Two of the NHL’s biggest rivals will team up for a great cause when the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals face off Thursday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. at CONSOL Energy in Pittsburgh.

Commemorative Lokomotiv patch

The Penguins and Capitals today announced a joint effort to raise money for the families of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, the KHL team that perished in a plane crash Sept. 7 in Russia. Pens and Caps players will wear jerseys with commemorative Lokomotiv patches at the Oct. 13 game, then autograph the game-worn and game-issued jerseys afterward and auction them off at nhl.com. All proceeds will benefit the Lokomotiv players’ children and families.“We compete against each other hard on the ice, but off the ice we all are part of one big hockey family,” Penguins General Manager Ray Shero said. “Many of our players had friends on the Lokomotiv team. All of us in hockey were touched by this tragic loss. We just thought the Oct. 13 game was a unique opportunity for our two teams to work together to raise money for the children and families of the players, coaches and staff who lost their lives.”Russian players Evgeni Malkin of the Penguins and Alexander Ovechkin of the Capitals will participate in a ceremonial opening faceoff. The auction will begin at puck drop on Oct. 13 and run through Oct. 27 at nhl.com.Wives and girlfriends of the Pens and Caps players also will be selling remembrance bracelets to benefit the Lokomotiv families. The Caps’ event will take place at their home opener on Oct. 8 against Carolina at Verizon Center. The Pens’ event will coincide with the Oct. 13 game.