As the anniversary of the Lokomotiv tragedy approaches, the team is rebuilding itself as a KHL contender with ex-NHL players such as recently-signed forward Niklas Hagman. Still, the players and staffers who were lost on Sept. 7, 2011 are irreplaceable, so many NHL players will honor their memory during a “Memory Night” exhibition game in Switzerland.
Dougas Flynn reports that the August 4 contest will pit the Swiss league’s Kolten Flyers against a team full of star players including Zdeno Chara, Evgeni Malkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Datsyuk, Ilya Bryzgalov, Sergei Gonchar and Alexander Semin. Former NHL players (retired or overseas) also planning to participate include Alexei Kovalev, Alex Yashin, Sergei Fedorov and Sandis Ozolinsh.
The most noteworthy Kolten Flyers player is Michael Nylander.