"There was a time when the Penguins' Evgeni Malkin and Washington's Alex Ovechkin were bitter rivals on and off the ice.

These Russian hockey stars reconciled at the 2009 NHL All-Star Game, and Thursday night they found a common, heartfelt cause. They organized a charity theme for their teams' game at Consol Energy Center to benefit the families left behind when all members of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team died recently in a plane crash in Russia.

"It's important for me, for all of us," Malkin said. "We're all one big hockey family and we need to help.""