The current club name and logo, which were chosen in 1995, are derived from the official symbol of the Republic of Tatarstan , which can be described as the white leopard or snow leopard. This symbol has its origin in one of the Tatar tribes .
In the 2004/05 season, due to the lockout in the NHL, eleven NHL players played for the club, including the Russian Ilya Kovalchuk and the Canadian Vincent Lecavalier . The hope of becoming Russian champions in the year of the 1000th anniversary of the city of Kazan was not fulfilled. But just a year later Ak Bars Kazan was able to prevail in the final of the championship against HK Awangard Omsk . In addition to the championship title in 2006, the team was also able to become champions in 1998. In addition, he won the runner-up title in 2000, 2002 and 2007 and won the title in the Pervaya League , the second division of the Soviet Union, in 1976 and 1989 .
In recent years, Ak Bars has been spearheaded by the SSM attack franchise, which consists of players Sergei Zinoviev , Danis Saripov and Alexei Morozov . This attack line is one of the dominant attack formations across the league and its members are often among the most productive players in the KHL . Led by this trio, Ak Bars won the KHL championship trophy , the Gagarin Cup, in 2009 and 2010 .