CSKA Moscow, one of the most decorated clubs in Russian hockey history, today made history again by capturing just their first Gagarin Cup, sweeping Avangard Omsk with an overtime victory in their third final in four seasons.

CSKA, fresh off a seven game series against perennial Western rivals SKA Saint Petersburg, were certainly the favourites in the final, as they won the KHL regular season title as well, and were facing a tired Avangard squad coming off of a six-game series win where three games went to overtime, including their triple overtime series winner over Salavat Yulaev. CSKA goaltender Ilya Sorokin, named playoff MVP, shut out Avangard in games two and three, and the offence never turned off for the Red Army, with the likes of Mikhail Grigorenko, Konstantin Okulov and Kirill Kaprizov leading the way. However, it was a late goal from Maxim Mamin, just his second of the playoffs, that beat Yegor Bobkov for the ultimate victory, giving CSKA their first league title since 1989.

These players will now look forward to the final stages of the Euro Hockey Challenge, Euro Hockey Tour and World Championship, where Russia in particular will benefit from this new corps of players to avenge their disappointing sixth place finish in 2018, and look for their first title since 2014. Russia will now have some of their top stars from Avangard and CSKA (such as Kaprizov, Sorokin and Grigorenko) available to the national team for the upcoming Carlson Hockey Games, the final tune-up before the World Championships begin on 10 May in Slovakia.

Our congratulations go out to the players, management and fans of CSKA, with those on the roster that have also held the IHLC highlighted in bold:

Photo Credit: CSKA Moscow – IIHF – HHOF – IOC