It is quite a common phenomenon across all team sports around the globe to present the best player of the game with an award for his remarkable performance during a match.
Most teams usually give away a bottle of champagne or simply a trophy to congratulate said individual.
However, the Russian second-tier VHL witnessed an entirely peculiar scenario after the match between Izhstal Izhevsk and Chelmet Chelyabinsk earlier this week.
The incident unfolded in the dressing room during the aftermath of the contest.
Izhstal Izhevsk registered a hard fought 3-2 win over their rivals and the best player was Izhstal’s goaltender Saveli Kononov.
Having saved 36 out of 38 shots faced, Kononov was voted as the ‘Player of the Game’ by his teammates.
Moments later, a senior official of the club presented the 23-year-old with a brand new AK-47 assault rifle.
Club captain Yevgeni Orlov passed the weapon to Kononov and the goalie paraded with his award before giving an acceptance speech following his heroics in the game.
Meanwhile, the other players were a bit taken aback with the turn of events and one player even joked: “If we play poorly, they will shoot us.”
It is unclear if the gun is a replica of the original or a fully-loaded weapon.
In the past, the sport of ice hockey has seen NHL teams present strange rewards like barber shop capes, Broadway hats and even an Abraham Lincoln costume.
But, comparing all those prizes with the AK-47, Kononov’s award is simply a touch above the rest.
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