Washington Capitals’ star centerman Evgeny Kuznetsov joined friend and idol, Pavel Datsyuk, and other members of the SKA hockey organization, for an autograph and meet-and-greet session on Saturday.
The event was held just prior to the “From a Pure Heart” charity game, held at the Ice Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Kuznetsov took the liberty of donning an SKA sweater for the occasion.
You may recall that earlier this summer Russian and North American media outlets reported that SKA had made an offer of $10 million per season to sign Kuznetsov. (Kuznetsov’s KHL playing rights were sold from his home team Traktor to SKA earlier this summer). SKA’s offer was made during the same time frame the Capitals were negotiating to re-sign Kuznetsov to a long-term deal.
Kuznetsov has supported his friend and idol Datsyuk, a current member of the SKA team, many times before. Last summer, Kuznetsov joined Datsyuk for the grand opening of Datsyuk’s new hockey arena. (more here)
Kuznetsov has also participated in Datsyuk’s hockey camps for kids and also joined fellow Russian hockey elite in attending Datsyuk’s first game back with the KHL last summer. (more here)
Kuznetsov also participated in the charity game on Saturday. The “From A Pure Heart” charity game took place between SKA Friends and Team Kovalchuk. Over the past seven years, the charity game has taken place in different Russian cities. This was the second time the event was hosted by Saint Petersburg.
Photos: Sovsport.ru
The Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin was also on hand for the preseason charity game. SKA was also celebrating last season’s Gagarin Cup win.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BX-hqpWFO0W/
SKA’s complete photo album for the event can be accessed here. Additional photos from the event:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYD_xwUlKSd/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BX_AeHglAme/
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