The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) has named the 2018 Golden Whistle winners at their year-end awards ceremony, which the league called “a glittering gala evening dedicated to celebrating the tenth anniversary season of the Kontinental Hockey League Championship and rewarding some of the many heroes whose talent, skill, and endeavor helped make this special, jubilee season such a spectacular success.”
Referee Konstantin Olenin received the Andrei Starovoitov Award – also known as the “Golden Whistle” – as the league’s best referee. The 37-year-old official is in his 10th KHL season, having worked 506 regular season games and 125 playoff matches including this year’s Gagarin Cup Final. He’s also worked multiple international tournaments throughout his career, including the 2018 Olympics and 2018 IIHF World Championship.
The award is named after long-time Russian referee Andrei Starovoitov, who officiated eight IIHF World Championships from 1955-1966. He was the General Secretary of the Soviet Ice Hockey Federation from 1969-1986, and also a member of the IIHF Referee Council. Starovoitov was elected to the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1997.
Linesman Alexander Sadovnikov was awarded the Mikhail Galinovsky “Golden Whistle” awarded to the league’s best linesman. Savodnikov, 33, has officiated 457 games over his 10-year KHL career. He was also chosen to officiate the 2018 KHL All-Star Game.
