Russia men's national ice hockey team
Russian men's national ice hockey team, Big Six member, suspended 2022.
The Russian men's national ice hockey team represents Russia and is managed by the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia. In 2021, the team held third place in the IIHF World Ranking. Competing internationally from 1992 until a provisional suspension in 2022, the IIHF considers it the successor to the teams of the Soviet Union and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Russia is among the world’s most successful national ice hockey teams and is part of the "Big Six," an informal group of the six strongest men's ice hockey nations, which also includes Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. These European members compete in the Euro Hockey Tour, which Russia has won nine times since 2005. Since September 2021, the head coach has been Alexei Zhamnov, who replaced Valeri Bragin.
Since the team’s formation, Russia has taken part in 29 IIHF World Championships and nine Olympic ice hockey tournaments, securing five world championship titles and one Olympic gold medal.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the International Ice Hockey Federation suspended Russia from all competition levels on 28 February 2022. In April 2022, the Federation also banned Russia from participating in the 2023 IIHF World Championship.
**History**
**Origins**
The Allrussian Hockey League, founded by clubs in the Russian Empire, joined the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in 1911. However, likely due to confusion—since "hockey" in Russia referred to bandy or Russian hockey, not the Canadian-style ice hockey rules—the Russian team left the organization. No matches involving a team from Imperial Russia took place.
Interest in Canadian-style ice hockey grew in the Soviet Union during the late 1940s. Initial reactions were skeptical; one sports journal, *Physical Culture and Sports*, described the game as "quite individual and primitive, with few combinations, not as in bandy. Therefore, Canadian hockey should not be cultivated into our country..." Despite this, Canadian hockey gained popularity in the Soviet Union.
The first Soviet Championships League began in 1946. The national team was formed shortly after, playing its first matches in a series of exhibitions against LTC Praha in 1948. In 1952, the Hockey Federation of the USSR joined the International Ice Hockey League, allowing it to compete in World Championships and the Olympics.
Quick Facts
- Nickname
- Красная Машина / (The Red Machine)
- Association
- Russian Hockey Federation
- General Manager
- Roman Rotenberg
- Coach
- Alexei Zhamnov
- Asst Coach
- Sergei Fedorov / Alexei Kudashov / Sergei Gonchar
- Captain
- Alexander Ovechkin
- Most Games
- Ilya Kovalchuk (271)
- Top Scorer
- Ilya Kovalchuk (107)
- Most Points
- Ilya Kovalchuk (245)
- Home Stadium
- CSKA Arena
- Iihf Code
- RUS
- Iihf Max
- 1
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Allrussian Hockey League was founded by some clubs in the Russian Empire and entered the IIHF in 1911, but due to misunderstandings (hockey was identified with bandy), the Russian team left the organization. Interest in Canadian hockey grew in the Soviet Union in the second half of the 1940s, despite initial skepticism. The first Soviet Championships League was introduced in 1946, and the national team played its first matches against LTC Praha in 1948. The Soviet national team, predecessor to the Russian team, was born in 1952 when the Hockey Federation of the USSR joined the International Ice Hockey League. The Soviets won the 1954 World Championships and the 1956 Winter Olympics gold. Until the Soviet Union's demise in 1991, the 'Red Machine' dominated international play, winning nearly every World Championship and Olympic tournament, and defeating professional teams in series like the 1974 Summit Series and the 1981 Canada Cup. The Soviet team used amateur players sponsored by state enterprises, a practice contested by Canada and the United States.
Reader's Guide
The Russian team's significance stems from its direct lineage to the dominant Soviet 'Red Machine' and its own achievements after the USSR's dissolution. Russia joined the IIHF as an independent state on 6 May 1992 and was allowed to replace the Soviet Union in the elite division. The team won its first world championship as Russia in 1993, adding titles in 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2014. It also won an Olympic gold medal, recognized by the IIHF as Russia's from the 1992 CIS team. The team's legacy includes being part of the Big Six and winning the Euro Hockey Tour nine times since 2005. However, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the IIHF suspended Russia from all levels of competition on 28 February 2022, and banned it from the 2023 IIHF World Championship in April 2022. The team's history also includes periods of struggle after the Soviet collapse, with financial issues and loss of players to the NHL, followed by a resurgence under coaches like Vyacheslav Bykov, Bilyaletdinov, and Oleg Znarok, who led the team to multiple perfect records in world championships.
Did You Know?
- Russia was allowed to replace the Soviet Union in the elite division of the World Championship upon joining the IIHF in 1992.
- The Russian team won the 1992 Olympic gold medal as the CIS team, later recognized by the IIHF as Russia's.
- Russia won the 2008 and 2009 World Championships with perfect records, beating Canada in the finals both times.
- The team was suspended from all IIHF competition on 28 February 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
More in International and Olympic Ice Hockey, Part 2 1-24
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