Other events in Baltic States

Legendary Latvian goaltender Arturs Irbe could become an assistant on Ted Nolan's coaching staff on the Latvian national men's ice hockey team.

As the press secretary of the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation (LHF), Maris Gorbunovs, confirmed to LETA, discussions are currently being held with Irbe to add him to the coaching staff, however, no agreement has yet been made.

If the talks are fruitful, it is not yet known whether Irbe will join the national team's coaching staff for this year's Ice Hockey World Championships.

Canadian specialist Tom Coolen is currently the only other assistant coach on the Latvian national team at the moment.

The 2013 Ice Hockey World Championships will kick off in Helsinki and Stockholm on May 3, with the final being played on May 19.

Latvia will play its group's games in Helsinki against Russia, Finland, Slovakia, Germany, France, Austria and the United States.

The top four teams in each of the two groups will qualify for the tournament's quarterfinals.

As reported, in his 13 NHL seasons, Irbe played for the San Jose ''Sharks'', Dallas ''Stars'', Vancouver ''Canucks'' and the Carolina ''Hurricanes''. In 2002, the Latvian goaltender helped the ''Hurricanes'' to the NHL's Stanley Cup finals, where they lost to the Detroit ''Red Wings'' 1-4.

The legendary Latvian goalie has played in 64 games for the Latvian national ice hockey team, and has played in nine World Championships and two Olympic Games.

Irbe is best remembered by Latvian ice hockey fans for his heroic performance at the 2000 Ice Hockey World Championships in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, where Latvia defeated a star-studded Russian team 3:2.

The 45-year-old Irbe was also inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation's Hall (IIHF) of Fame in 2010.