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About
the RHL
The Russian Hockey League (RHL)
The Russian Hockey League (RHL) is the primary professional hockey organization in Russia today. The RHL is divided into two divisions:
Super League: Made up of the highest caliber professional ice hockey teams and players in Russia.
High League: considered the minor league of Russia's professional ice hockey teams. The high league is broken into two divisions: East and West
The league is controlled by agreements with the "Federation of Russian Hockey" which also governs the sport of ice hockey throughout Russia. The Federation is responsible for The Russian National and Olympic ice hockey programs in addition to the seasonal league play.
Brief History of Hockey in Russia-
The sport of "Canadian style" ice hockey was introduced to the Soviet Union in the early 1930's. Bandy, a form of field hockey played on ice, had been the extent of hockey in Russia since before 1900. The newly introduced style was not immediately accepted because the rules of early Canadian ice hockey were so primative to the Russians.
Various attempts to establish the sport in Russia had failed due to the lack of equipment and government support until 1939 when the sport was introduced into the curriculum of the Physical Culture Institute in Moscow.
By the winter of 1946, when the first championship games were played, the new style of hockey had finally taken hold. Over the next 8 years Russia established itself in the European Hockey community and in 1954 the Russian National Team defeated the Canadian National Team 7-2 at the World Championships. This win was probably the biggest turning point and is responsible for Russia becoming one of the most powerful and respected ice hockey forces in the World.
With the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 the sport has experienced many financial hardships and until recent years had been on the edge of destruction. The Federation of Russian Hockey and The Russian Hockey League (RHL) are working to restore the organization of formal professional hockey play in Russia. The 1998 Russian National Team, consisting of Russian NHL players, may have assisted the struggle by taking the Gold medal at the winter games in Nagano, Japan.
European Hockey vs Canadian/American Hockey:
To understand the theory behind European hockey and why it has and continues to produce the highest caliber of players take a few minutes to read the 12 part article by William Houston as it is very enlightening from a Canadian point of view.
Part 1/ Part 2/ Part 3/ Part 4/ Part 5/ Part 6/ Part 7/ Part 8/ Part 9/ Part 10/ Part 11/ Part 12
The Future of Russian Hockey:
The future of professional ice hockey in Russia is anyones guess however all the signs show it will remain and can potentially prosper as the Russian people continue to support the sport. Russia continues to turn out top players on a world standard with over 20% of the 1999 European Draft picks coming out of the RHL. Russian RHL teams won the Gold and Silver medals in the 1998-99 European Hockey league (EHL) season which again can potentially strengthen the future of hockey in Russia.What do you think? Forum