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 essentially the former Soviet team but under a new name. This team existed only for a short time, between when the Soviet Union broke apart and when new ice hockey 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. Even though they won, later on the International Ice Hockey Federation gave that gold medal to Russia because Russia was considered the team that carried on the tradition. However, the International Olympic Committee did not agree and did not give the medal to Russia.

After the Olympics, the CIS team stopped existing, and the Russian team took its place. In the 13 games the CIS team played, they won 11 and only lost 2. This short period was an important part of hockey history as the world watched the change from the Soviet team to the new teams of independent countries.

History

The Soviet Union broke apart in December 1991, just weeks before the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. Because of this, there wasn’t enough time to form a new team, so the Soviet team competed under the name “Unified Team.” They played with the Olympic Hymn instead of their usual anthem and used the Olympic flag.

Even though some top players had moved to the National Hockey League (NHL), the team still had talented players from Russia and other leagues. They played friendly games and then took part in the Olympics, where they won the gold medal by beating Canada 3–1 in the final. After the Olympics, the team disbanded, and new teams were formed for the countries that had become independent.

Olympic record

The CIS national ice hockey team played during 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 of the 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

A total of 20 skaters and 2 goalies played for the Unified Team at the 1992 Winter Olympics. Nikolai Borschevsky and Andrei Khomutov tied for the most goals, with 7 each, while Khomutov and Vyacheslav Bykov had the most assists, also 7. Khomutov had the most points on the team, with 14. Although Nikolai Khabibulin was part of the team, he did not play in any games.