Tobias Sylvester
Russian ice hockey goalkeeper, Saveli Kononov, was given an AK-47 assault rifle as man of the match award, after helping his side, Izhstal Izhevsk to a 3-2 win over rivals Chelmet.
The goalie was awarded the assault rifle by team captain after he was chosen as man of the match by team mates.
23-year-old Kononov saved 36 shots during the game and conceded two goals to help his team come out victorious.
At the end of the match, the club officials handed the rifle over to the captain, who passed it on to Kononov in the dressing room.
“Today we too are introducing a tradition,” head coach, Ramil Saifullin, told his team whose home is a city known for producing one of the world’s most recognisable rifles after the game.
“As we live in an arms manufacturing city, the city of the Kalashnikov, every match you are named the best player, the previous recipient will hand it over to him,” he added.
