Hockey outside, from Russia with love

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If you liked watching the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks play hockey outdoors, and the television ratings said you did, get up early Saturday morning and see hockey outdoors where it’s really cold.

Universal Sports is offering live broadcast coverage of the first-ever Kontinental Hockey League All-Star game between Team Yashin and Team Jagr beginning at 5 a.m. PT in Moscow’s Red Square. OK, maybe you don’t want to get up, but at least set the recorder.

Team Yashin, made up of Russian-born players and captained by former New York Islanders center Alexei Yashin, will play Team Jagr, a group of international players captained by former Pittsburgh Penguins and Rangers star Jaromir Jagr.

Besides the live broadcast from 5-7:30 a.m., there will be a rebroadcast Saturday from 8-10:30 p.m. PT.

Commentators will be familiar. Play-by-play will come from John Ahlers, the television voice of the Ducks, and the color commentator will be Brent Severyn, Ducks radio analyst. They will call the action from the Universal Sports studio in Los Angeles, which should make them happy. The Moscow weather forecast for Saturday is nippy.

-- Diane Pucin

Pop-up photo: Youngsters skate in the open-air rink of Red Square, in front of the Moscow’s Kremlin. Credit: Sergei Ilnitsky / EPA