NHL club Montreal held a ceremony honoring former defender Andrei Markov

The Montreal Canadiens club of the National Hockey League (NHL) invited the former defender of the team, Russian Andrey Markov, to the ceremony of honoring, on December 4 it is reported on the league's website.

Markov played for Montreal for 17 years and played 900 regular season games. The hockey player was included in the first symbolic Montreal national team of the 21st century.

At the ceremony, he took to the ice before the start of the regular season home game with Winnipeg, accompanied by members of his family — his wife, son and daughter, and called the Canadian team a "second family." The numbers 79 were set on the ice — Markov's number, under which he played, adds Sport-Express.

"When I came to Montreal 25 years ago, I didn't know what to expect. The city accepted me, and the team became my family, the fans supported me every match. <...> I always knew that this was the best hockey city," said the 46-year-old hockey player.

Markov noted that he finished his career five years ago and now he can confidently say that the years in Montreal with the Montreal Canadiens were the best time of his life.

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On October 27, it was reported that Russian striker Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild reached 400 career points in the regular NHL championships in a home match with San Jose. The athlete is the fastest player in the history of the Wild.

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