Moscow's New Opera Theater was the setting last evening for the Kontinental Hockey League's celebration of its inaugural season.  During the ceremony, the KHL honored the outstanding performers from the 2008/2009 season in more than 20 categories.

Team accomplishments were noted by three prizes:

• Ak Bars Kazan was recognized for winning the Gagarin Cup playoffs, while Salavat Yulaev Ufa was acknowledged as the KHL's regular season champion.
• Ak Bars also won the Vsevolod Bobrov Award, as the highest scoring team, registering 247 goals in 77 games.

Individual accomplishments recognized on the evening included:

• The Podmoskovny Trophy, recognizing the KHL's best scorer, was won by Atlant striker Sergei Mozyakin. In the 2008/2009 KHL regular season 2008-2009 he registered 76 points (34 goals and 42 assists) to lead all players.
• The top defender of the regular season was Barys Astana blue-liner Kevin Dallman, who notched 58 points (28 goals and 30 goal assists), setting a new Russian professional league record in the process.
• Jan Marek of Metallurg Magnitogorsk won the Best Sniper Award by scoring 35 goals in 53 regular season games. Both of the other finalists scored 35 goals for the season as well, but Marek accomplished his feat in three fewer games.
• Gagarin Cup winner Zinetula Bilyaletdinov of Ak Bars was named the KHL Coach of the Year. Valentine Sycha Award, recognizing the best team executive, was won by Yuri Yakovlev of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Meanwhile Vyacheslav Bulanov received the Andrew Starovoitova Award, presented annually to the KHL's top on-ice official.
• The prizes for the fastest and latest goals in KHL games this season went to Moscow Dinamo forward Alexei Kalyuzhny and Neftekhimik forward Igor Emeleev, respectively.Kalyuzhnaya managed to defeat the enemy with a goal 8 seconds into the game. Emeleev, for his part, scored a game winning goal in a Gagarin Cup play-off game at the 68 minute 43 second mark, in extra time.
• The Fidelity Hockey Trophy, traditionally bestowed on a veteran hockey player who has made a significant contribution to the success of his team as voted on by league coaches, was won by Ak Bars forward Oleg Petrov.
• Petrov's teammate Danis Zaripov was named the KHL Iron Man Award winner, for taking part in the highest number of matches for the past three seasons (213).
• The KHL Gentleman Award, recognizing the top striker and defender who combine high skills and sportsmanship on the ice, was presented to Sergei Mozyakin of Altant and Andrew Pervyshin of Ak Bars. Mozyakin, scored 76 points balanced against only 14 penalty minutes, along with a +/- rating of 34 in +56 matches. Pervyshin, who appeared in 54 games, earned 28 penalty minutes with 27 points and a +/- of +27.
• Metallurg Magnitogorsk goalkeeper Ilya Proskuryakov won the KHL's top rookie honor, the Alexei Cherepanov Award.
• Ak Bars' line of Danis Zaripov, Tony Mårtensson and Alexei Morozov was awarded the Best Troika Award for being the best combination of forwards during the KHL season with 55 goals scored amongst the three of them.
• Georgy Gelashvili of Locomotive Yaroslavl was named the year's top goaltender.
• Ak Bars' Danis Zaripov won the KHL's Golden Stick Award, presented to the league's most valuable player of the regular season. Meanwhile, Zaripov's teammate and Ak Bars captain Alexei Morozov was named MVP of the Gagarin Cup, for leading the team to the championship.
• Finally, the following six players received Golden Helmet Awards, signifying their status as all-KHL: goalkeeper Georgy Gelashvili (Lokomotiv), defenders Ilya Nikulin (Ak Bars) and Kevin Dallman (Barys), forwards Alexei Morozov, Danis Zaripov (both Ak Bars) and Alexei Tereshchenko ( Salavat Yulaev).

For more information, including photos from this incredible evening, please visit www.KHL.ru.