The KHL Awards Ceremony took place Tuesday night, with hardware handed out to the league’s top players — and officials.
Referee Alexei Ravodin (#34) received the Andrei Starovoitov Award – also known as the “Golden Whistle” – as the league’s best referee. The 41-year-old referee has just completed his 11th KHL season, having worked 552 regular season games and 108 playoff matches.
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.
The KHL’s Golden Whistle Trophies, awarded annually to the league’s top officials
Linesman Gleb Lazarev (#61) was awarded the Mikhail Galinovsky “Golden Whistle” awarded to the league’s best linesman. Lazarev, 28, has worked 448 games, including 50 playoff matches, during his 10-year KHL career. He most recently officiated the 2019 IIHF World Championship as well as the 2018 Winter Olympics.
In his acceptance speech, Lazarev stressed the importance of officials. “No refs, no games,” he said.
Here’s a look at the ceremony. Hopefully, you’re fluent in Russian:
Congratulations to this year’s KHL Golden Whistle winners: Alexei Ravodin and Gleb Lazarev.
