BERNE – The IIHF has announced the first mixed crew for the inaugural Victoria Cup games. Tonight’s New York Rangers vs. SC Bern exhibition matchup will be officiated by Canadian Don Koharski of the NHL and Marcus Vinnerborg of Sweden. Koharski, one of the most senior referees in the game, has refereed more than 1,500 games, including eleven Stanley Cup finals series. Vinnerborg had the distinction of officiating the 2007 and 2008 gold-medal games at the World Championships. They will be joined by Milan Masik (SVK-IIHF) and Jean Morin (CAN-NHL) on the lines.

Tomorrow’s Victoria Cup game will feature Dan O’Halloran (CAN-NHL) and Jyri Rönn (FIN-IIHF). O’Halloran has some 665 games under his belt, notably the last two Stanley Cup finals. Rönn also has been at the World Championships in 2007 and ’08. They’ll be joined by linesmen Lonnie Cameron (CAN-NHL) and Stefan Fonselius (FIN-IIHF).

The North American referees were nominated by the NHL, while the IIHF selected the European crew. Experience at the highest level was the prime consideration in the choices to oversee this historic game which will also feature blended rules. This is the first time ever that a four-man crew has consisted of one referee from each organization.