Ice hockey is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hockey sticks to control, advance, and shoot a closed, vulcanized, rubber disc called a "puck" into the other team's goal. Each goal is worth one point. The team which scores the most goals is declared the winner. In a formal game, each team has six skaters on the ice at a time, barring any penalties, one of whom is the goaltender. Ice hockey is a full contact sport, and is considered to be one of the more physically demanding team sports. It is distinct from field hockey, in which players move a ball around a non-frozen pitch using field hockey sticks.
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European Championships, the precursor to the World Championships, were first held in 1910. The tournament held at the 1920 Summer Olympics is recognized as the first Ice Hockey World Championship. From 1920 to 1968, the Olympic hockey tournament was also considered the World Championship for that year.
The "Miracle on Ice" was an ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. It was played between the hosting United States and the Soviet Union on February 22, 1980, during the medal round of the men's hockey tournament. Though the Soviet Union was a four-time defending gold medalist and heavily favored, the United States upset them and won 4–3.
Hockey Canada is the national governing body of ice hockey and ice sledge hockey in Canada. It is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and controls the majority of organized ice hockey in Canada. There are some notable exceptions, such as the Canadian Hockey League, U Sports, and Canada's professional hockey clubs; the former two are partnered with Hockey Canada but are not member organizations. Hockey Canada is based in Calgary, with a secondary office in Ottawa and regional centres in Toronto, Winnipeg and Montreal.
The United States men's national ice hockey team is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with its U18 and U17 development program in Plymouth, Michigan. The team is controlled by USA Hockey, the governing body for organized ice hockey in the United States. The U.S. team is currently ranked 6th in the IIHF World Rankings.
The Russian men's national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of Russia, overseen by the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia. As of 2021, they were rated third in the IIHF World Ranking. The team has competed internationally from 1992 until it was provisionally suspended in 2022, and is recognized by the IIHF as the successor to the Soviet Union team and CIS team. Russia has been one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world and a member of the so-called "Big Six," the unofficial group of the six strongest men's ice hockey nations, along with Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. The European nations of the Big Six participate in the Euro Hockey Tour, which Russia won nine times since 2005. Since September 2021, the head coach is Alexei Zhamnov, who took over from Valeri Bragin.
The Soviet national ice hockey team was the national men's ice hockey team of the Soviet Union. From 1954, the team won at least one medal each year at either the Ice Hockey World Championships or the Olympic hockey tournament.
The Beijer Hockey Games is an annual ice hockey tournament held in Sweden as part of the Euro Hockey Tour. It was cancelled after the 2013–14 season. However, on 19 January 2016, the Swedish Ice Hockey Association announced the tournament to be restarted for the 2016–17 season. The tournament was also known as the LG Hockey Games between 2006 and 2011, and the Oddset Hockey Games between 2012 and 2014, while under sponsorship naming rights.
The Federation of International Bandy is the international governing body for the sport of bandy, including the variant called rink bandy. The federation is headquartered in Simrishamn Municipality, Sweden.
The World U-17 Hockey Challenge, originally known as the Quebec Esso Cup, is an international ice hockey tournament held annually in Canada. Prior to 2011, the tournament did not operate during years in which the Canada Winter Games were held. As such, the World Under-17 Challenge was held three out of every four years. It is organized by Hockey Canada and is the first major international competition for male hockey players under the age of 17. The tournament is the first step in Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence and is used to identify players moving on to the U18 and National Junior Team.
The IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), sometimes referred to as World Juniors, is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for national under-20 ice hockey teams from around the world. It is traditionally held in late December, ending in early January. The tournament usually attracts the top hockey players in this age category.
The 1992 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was the 16th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship and was held from December 26, 1991, until January 4, 1992. It was held in Füssen and Kaufbeuren, Germany. The Commonwealth of Independent States won gold, while Sweden won silver, and the United States took home the bronze medal.
The Russian men's national under 20 ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team in Russia. The team represented Russia at the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Junior Hockey Championship, held annually every December and January. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the International Ice Hockey Federation suspended Russia from all levels of competition.
The Belarusian men's national under-20 ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team in Belarus. The team represented Belarus at the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Junior Hockey Championship. Prior to independence in 1991, Belarusian players played for the Soviet Union, which played in the World Juniors from its inception in 1974. Belarus has played in the top division eight times, first in 1999 and most recently in 2018, with their best finish being ninth overall in both 2001 and 2002.
The Soviet Union men's national under 20 ice hockey team was the national under-20 ice hockey team in the Soviet Union. The team represented the Soviet Union at the International Ice Hockey Federation's IIHF World U20 Championship. The team has won eleven gold medals, three silver medals, and two bronze medals at the World U20 Championships.
The Switzerland men's national under 20 ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team of Switzerland. The team is controlled by the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation.
The CIS national ice hockey team was an ephemeral national ice hockey team that represented the Commonwealth of Independent States. Essentially the former Soviet team under a different name, the CIS team existed in the few months between the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the formation of new ice hockey federations for the former Soviet states, now independent countries. Most notably, the team competed at the 1992 Winter Olympics as part of the Unified Team, winning the gold medal. However, the International Ice Hockey Federation would later attribute this gold medal to Russia as the successor state. The International Olympic Committee does not attribute that medal to Russia. After the Olympics, the CIS team ceased to exist and was replaced by the Russian team. In the 13 games the CIS played, they won 11 and lost 2.
The 1991–92 Soviet League season was the 46th and final season of the Soviet Championship League, the top level of ice hockey in the Soviet Union. This season was also known as the first and only one of the Ice Hockey Championship of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), as the Soviet Union dissolved during the season, and the championship was continued by the Commonwealth of Independent States. 16 teams participated in the league, and Dynamo Moscow won the championship.
Avtomobilist Karaganda was an ice hockey team in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. They were active from 1966–1996 and from 1998–2000.
The Turkmenistan Ice Hockey Federation is the governing body of ice hockey in Turkmenistan.
CIS 10–2 Switzerland 
Czechoslovakia 5–2 CIS 
Gold: 1 – (1992)