Russian Men's National Ice Hockey Team

Internally, Russia has the CSKA, which is the Russian equivalent to the American NHL. CSKA was originally CDKA or Central house of the Red Army, but after the fall of the Soviet Union it became CSKA or Central Sports Club of the Red Army. Every year Russia hosts a “Russian Open Hockey Championship” which can compare to the Stanley cup. CSKA Moscow has won the most titles for the championship with 32.

The Russian men’s national ice hockey team is Russia’s National ice hockey team, which is overseen by the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia (IIHF). As of 2016, the Russian men’s national ice hockey team is ranked second in the world. The Current head coach for the team is Oleg Znarok, who has been the coach since 2014. Oleg is a fantastic Coach for the team, and has led the team to the gold, silver, and bronze in the 2014, 2015, and 2016 IIHF World Championships. The team has competing globally since 1993, shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. The Russian men’s national hockey team is a part of the “Big Six”, which is an unofficial list of the world’s strongest national ice hockey teams. Other members of the Big Six include Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden, and the United States.