Deeply Embedded Roots
By: Fatima Younis,
Staff Writer
Ice hockey is a Russian game. It’s as Russian as the Matryoshka doll. Because it is so prominent nowadays, most people would be astonished to learn that Russian hockey had humble beginnings. This Russian love for hockey all started with a simple game called bandy which was played with a small ball instead of puck. After transitioning to a puck in 1907, the Soviet national team joined the International Hockey League in 1911, only to drop out in 1913 due to a lack of popularity. Although hockey was played by students studying sports in universities, ordinary citizens had no interest in this fast-paced, exciting sport. Gaining popularity in the 1930’s, ice hockey quickly became Russia’s national sport. Amazingly, in their first World Championship in 1954, the Russians wiped out the Canadians 7-3 to achieve the World Championship victory, and dominated the United States 4-0 to win their first Olympic gold medal in 1956. During these impressive victories, the Soviet team was coached by the legendary Antoli Tarasov. Tarasov’s coaching style changed Russian hockey forever because of his focus on teamwork rather than an individual player’s achievements. Along with coaching the national team, Tarasov also coached the CKSA, a team in the Russian league, leading them to seventeen league championship victories from 1947 to 1974. He also played a big role in the training of Vsevolod Bobrov, the torch-carrier of Russian hockey, even though he played for Dynamo Moscow, which was Russia’s other dominant hockey team at the time. With this extraordinary beginning, Team Russia would go on to achieve nine consecutive World Championship victories through 1971, eight European Championship trophies, and three consecutive Olympic gold medals. Later on, another Russian superstar, Sergei Fedorov, would play on Dynamo Moscow and then later transition to the National Hockey League’s Washington Capitals. He then helped lead the Russian national team to an Olympic gold medal. The roots of hockey lie deeply embedded in Russia.