Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Ice hockey was not properly introduced into the Soviet Union until the 1940s, though bandy, a similar game played on a larger ice field, had long been popular in the country. It was during a tour of FC Dynamo Moscow of the United Kingdom in 1945 that Soviet officials first got the idea of establishing an ice hockey program.
The Soviet Hockey Championship (Russian: Чемпионат СССР по хоккею) was the highest level ice hockey league in the Soviet Union, running from 1946 to 1992. Before the 1940s the game of ice hockey was not cultivated in Russia , instead the more popular form of hockey was bandy .
Ice hockey was further popularized by Canadians introduced to the Soviet Union in 1932. [13] During the Soviet Union period the Soviet Championship League was the premier ice hockey league. After the fall of communism it was followed by the Russian Superleague and then the Kontinental Hockey League. [14]
The Ice Hockey Federation of Russia was founded on 12 November 1991, during the existence of the Soviet Union and the Russian SFSR, as the "Ice Hockey Federation of the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic / Ice Hockey Federation of Russia" (Russian: Федерация Хоккея Российской Советской ...
The Cup of Russia acted as an independent league title awarded in the Russian Hockey League first in 1997–98, before being merged with the Russian Championship. The recipient team of the Cup is awarded an engraved trophy, whereas the top-3 finalists of the Russian Championship are awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals .
The Soviet Union participated in nine tournaments, the first in 1956 and the last in 1988. A total of 11 goaltenders and 95 skaters represented the Soviet Union at the Olympics. The Olympic Games were originally intended for amateur athletes, so the players of the National Hockey League (NHL) and other professional leagues were not allowed to ...
It is reputed that over 50,000 fans (or 55,000, depending on sources) saw the game, the most ever for an international hockey game. This stood as the world record until 6 October 2001, when 74,544 fans saw Michigan State University and the University of Michigan play an American NCAA Hockey game outdoors at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing ...
Canada had had a long history of dominance of the sport prior to the Soviets' rise. [2] The first four games of the series were held in Canada and the final four in Moscow. The Soviet Union surprised the Canadian team and most of the Canadian hockey media with an opening game victory, 7–3.