Alexei Melnichuk got an important reminder that ice is slippery, but at a very inopportune time.
Moments after Lokomotiv Yaroslavl defeated Ak Bars Kazan 3-2 in Game 6 of the Gagarin Cup Finals, capturing back-to-back championships, the 27-year-old backup goaltender received his chance to lift the Cup. And that’s when disaster nearly struck.
Melnichuk was so excited that he raised the 40-pound trophy too high over his head and lost his balance. Fortunately, as he fell, his goaltending instincts took over, and he managed to keep the Cup from striking the ice and potentially breaking.
Alexei Melnichuk falls over with Gagarin Cup
He is beauty, he is grace, he nearly dropped the Gagarin Cup on his face.
The moment was reminiscent of Nicolas Aube-Kubel’s own fail with the Stanley Cup in 2022. After the Avalanche won, Kubel skated the championship trophy over for the team photo, but as he arrived, he caught an edge and fell over, denting the bottom of the Cup.
Colorado Avalanche’s Nicolas Aube-Kubel dents Stanley Cup during team photo
Melnichuk’s embarrassing fall came after Lokomotiv Yaroslavl won its second consecutive championship, but first under head coach Bob Hartley, a former Stanley Cup champion with the Avalanche in 2002 and a Calder Cup winner with the Hershey Bears in 1997. Hartley, who previously led Avangard Omsk to a KHL title in 2021, promptly retired after reaching the promised land one final time.
Lokomotiv wins the Gagarin Cup
The team got big performances from goaltender Daniil Isayev, who was named MVP, and former NHL player, Alex Radulov, who led Lokomotiv in playoff points with 17 (6g, 11a) in 22 games despite being 39-years-old.
The championship marked the third Gagarin Cup Radulov has won during his highly-decorated career that includes four KHL MVP awards, two World Championships, and a Memorial Cup.
“How is it, damn, it’s fine,” Radulov said after the game, per Sports.ru and a Google translation. “We won – that’s the most important thing. It’s especially nice to do it in Kazan.”
Former Capitals forward Richard Panik recorded 11 points (5g, 6a) in 22 postseason games as he collected his second Gagarin Cup.
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, a franchise forever shaped by the 2011 plane crash that devastated the organization, has now made the KHL championship series three consecutive seasons.
On the other side of the ice, Ak Bars was devastated by the loss at home.
Former Capitals forward Dmitrij Jaskin, a KHL league leader in goals twice in his career, scored 7 goals in 20 games for the Kazan based team as they fell in the series four games to two.
