The teams, which were a mixture of political figures and retired Russian hockey stars, played the hockey match a week before Russia celebrates the Orthodox Christmas on 7 January.
Continuing the tradition Russian President Vladimir Putin started back in 2011, the 66-year-old put on his helmet, shoulder pads and skates to kick off a friendly ice hockey game at Moscow’s Red Square. A video of the match, which was a part of the ‘Amateur Night Hockey League’ founded by Putin, features him warming up at the ice rink near the Kremlin walls, The Telegraph reported.
Advertising
The Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu and ice hockey veterans Vyacheslav Fetisov and Pavel Bure also played along with Putin. As part of the tradition, the Russian president plays one hockey match every year, stated the news website.