Earlier this month we reported that former Washington Capitals forward Alex Semin has decided to retire from professional hockey. To mark the occasion, Semin decided to hold one final game for charity in his hometown of Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
Semin’s friends and family began arriving in Krasnoyarsk earlier this week. Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin and Dmitry Orlov traveled to Krasnoyarsk on Wednesday. Ovechkin’s unmistakable also made the trip.
В крске 😁 #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/qyyVdCkdoE
— Владимир Тюрнев (@Tyurnev) June 29, 2022
Ovechkin and his wife Nastya arrived in Krasnoyarsk, Russia Wednesday afternoon and were immediately greeted by local fans.
Alex Ovechkin and his wife arriving in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, yesterday for Alex Semin farewell game. #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/NeBlYWdEf7
— #ALLCAPS (@JonItBe) June 30, 2022
Dmitry Orlov spoke about the event with the local media prior to the game. He said that the farewell game is a great holiday both for the athlete and for the whole of Krasnoyarsk.
“Great day for the fans. Alexander gathered everyone here, this is a big evening for the city. You can see the masters, who is still playing, who has finished. Sasha arranged a good holiday for the city and for himself,” said Orlov.
“The atmosphere in the dressing room is great. Everyone is joking and having fun. It is always nice to remember with whom you have already played, with whom you crossed paths in your hockey career. It’s always fun, we are no exception,” Orlov said on Match TV.
Prior to the game, Alex Semin, Pavel Datsyuk, Alex Ovechkin and Dmitry Orlov took part in a tree-planting ceremony at the local kid’s hockey academy.
Semin’s farewell game began with a touching, sincere farewell speech. He thanked everyone who made him a hockey player and helped in his career path, and brought his wife, two sons and mother to the ice.
“I want to say that I am ending my professional playing career. I devoted 20 years to professional hockey. I played in the NHL , world championships, won the Gagarin Cup with Magnitogorsk. It was really cool, ” said Semin.
The game was next. The teams for the charity game:
Alexander Semin’s team (red uniform): Anton Khudobin, Alexander Semin, Alexander Ovechkin, Viktor Kozlov, Dmitry Orlov, Alexey Makeev, Maxim Galanov, Arseniy Gritsyuk, Sergey Lomanov, Artem Shvets-Rogovoy, Andrey Nikolishin, Sergey Shipko, Denis Kulikov, Mark Gerich.
Pavel Datsyuk’s team (white kit): Alexander Sudnitsin, Pavel Datsyuk, Andrey Markov, Alexander Svitov, Alexander Guskov, Anton Burdasov, Maxim Afinogenov, Danis Zaripov, Alexander Suzdalev, Denis Kazansky, Alexei Popov, Ilya Skvortsov, Valentin Kopylov, Eduard Mayorov.
Highlights from the game were many, as both Ovechkin and Semin recorded hat tricks. Checkout this version of the Anaheim flip play from Semin to Ovechkin.
LOOK AT THIS BEHIND THE NET FLIP PASS FROM ALEXANDER SEMIN!!! 😱#ALLCAPS Alexander Ovechkin just keeps on scoring. pic.twitter.com/7JuQ3fOmP6
— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) June 30, 2022
Following the game there was a banquet in honor of Semin.
#ALLCAPS via @nastyashubskya pic.twitter.com/MJqKI12iaX
— NoVa Caps (@NoVa_Caps) June 30, 2022
Semin played 650 NHL games with Washington, Carolina and Montreal, scoring 517 (239+278) points. In the KHL, Semin played 242 matches in which he scored 159 (73 + 86) points. He won the Gagarin Cup with Metallurg in 2016.
As part of the Russian national team, Semin became the world champion in 2008 and 2012.
ADDITIONAL IMAGES FROM EVENT
Love the Zegras play. Semin keeping up on the NHL.
Sigh, if only Semin had devoted his time with the Caps to hockey.
:: retweet::
Semin was one of my favorite stick handlers, and it was fun watching him and Ovi together. I have a signed Semin rookie jersey (with his rookie number) if anyone wants to buy it.
Very nice. What are you looking to get for it?
I remember when Metallurg won the Gagarin Cup, Semin (and his teammates) had a tree-planting ceremony as part of the team celebration. I wonder if Semin was inspired by that, to some degree. (Good for the ecology, in any case.)