KHL team erects statue to honor memory of a beloved cat
At first glance, one might think that a cat statue located directly outside of a professional hockey arena might be a mistake. But not in Russia.
Fans of the KHL's Admiral Vladivostok will encounter a new statue outside their team's home rink this year, one that commemorates the life of a cat that the team adopted a few years ago. The team unveiled that statue this week, and boy is it something.
Late in 2014, the Russian pro hockey team adopted the cat, which they named Matroskin, after a video went viral of the hungry kitty going to town while feasting on some fish at the Vladivostok Airport seafood market. The cat became somewhat of a hero to the community after it ate nearly $1000 of seafood with no remorse.
Matroskin lived in the team's arena and was a beloved member of the organization until its death this June.
So, instead of honoring the cat with a low-key memorial, Admiral Vladivostok decided to go all-in and commit to a permanent statue outside the arena. Fans seemed very pleased with this decision, as they gathered around the statue and shared tender embraces with the majestic feline prior to the team's season-opener over the weekend.
It couldn't be clearer that though Matroskin is gone, he will never be forgotten.
