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The new season has started!

Dear friends! I congratulate all players, coaches and fans with the start of the 2025/2026 ice hockey season! The Russian Championship will start in Nizhny Novgorod, where champions Torpedo-Gorky will host regular-season winners Metallurg Novokuznetsk. This spring, a team from the All-Russian Hockey League (VHL) became Russian champions for the first time in history! The status of the VHL is increasing. The league is incredibly unpredictable, with the top seeds often being knocked out in the maiden playoff round and the finalists of the preceding campaign not even qualifying for the post-season. Moreover, we have to remember that last year's champions Torpedo-Gorky were competing in the league for the first time! Medals of the Russian Championship are very prestigious awards. The VHL allows players to not only subsequently gain a foothold in the KHL, but also to take leading roles in that particular league. The same goes for coaches; after all, Torpedo-Gorky's head coach was promoted to the boss of Torpedo's first team which participates in the KHL. I will all participants of the Russian Championship an exciting and successful season! By the way, athletes from friendly countries such as Iran, Turkey and representatives of BRICS are receiving the opportunity to train with Russian guys. One of the priorities of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation's international work is to strengthen relations with these countries in question, and Russia boasts vast experience in developing hockey. We possess the most advanced and effective programs for training young players, as well as coaches and other specialists. The new season will feature many memorable international competitions for our national teams, especially the Channel One Cup in December. Furthermore, important club tournaments such as the NMHL and WHL will begin. Big plans for the development of youth sport, based around the Red Machine National Development Program, are of course in place. Also, soon, on 17 September, the legendary Alexander Ovechkin will celebrate his 40th birthday! Alexander, who is of course the leading goalscorer in the history of the NHL, is a model professional with his admirable patriotism and dedication. Let's have a fantastic season!
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