Trophies and Awards
The winner of the playoff is awarded the Gagarin Cup, the KHL Champion title and the Russian Champion title, regardless of the country the club represents. The team ranked first in the standings after the regular season, i.e. the winner of the regular season, is awarded the Continental Cup (Russian: Кубок Континента, Kubok Kontinenta). The winners of the conference finals are awarded the Eastern Conference Champion Cup (Russian: Кубок Победителю конференции Восток, Kubok Pobeditelyu konferentsii Vostok) and the Western Conference Champion Cup (Russian: Кубок Победителю конференции Запад, Kubok Pobeditelyu konferentsii Zapad).
The KHL presents annual awards to its most successful players. In 2012, a total of 20 trophies in various categories were awarded. Among the winners were Alexander Radulov (regular season MVP), Oleg Znarok (coach of the year) and Dmitry Lugin (rookie of the year).
The KHL also awards the Lokomotiv Cup annually to the winner of the first game between the Gagarin Cup winner and the runner-up of the previous season. The Cup, originally known as the Opening Cup, was renamed in the wake of the plane crash that killed 36 Lokomotiv players and staff in 2011.
| Season | Lokomotiv Cup Winner | Gold Stick Award (MVP) |
|---|---|---|
| 2008-09 | Salavat Yulaev Ufa | Danis Zaripov |
| 2009-10 | Ak Bars Kazan | Alexander Radulov |
| 2010-11 | Dynamo Moscow | Alexander Radulov |
| 2011-12 | Salavat Yulaev Ufa | Alexander Radulov |
| 2012-13 | Dynamo Moscow |
Read more about this topic: Kontinental Hockey League
Famous quotes containing the words trophies and and/or trophies:
“Vain the ambition of kings
Who seek by trophies and dead things,
To leave a living name behind,
And weave but nets to catch the wind.”
—John Webster (1580–1625)
“The notion that the public accepts or rejects anything in modern art ... is merely romantic fiction.... The game is completed and the trophies distributed long before the public knows what has happened.”
—Tom Wolfe (b. 1931)