Ice Hockey Day in Russia Date in the current year: December 1, 2024

Contemporary ice hockey is believed to have originated in Canada, although stick-and-ball games date back to pre-Christian times. The first organized indoor hockey game took place at the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal on March 3, 1875.

The new game started to become popular in Europe in the early 20th century. In 1908, the International Ice Hockey Federation was founded in Paris, France. The first ice hockey game in the Soviet Union was played in 1932, but the official birthday of Russian hockey is December 22, 1946. On this day, the first season of the Soviet Championship League officially began.

The Soviet national ice hockey team won nearly every world Championship between 1954 and 1991 and won 9 Olympic medals, 7 of which were gold. It was nicknamed the “Red Machine” due to its success. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, many players began playing for other countries. The new Russian team began winning World Ice Hockey Championships in the late 2000s.

Russian Ice Hockey Day was created in 2007 to support the development and popularization of ice hockey in Russia.