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Gagarin Cup: history of the trophy

The final playoff games for Gagarin Cup are to start Friday between Lev of Prague and Metallurg of Russian Magnitogorsk

Photo {{sliderIndex+1}} from 10

Gagarin Cup was introduced in the season of 2008/2009. The trophy is presented to the winner of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) playoffs. The first team to win it was Ak Bars from Kazan in 2009

© ITAR-TASS/Vasily Aleksandrov

The Cup was named after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space. Gagarin is associated with great accomplishment

© ITAR-TASS/Vasily Aleksandrov

In 2010, Ak Bars Kazan won the Cup for the second time in a row. Photo: Ak Bars' Dmitry Kazionov with the Gagarin Cup

© ITAR-TASS/Ilya Bushunov

Ak Bars Kazan players show the Cup to their supporters

© ITAR-TASS/Alexei Filippov

The following year it was Salavat Yulaev form Ufa that got the trophy. Photo: Salavat Yulaev players celebrate in 2011

© ITAR-TASS/Alexei Filippov

Alexei Radulov of Salavat Yulaev kisses the cup in 2011

© ITAR-TASS/Alexei Filippov

In 2012, Moscow's Dynamo beat Avangard from Omsk in the playoffs which got it the trophy

© ITAR-TASS/Yevgeny Karmaev

Dynamo's Janne Jalasvaara celebrates with the Gagarin Cup in 2012

© ITAR-TASS/Valery Sharifulin

The following year, in 2013, Moscow's Dynamo again won the Cup. Photo: Maxim Solovyov with the Cup

© ITAR-TASS/Valery Sharifulin

© ITAR-TASS/Valery Sharifulin

Gagarin Cup was introduced in the season of 2008/2009. The trophy is presented to the winner of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) playoffs. The Cup was named after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space. Gagarin is associated with great accomplishment, he is one of the symbols of the Russian nation.

The final playoff games for Gagarin Cup are to start Friday between Lev of Prague and Metallurg of Russian Magnitogorsk. Learn more about the history of the trophy in this photo gallery by ITAR-TASS

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