Commonwealth of Independent States

The Commonwealth of Independent States was the successor to the Soviet Union for a short time in 1992 and 1993. It still exists but now each of its member states enters its own teams in international competitions.

History of hockey in the CIS

The CIS men's national team was founded in 1992 as the successor to the Soviet national team. It was made up of a selection of players from the Commonwealth of Independent States. The team first played in three friendly games in January, 1992, against Austria, Canada, and Italy. The team took second place at the Nissan Cup, a preparation tournament for the Olympics. They were surprised by the hosts Switzerland, losing by a score of 3-0.

At the 1992 Winter Olympics in Alberville, France, the team won the gold medal. They won seven out of eight games at the tournament, with their one defeat being a 4-3 decision against Czechoslovakia in the preliminary round. They defeated Canada by a score of 3-1 in the gold medal game.

The CIS junior national team played at the 1992 World Junior Championships held in Fussen and Kaufbeuren, Germany, from December 26, 1991 to January 4, 1992. They won the gold medal, going 6-1 at the tournament, with their only loss being to Czechoslovakia by a score of 5-2.