Soviet Union national ice hockey team

The Soviet national ice hockey team, or USSR national ice hockey team, was the national hockey team of the Soviet Union.

The Soviets were the most dominant team of all time in international play. The team won nearly every world championships and Olympic tournament between 1954 and 1991 held by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).

Due to the questionable nature of the amateur status of the Soviet players, their participation in the Olympics was questioned. The controversy was about the IIHF's definition of amateurs and professionals. However, the Soviets were generally dominant in amateur and professional tournaments alike.

After 1991, the Soviet team competed as the Unified Team at the 1992 Winter Olympics and as the Commonwealth of Independent States at the 1992 World Championships. In 1993, it was replaced by national teams for Belarus, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine. The IIHF recognized the Russian as the successor to the Soviet Union team and passed its ranking on Russia. The other national hockey teams were considered new and sent to compete in Pool C.

The IIHF Team of the Century included four Soviet-Russian players out of a team of six. Goalie Vladislav Tretiak, defenseman Vyacheslav Fetisov and forwards Valeri Kharlamov and Sergei Makarov who played for the Soviet teams in the 1970s and the 1980s were voted on to the IIHF Centennial All-Star Team in a poll conducted by a group of 56 experts from 16 countries.

At the 1984 Canada Cup the Soviets sent a team whose players all shot with left-handed sticks.

Stats
Leading scorers (Olympics, World Championships, Canada Cups, 1972 Summit Series)
 * 1) Sergei Makarov - 248 points
 * 2) Aleksandr Maltsev - 213+ points
 * 3) Valeri Kharlamov - 199 points
 * 4) Boris Mikhailov - 180 points
 * 5) Vladimir Petrov - 176 points

Note: All of the top five scorers were on the 1980 Olympic team that lost to the United States in the Miracle on Ice.

Note: Maltsev has at least 213 points from his goals, and possibly more, but an accurate number for his assists cannot be found.

World Championships record

 * 1954 - Gold medal winner
 * 1955 - Silver medal winner
 * 1957 - Silver medal winner
 * 1958 - Silver medal winner
 * 1959 - Silver medal winner
 * 1961 - Bronze medal winner
 * 1962 - Did not participate
 * 1963 - Gold medal winner
 * 1965 - Gold medal winner
 * 1966 - Gold medal winner
 * 1967 - Gold medal winner
 * 1969 - Gold medal winner
 * 1970 - Gold medal winner
 * 1971 - Gold medal winner
 * 1972 - Silver medal winner
 * 1973 - Gold medal winner
 * 1974 - Gold medal winner
 * 1975 - Gold medal winner
 * 1976 - Silver medal winner
 * 1977 - Bronze medal winner
 * 1978 - Gold medal winner
 * 1979 - Gold medal winner
 * 1981 - Gold medal winner
 * 1982 - Gold medal winner
 * 1983 - Gold medal winner
 * 1985 - Bronze medal winner
 * 1986 - Gold medal winner
 * 1987 - Silver medal winner
 * 1989 - Gold medal winner
 * 1990 - Gold medal winner
 * 1991 - Bronze medal winner

Summit Series record

 * 1972 - Lost to Canada
 * 1974 - Won series against Canada

Canada Cup record

 * 1976 - Finished in 3rd place
 * 1981 - Won championship
 * 1984 - Lost semifinal
 * 1987 - Lost final
 * 1991 - Finished in 5th place

Challenge Cup and Rendez-vous vs. NHL all-stars

 * 1979 - Won series
 * 1987 - Won series on aggregate

All-time performances - senior squad
Tournament      GP  W OTW OTL L PTS GF GA GDF Finish 1954 World Champ 1  1  0   0  0  2   7  2  +5 1955 World Champ 1  0  0   0  1  0   0  5  -5 1956 Exhibitions 1  1  0   0  0  2   8  0  +7 1956 Olympics    1  1  0   0  0  2   2  0  +2 1957 Exhibitions 1  0  0   0  1  0   2  7  -5 1957 World Champ 1  1  0   0  0  2  22  1 +21 1958 World Champ 1  0  0   0  1  0   2  4  -2 1959 World Champ 1  0  0   0  1  0   1  3  -2 1960 Exhibitions 2  1  0   0  1  2  14  7  +7 1960 Olympics    1  0  0   0  1  0   5  8  -3 1961 World Champ 1  0  0   0  1  0   1  5  -4 1963 World Champ 1  1  0   0  0  2   4  2  +2 1964 Brown Mem.  2  2  0   0  0  4  12  8  +4 1964 Exhibitions 5  5  0   0  0 10  24  4 +20 1964 Olympics    1  1  0   0  0  2   3  2  +1 1965 Brown Mem.  1  1  0   0  0  2   6  2  +4 1965 Exhibitions 7  5  0   0  1 10  31 19 +11 Missing game is a tie against Canada 1965 World Champ 1  1  0   0  0  2   4  1  +3 1966 World Champ 1  1  0   0  0  2   3  0  +3 1967 Exhibitions 3  1  0   0  1  2  11 10  +1 ''Missing game is a tie against Canada 1967 MMT. 1 1  0   0  0  2   7  0  +7  1967 T. Century   1  0  0   0  1  0   4  5  -1 1967 World Champ 1  1  0   0  0  2   2  1  +1 1968 Exhibitions 3  2  0   0  1  4  14  9  +5 1968 Moscow Int. 1  1  0   0  0  2   6  0  +6 1968 Olympics    1  1  0   0  0  2   5  0  +5 1968 T. Century  2  2  0   0  0  4   9  3  +6 1969 Exhibitions 14 11 0   0  2 24  79 42 +37 1969 Izvestia    1  0  0   0  0  1   2  2  - 1969 World Champ 2  2  0   0  0  4  11  3  +8 1972 Super Series 8 1976 Olympics    1  1  0   0  0  2  16  3 +13 1988 Olympics    1  1  0   0  0  2   8  1  +7 1992 Exhibitions 1  1  0   0  0  2   7  2  +5

02.09.72. Montreal. USSR - Canada(NHL) - 7:3 (2:2, 2:0, 3:1). EG.

04.09.72. Toronto. USSR - Canada(NHL) - 1:4 (0:0, 0:1, 1:3). EG.

06.09.72. Winnipeg. USSR - Canada(NHL) - 4:4 (1:2, 3:2, 0:0). EG.

08.09.72. Vancouver. USSR - Canada(NHL) - 5:3 (2:0, 2:1, 1:2). EG.

22.09.72. Moscow. USSR - Canada(NHL) - 5:4 (0:1, 0:2, 5:1). EG

24.09.72. Moscow. USSR - Canada(NHL) - 2:3 (0:0, 2:3, 0:0). EG.

26.09.72. Moscow. USSR - Canada(NHL) - 3:4 (2:2, 0:0, 1:2). EG.

28.09.72. Moscow. USSR - Canada(NHL) - 5:6 (2:2, 3:1, 0:3). EG.

02.01.73. Colorado Springs. 12:3 (6:0, 3:2, 3:1). EG.

17.09.74. Quebec. USSR - Canada(WHA) - 3:3 (0:1, 3:1, 0:1). EG.

19.09.74. Toronto. USSR - Canada(WHA) - 1:4 (0:2, 1:1, 0:1). EG

21.09.74. Winnipeg. USSR - Canada(WHA) - 8:5 (1:1, 3:1, 4:3). EG

23.09.74. Vancouver. USSR - Canada(WHA) - 5:5 (2:5, 1:0, 2:0). EG.

01.10.74. Moscow. USSR - Canada(WHA) - 3:2 (1:0, 1:1, 1:1). EG.

03.10.74. Moscow. USSR - Canada(WHA) - 5:2 (2:1, 2:1, 1:0). EG.

05.10.74. Moscow. USSR - Canada(WHA) - 4:4 (2:1, 2:2, 0:1). EG.

06.10.74. Moscow. USSR - Canada(WHA) - 3:2 (0:1, 1:0, 2:1). EG.

11.09.76. Toronto. 1:3 (1:2, 0:1, 0:0). Canada Cup.

24.04.77. Vienna. 11:1 (3:0, 5:1, 3:0). WC.

06.05.77. Vienna. 8:1 (1:1, 4:0, 3:0). WC.

08.05.78. Prague. 4:2 (1:0, 0:0, 3:2). WC.

10.05.78. Prague. 5:1 (0:0, 3:0, 2:1). WC.

19.04.79. Moscow. 5:2 (2:0, 1:1, 2:1). WC.

25.04.79. Moscow. 9:2 (4:0, 3:2, 2:0). WC.

08.09.79. Moscow. 5:3 (1:1, 3:1, 1:1). "Rude Pravo" prize.

19.12.79. Moscow. 5:2 (1:0, 2:1, 2:1). "Izvestia" prize.

20.02.80. Lake Placid. 6:4 (1:1, 1:2, 4:1). OG.

20.04.80. Goteborg. 4:1 (2:1, 2:0, 0:0). Sweden Cup.

15.04.81. Stockholm. 8:2 (1:0, 5:1, 2:1). WC.

22.04.81. Goteborg. 4:4 (1:2, 3:1, 0:1). WC.

29.08.81. Edmonton. 2:3 (1:1, 0:2, 1:0). EG.

09.09.81. Montreal. 3:7 (0:1, 2:1, 1:5). Canada Cup.

13.09.81. Montreal. 8:1 (0:0, 3:1, 5:0). Canada Cup.

24.04.82. Tampere. 4:3 (1:1, 2:0, 1:2). WC.

25.04.82. Helsinki. 6:4 (3:1, 1:2, 2:1). WC.

19.04.83. Dorthmund. 8:2 (4:1, 2:1, 2:0). WC.

02.05.83. Munchen. 8:2 (1:1, 3:0, 4:1). WC.

16.12.83. Moscow. 8:1 (2:0, 3:1, 3:0). "Izvestia" prize.

17.02.84. Saraevo. 4:0 (0:0, 2:0, 2:0). OG.

29.08.84. Montreal. 5:4 (2:2, 1:0, 2:2). EG.

10.09.84. Edmonton. 6:3 (2:2, 2:0, 2:1). Canada Cup.

13.09.84. Calgary. 2:3 (0:0, 0:1, 2:1, OT 0:1). Canada Cup.

25.04.85. Prague. 9:1 (4:0, 1:1, 4:0). WC.

01.05.85. Prague. 1:3 (0:2, 0:1, 1:0). WC.

16.12.85. Moscow. 8:2 (5:1, 1:1, 2:0). "Izvestia" prize.

18.04.86. Moscow. 4:0 (1:0, 0:0, 3:0). WC.

24.04.86. Moscow. 7:4 (4:2, 2:1, 1:1). WC.

16.12.86. Moscow. 5:1 (2:0, 2:0, 1:1). "Izvestia" prize.

31.12.86. Calgary. 4:1 (1:0, 0:1, 3:0). Calgary Cup.

05.01.87. Hamilton. 9:3 (3:0, 3:2, 3:1). EG.

07.01.87. Оttawa. 5:0 (2:0, 1:0, 2:0). EG.

24.04.87. Vienna. 3:2 (1:1, 1:1, 1:0) WC.

29.04.87. Vienna. 0:0. WC.

22.08.87. Hamilton. 9:4 (2:0, 2:1, 5:3). EG.

25.08.87. Calgary. 2:5 (1:1, 1:0, 0:4). EG.

06.09.87. Hamilton. 3:3 (0:1, 3:1, 0:1). Canada Cup.

11.09.87. Montreal. 6:5 (3:1, 1:1, 1:3, OT 1:0). Canada Cup.

13.09.87. Hamilton. 5:6 (1:3, 2:1, 2:1, OT 0:0, 0:1). Canada Cup.

15.09.87. Hamilton. 5:6 (4:2, 0:3, 1:1). Canada Cup.

19.12.87. Moscow. 2:3 (1:0, 1:1, 0:2). "Izvestia" prize.

10.02.88. Saskatoon. 2:3 (1:2, 11, 0:0). EG.

24.02.88. Calgary. 5:0 (0:0, 2:0, 3:0). OG.

16.12;88. Moscow. 7:1 (1:0, 3:0, 3:1). "Izvestia" prize.

22.04.89. Stockholm. 4:3 (2:1, 1:1, 1:1). WC.

29.04.89. Stockholm. 5:3 (3:1, 1:2, 1:0). WC.

22.12.89. Moscow. 8:0 (1:0, 2:0, 5:0). "Izvestia" prize.

26.04.90. Bern. 3:3 (0:1, 2:2, 1:0). WC.

30.04.90. Bern. 7:1 (4:0, 0:1, 3:0). WC.

20.12.90. Moscow. 6:1 (2:0, 3:1, 1:0). "Izvestia" prize.

25.04.91. Turku. 5:3 (3:1, 0:1, 2:1). WC.

02.05.91. Turku. 3:3 (1:1, 2:1, 0:1). WC.

25.08.91. Hamilton. 2:4 (1:2, 1:0, 0:1). EG.

27.08.91. Saskatoon. 4:3 (2:1, 1:0, 0:1). EG.

09.09.91. Quebec. 3:3 (1:1, 1:0. 1:2). Canada Cup.

22.01.92. Freeburg, 7:2 (4:1, 0:0, 3:1). EG. (CIS)

16.02.92. Maribel, 5:4 (3:2,1:0,1:2). OG. (CIS)

23.02.92. Maribel, 3:1 (0:0,0:0,3:1). OG. (CIS)