Final score: Team Jagr 7-6 Team Yashin
Team 1st 2nd 3rd Total Team Jagr 2 2 3 7 Team Yashin 1 3 2 6