Forward of Omsk’s Avangard, Nail Yakupov, shared his thoughts on watching the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers (4-2).

“I couldn’t imagine myself in the final with Edmonton; I only watched the highlights that appeared in the morning. It was nice to have some breakfast while taking my time to catch up on the games. I closely followed Vasily Podkolzin, as we know each other. Vasily plays well defensively and excels in penalty-killing situations, and he also brings physicality to the game. There were moments of goals and assists as well.

Deep down, I wished he could lift the trophy, but the strongest team won. I didn’t feel overly anxious about it; I watched it calmly. That’s all in the past for me; I’m starting a new chapter in my life,” Yakupov’s words are conveyed by Championship correspondent Rustam Imamov.