Lokomotiv Cup

Lokomotiv Cup
Established	2008
Current holder(s)	Salavat Yulaev Ufa
Awarded to the	Team winning the first game of the regular season of the Kontinental Hockey League

The Lokomotiv Cup (Russian: Кубок «Локомотива», Kubok «Lokomotiva»), formerly the Opening Cup (Russian: Кубок Открытия, Kubok Otkrytiya), is the trophy awarded to the winner of the first game of every regular season of the Kontinental Hockey League. This match is played between the previous season's play-off champion and runner-up. The game is played on the home ice of the previous season's play-off champion. During the first season of the KHL the match was played between the winner and runner up of the 2007–08 play-offs of the Russian Superleague.

The Western Conference in the 2010 Opening Cup game was represented by UHC Dynamo because the 2009–10 Western Conference champion, HC MVD, merged with Dynamo Moscow to form the new team after the 2009–10 season.^[1]

On September 10, 2011, three days after the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash, the KHL head office has decided to rename the Opening Cup the Lokomotiv Cup to honor the deceased.

Lokomotiv Cup winners

Key to colors

W	Western Conference member
E	Eastern Conference member
N/A	N/A, KHL conferences established during the second season of competition

Season	Match date	Previous season play-off champion		Previous season play-off runner-up		Result	Venue	Ref
2008-09	2 September 2008	N/A	Salavat Yulayev Ufa	N/A	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl	4 – 1	Ufa Arena, Ufa
2009-10	10 September 2009	E	Ak Bars Kazan	W	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl	3 – 2 (OT)	TatNeft Arena, Kazan
2010-11	8 September 2010	E	Ak Bars Kazan	W	UHC Dynamo†	1 – 3	TatNeft Arena, Kazan	[1]
2011-12	12 September 2011	E	Salavat Yulayev Ufa	W	Atlant Moscow Oblast	5 – 3	Ufa Arena, Ufa	[2]

^† 2009–10 season's finalist HC MVD united with HC Dynamo to form UHC Dynamo after the 2009–10 season, thus UHC Dynamo participated in the 2010 Opening Cup

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Calendar 2010/2011". khl.ru. http://en.khl.ru/news/2010/8/3/23879.html. "Third season of the Kontinental Hockey League starts September 8th with Gagarin Cup holders Ak Bars entertaining UHC Dynamo Moscow in Kazan in a clash for Opening Cup." 
2. ^ Game originally scheduled 7 September; because of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash during the playing of the Opening Cup, the game was abandoned and rescheduled for 12 September.

External links

• Official September 2009 Opening Cup match gallery (photo of Alexander Medvedev, Vladislav Tretiak and the Opening Cup trophy during the pre-match press conference)
• Official September 2009 Opening Cup match gallery (photo of Aleksey Morozov, captain of Ak Bars Kazan, receiving the trophy)