Back in the USSR: Russian Hockey Team Wears CCCP Throwbacks

Let me hear your balalaikas ringing out, the Russian national hockey team was Back in the USSR this past week.

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, the senior Russian national team wore two different throwback USSR/CCCP uniforms over three games during the Channel One Cup held in Moscow.

The white design, worn for their game against Finland on December 19th, features “CCCP” across the chest in red with alternating red and white stripes on the sleeves and around the waist. The Russian Ice Hockey Federation’s 75th anniversary logo was included as a patch in the upper right corner of the jersey.

Emotions were running high in Moscow today!

The final match of the 2021 Channel One Cup was certainly an action-packed affair, with the teams producing an entertaining showdown. Enjoy our photo album: https://t.co/bukojcmlKj #RussiaHockey pic.twitter.com/GKh6YQF1WU
— Russia Hockey (@russiahockey_en) December 19, 2021

The Federation says this design was based on the uniform worn by the Soviet Union teams from 1964 to 1968, though the team wore this style well into the 1970s. During this four-year span, the Red Machine won two Olympic gold medals and went undefeated throughout the World Hockey Championships.

Earlier in the tournament, for two, the Russian team wore a red design with a red and white chevron around the shoulders and down the front of the chest, the CCCP wordmark added diagonally up the mid-left side of the front. Sleeve striping was the same as the white throwbacks but no waist stripes on this one.

Ivan Fedotov became the 29th goalkeeper to register at least one shutout for the senior Russian national team, while forward Vladimir Tkachyov tallied his 15th point in the Euro Hockey Tour!

Statistics to emerge from our narrow victory against Sweden: https://t.co/GWRyKpR4nf pic.twitter.com/TEntotjqKZ
— Russia Hockey (@russiahockey_en) December 17, 2021

This design is based on what was worn during the 1956 Winter Olympics, the first time the Soviets won gold during the Olympic games. The Soviet Union went an undefeated 7-0 across the two rounds of the ’56 Olympics placing first in the final group ahead of the runner-ups from the United States and third place Canadians.

The Channel One Cup is an annual hockey tournament held in Moscow. Established in 1967, it has been played using several different names but was known as the Izvestia Trophy for the greatest span of time. The Channel One Cup name was first used in 2006.

The Soviet national team, nicknamed “The Red Machine” dominated international hockey during a period when Olympic tournaments were contested exclusively by amateur athletes, keeping out the best North American hockey players of the time. The team was dissolved along with the Soviet Union in 1992.