KHL All-Star Week Moved To Chelyabinsk

The Kontinental Hockey League has announced that the leagues’ president Alexei Morozov and the Governor of the Chelyabinsk region have signed an agreement that the 2020 KHL All-Star weekend will take place in Chelyabinsk.

The move had to be made due to Riga stepping down as the host city due to the uncertainty that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused.

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Other candidates to host the festivities were Krasnoyarsk, Magnitogorsk, and Yaroslavl amongst others.

Via KHL:

There were several cities hoping to host next year’s spectacle, including Magnitogorsk, Yaroslavl, and Krasnoyarsk. These, and others, took part in an extensive selection process organized by the league. The final decision was taken on the basis of a special KHL commission which evaluated each candidate according to 32 criteria, from the city’s infrastructure to the financial support available from the local authorities. The final assessment showed that Chelyabinsk most closely fulfilled the criteria. Representatives of the Chelyabinsk Region showed the greatest interest in hosting the event, and were best prepared to stage a showcase for our three leagues.

KHL President, Alexei Morozov to via KHL:

After nine years, the KHL All-Star Game is back in Chelyabinsk in a different, week-long format. Chelyabinsk has a special place in Russian hockey: here, everyone lives and breathes our favorite game and the town has given our nation countless famous players. Traktor continues to compete strongly in the KHL and the current transfer activity suggests it will be one of the favorites in the coming season, which can only intensify interest among the fans. This season also sees Traktor bring back a professional women’s team, while the Juniors are a force in their league and everything is in place to support kids’ hockey. The club and the region have assembled a strong hockey structure. We are grateful to the leaders of Chelyabinsk Region, and Traktor, for their desire and willingness to work with us and organize the KHL’s flagship event. I am sure that together we will produce a fantastic festival for all hockey lovers.

The 2021 All-Star week will start on January 8th with a Woman’s All-Star game which then will be followed by MHL’s (Russian Junior League) Challenge Cup showcase followed by the main events KHL Skills Competition on January 15th and the All-Star game itself will be played on January 16th.