 | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Competition | KHL playoffs |
| Awarded for | Playoff champion of the Kontinental Hockey League |
| History | |
| First award | 2008 |
| First winner | Ak Bars Kazan |
| Most wins | Ak Bars Kazan, CSKA Moscow, Metallurg Magnitogorsk (3) |
| Most recent | Metallurg Magnitogorsk (3) |
The Gagarin Cup (Russian: Кубок Гагарина, Kubok Gagarina) is the trophy presented to the winner of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) playoffs, and is named after Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space. The Cup was supposedly named after Gagarin because the last possible game of the inaugural KHL season took place on April 12, the anniversary date of Gagarin's flight.[1]
After the end of the KHL's regular season, sixteen teams participate in the playoffs. The round of 16 and quarter-finals were a best-of-five series during the first season, and the semi-finals and finals were a best-of-seven series during the first season. Conferences were established for the second season. Conference quarter-finals are a best-of-five series while the conference semi-finals, conference finals and Gagarin Cup finals are a best-of-seven series. The winner of the final best-of-seven series receives the Gagarin Cup.[2] It has been reported that the Cup weighs 18 kg (40 lbs), making it heavier than the NHL's Stanley Cup.[3]
- ^ Seren Rosso, Alessandro (2008-03-13). "New Kontinental Hockey League takes shape, sets rules". Retrieved 2008-07-09.
- ^ "New league schedule announced". IIHF. 2008-06-08. Archived from the original on 2010-09-14. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
- ^ news (2009-01-10). ""USSR Hockey Legends" – "KHL Friends": 5:4 (3:1, 1:2)". Retrieved 2008-02-04.
{{cite news}}:|author=has generic name (help) [dead link]