2005 IIHF World Championship
The 2005 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship was held 30 April – 15 May 2005 in Vienna and Innsbruck, Austria. It was the 69th annual event, and was run by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
United States against Finland
Russia against Canada
Czech gold medal festival in Prague
Image: Wiener Stadthalle Aussen 2008
Russia men's national ice hockey team
The Russian men's national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of Russia, overseen by the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia. As of 2021, they were rated third in the IIHF World Ranking. The team has competed internationally from 1992 until a 2022 ban, and is recognized by the IIHF as the successor to the Soviet Union team and CIS team. Russia has been one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world and a member of the so-called "Big Six," the unofficial group of the six strongest men's ice hockey nations, along with Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. The European nations of the Big Six participate in the Euro Hockey Tour, which Russia won nine times since 2005. Since September 2021, the head coach is Alexei Zhamnov, who took over from Valeri Bragin.
Vladimir Putin and Russian team captain Alexander Ovechkin
Russian players met with President Vladimir Putin on 31 January 2018, prior to their departure to South Korea
The bronze medal-winning Russian team at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Alexander Semin's first goal in the 2008 IIHF World Championship final