History of ice hockey in
Russia
By Hugh Lavery
The first hockey games were played in the Soviet Union in the
1930's.
The Soviet Union joined the International Ice Hockey Federation in
1952. The Soviet Union made its debut at the World Championships
two years later. The team defeated Canada 7-2 in the gold medal
game and would remain a power in international hockey until the
breakup of the Soviet Union.
Russia has always been a powerful force in international hockey.
They won the Gold medal in international competitions in 1993,
2008, and 2009. Russia has also had success in ice hockey at the
Olympics, winning the Silver medal in 1998, and the Bronze medal in
2002.
The Russian team has not been as dominant as the Soviet team,
winning the gold in the World Championships three times in 18 years,
but it remains one of the top teams in the world.
The Russian Open Hockey Championship is an annual ice hockey
award to the best performing team in Russia. CSKA Moscow has won
the most national titles with 32