In Moscow this morning, three Capitals prospects played in the first game of a Summit Series between the best Russian and Canadian players under twenty years old. The series celebrates the twenty-fifth anniversary of the first Summit Series, in which Valery Kharlamov dominated for the Russians until, in a brave feat of patriotism, Bobby Clarke broke his ankle, ensuring a Canadian victory in the series and foretelling Western victory in the Cold War.

Today’s less heated edition features Capitals prospects Semen Varlamov, Karl Alzner and Josh Godfrey. The Caps drafted these players in last year’s first round, this year’s first round and this year’s second round, respectively, so the team will be watching closely to see how close they are to making an impact in the NHL.

In game one, Varlamov started out strong, but let in four straight Canadian goals. Three of the shots trickled in between Semen’s legs (or as hockey players say, through his five hole). The Caps will hope their goaltender of the future can improve on his fundamentals, keep his knees together and hold on to Russia’s starting job as the series continues.

Meanwhile, Alzner won a fur hat as the most valuable player on the Canadian Team. Alzner was the fifth overall pick in this summer’s draft, and there has already been speculation that he could debut in the NHL this season. A strong showing over the next seven games would be a step in the right direction.