Double gold in Yaroslavl
The KHL season came to a spectacular end on Thursday, with Lokomotiv completing a successful defense of the Gagarin Cup. And, after beating Ak Bars, the Yaroslavl club continued the celebrations at the weekend when the juniors won the Kharlamov Cup.
Back-to-back championships for Lokomotiv
A 3-2 victory in Kazan clinched Lokomotiv’s second Gagarin Cup in six games. The Railwaymen looked to be in complete control at 3-0 after two goals from Yegor Surin in the first period and another from Maxim Shalunov midway through the third. But Ak Bars hit back hard, scoring two quick goals to set up a nervous finish. In the end, Yaroslavl held on to defend the title it won last year, becoming the third team to claim back-to-back cups after Ak Bars (2009, 2010) and Dynamo Moscow (2011, 2012). Earlier in the week, a 4-1 victory on home ice put Lokomotiv in control of the series.
Clutch Shalunov
For the second season running, Maxim Shalunov potted the golden goal to clinch the cup. Admittedly, when he scored Loko’s third in the final it looked like garnish on a comfortable win. But those late Ak Bars markers changed the picture and Shalunov’s goal turned out to be the game winner. A year earlier the forward did the same thing to end Traktor’s trophy bid.
Isayev MVP
Daniil Isayev was named playoff MVP for 2026 after backstopping Lokomotiv’s championship run. He was also selected as the best goalie in the final after making 151 saves through six games, a 92.72% ratio for a GAA of 1.85. Teammates Nikita Cherepanov and Richard Panik were selected as best defenseman and best forward respectively, with Panik’s work on both sides of the puck tipping the scales ahead of the more productive Maxim Shalunov.. The final’s top rookie was Stepan Terekhov of Ak Bars.
Miller tops the scoring
Ak Bars defenseman Mitch Miller made history as the first blue liner to lead the playoffs in scoring. He finished with 23 (7+16) points, two ahead of Avangard’s Konstantin Okulov. The American also broke Chris Lee’s record of 21 playoff points from defense but, like Lee, found it wasn’t enough to win the cup.
Hartley calls time
Lokomotiv head coach Bob Hartley announced his retirement from hockey shortly after lifting the Gagarin Cup for the second time. The 65-year-old Canadian, who previously led Avangard to glory in 2021, returned to the KHL behind Lokomotiv’s bench this season. Prior to that, he had four seasons with the Hawks. In total he had 238 wins from 383 games and became the first foreign coach to win two Gagarin Cups. But when asked if he would be back to defend his crown he replied: “I’m too old!”
Four cups for Bereglazov
Defenseman Alexei Bereglazov became the second player to win four Gagarin Cup. He follows former team-mate Danis Zaripov, who was with him for Metallurg’s 2014 triumph. Subsequently he won with Hartley’s Avangard in 2021 before featuring in Lokomotiv’s back-to-back triumphs. Alexander Radulov (2011, 2025, 2026) and Maxim Shalunov (2019, 2025, 2026) move to three cups. Coaches Sergei Zvyazin (2016, 2021, 2026) and Mike Pelino (2014, 2016, 2026) also have three victories.
Birin’s back – 17 years later
These teams contested the first Gagarin Cup final in 2009, with Ak Bars winning it in seven. One of the linesmen in that final was Viktor Birin. This time, 17 years on, he was back in the stripes as a referee. And we’ll surely be hearing more of him next season as he closes on his 900th KHL game as an official.
Juniors join the party
It wasn’t just Lokomotiv’s first team that was celebrating this weekend. On the day Bob Hartley & Co held the championship parade through town, the club’s juniors secured the Kharlamov Cup. Loko went to defending champion Spartak up 3-2 in the series, and powered to a 5-0 victory. Kirill Yemalyanov, potted a hat-trick to finish the playoffs with 10 goals. He opened the scoring on the power play after two minutes and added two more in the third to complete the rout. In between Stepan Meshkov and Maxim Maslenitsin took the game away from the Muscovites. The result means the Lokomotiv organization is the first to claim the Gagarin and Kharlamov Cups in the same season.
Barys secures imports
Three imports have agreed contract extensions at Barys. The Kazakh team last week confirmed productive defenseman Reilly Walsh (46 (16+30) last season) for a further season. Then came news that forward Tyce Thompson and D-man Jake Massie had also renewed. Massie will stay for two more years, Thompson for one. Both had 25-point campaigns in their rookie seasons in Astana.
