CIS national ice hockey team

The CIS national ice hockey team was a national ice hockey team that represented the Commonwealth of Independent States. It was the former Soviet team but with a new name. This team existed only for a short time, between when the Soviet Union broke apart and when new teams were formed for the countries that became independent.

The most famous moment for the CIS team was at the 1992 Winter Olympics, where they played as part of the Unified Team and won the gold medal. Later, the International Ice Hockey Federation decided that the gold medal would go to Russia. But the International Olympic Committee did not change the medal from the CIS team.

After the Olympics, the CIS team stopped existing, and the Russian team took its place. In the games the CIS team played, they won most of them. This short time was an important part of hockey history as the world saw the change from the Soviet team to the new teams of independent countries.

History

The Soviet Union broke apart in December 1991, just before the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. Because of this, there wasn’t enough time to make a new team. So, the Soviet team played as the “Unified Team.” They used the Olympic Hymn instead of their normal anthem and the Olympic flag.

Even with some top players now in the National Hockey League (NHL), the team still had good players from Russia and other leagues. They played friendly games and then joined the Olympics. They won the gold medal by beating Canada 3–1 in the final. After the Olympics, the team broke up, and new teams were made for the countries that became independent.

Olympic record

The CIS national ice hockey team played for a short time when the Soviet Union was breaking apart. This team took part in the 1992 Winter Olympics as the Unified Team and won the gold medal. It was made up of players from many new countries that had just become independent.

Games	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Coach	Captain	Finish
1956–1988	As  Soviet Union
1992 Albertville (As  Unified Team)
	8	7	1	0	46	14	Viktor Tikhonov	Vyacheslav Bykov	Gold
1994 – present	As  Russia

Roster

Twenty skaters and two goalies played for the Unified Team at the 1992 Winter Olympics. Nikolai Borschevsky and Andrei Khomutov each scored the most goals, with seven each. Khomutov and Vyacheslav Bykov each had the most assists, also seven. Khomutov had the most points on the team, with fourteen. Nikolai Khabibulin was part of the team but did not play in any games.