Hockey player Shalunov and head coach of Lokomotiv Nikitin told about the victory in the KHL

Hockey player Maxim Shalunov and Lokomotiv head coach Igor Nikitin told Izvestia about the Yaroslavl team's path to victory in the fifth match of the final playoff series of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), as a result of which the club won the Gagarin Cup for the first time in history.

"We have come a long way. There were a lot of good things and a lot of difficulties, but we went through it as a team, and we deserved this cup," said Shalunov.

He also noted that he was happy to be a part of Lokomotiv and bring him the Cup. Shalunov stressed that the team's success came thanks to dedication both in hard training and at the games.

In turn, Nikitin thanked his colleagues and stressed that he was happy to work "not just with professionals, but with people with a capital letter." He also noted that the emphasis at Lokomotiv on team sports is not for the sake of words.

"It is very important that everyone feels that they are a significant part of the team," he added.

Yaroslavl the Wise: Lokomotiv wins Gagarin Cup for the first time in history

The Railwaymen won the final series of the Traktor playoffs after five matches.

The game between Lokomotiv and Traktor took place in Yaroslavl on May 21 and ended in overtime with a score. 2:1 (0:0, 1:0, 0:1, 1:0) in favor of the owners. Defender Martin Gernat (26th minute) and striker Maxim Shalunov (69th minute) scored goals for Lokomotiv. Defender Stephen Kaempfer scored for Traktor in the 54th minute.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Igor Nikitin, coach of the Yaroslavl hockey club Lokomotiv, and congratulated him and the entire team on winning the Gagarin Cup.