All-Star Game 2013. Official press-conference

The participants were KHL president Aleksandr Medvedev, Governor of Chelyabinsk Region Mikhail Yurevich and captains of both teams – Aleksey Morozov (Team East) and Ilya Kovalchuk (Team West).

– Chelyabinsk is a true hockey town, – said Mikhail Yurevich. It’s so great that our city became the capital of Russian hockey, even if it’s two days only. This event is important for the development and promotion of sports in our region. On our part, we’ve tried to do everything in our power to host this hockey spectacle without a hitch.

– All-Star Game is a show, – Aleksandr Medvedev continued. This show is now in full swing. I have to admit – even though it’s a great spectacle, we’ve lost 43 of 44 NHL players that will be back to their respective NHL clubs to fulfill their contractual obligations. On a positive note, two of these 43 players have agreed to participate in this match; and maybe for the first time ever Team West could be victorious because having Datsyuk and Kovalchuk on your line-up is certainly an advantage.

– We are happy to be here in Chelyabinsk, – said Ilya Kovalchuk. All-Star Weekend is a big event for each and every hockey player. We’re enjoying every second of it, but most importantly fans love it! Here’s to hoping that we have a great match tonight, and we will try to show the fans something they do not often see in ordinary matches.