Moscow will host a hockey match between the national teams of Russia and the USA. History of confrontations

The Russian and U.S. national ice hockey teams will play a friendly match in Moscow on July 1 for the first time in a long time. The meeting is timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the United States. All the details and the history of the confrontations between the two teams are in the Izvestia material.

Sports event Announcement

Robert Agee, head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, announced the friendly meeting on June 4. The statement was made during the session "Russia—USA: Dialogue of Cultures" at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-2026). The game in Moscow will be the first such event dedicated to the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States.

Robert Agee expressed hope that the sporting event would help improve relations between the two countries. The head of the Chamber stressed the symbolic importance of the upcoming game for bilateral cooperation.

"I am very pleased to announce that we will hold the first hockey match to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States <...> On July 1, an ice hockey match will be held in Moscow. And we hope that in this way we will contribute to the melting of the ice that has arisen between us," he said.

It all started with the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Last year, during a telephone conversation, he proposed to his colleague Donald Trump a series of friendly matches between the KHL and NHL teams — the American leader supported the idea.

Legendary national team meetings

The confrontation between the hockey teams of Russia and the USA has a rich history full of dramatic moments.

• The 1980 super Series. The match, which went down in history as the "Miracle on Ice", took place at the Olympic Games in Lake Placid. Then the US student national team sensationally beat the USSR team, which was considered the undisputed favorite.

• The 1996 World Cup. Then the U.S. national team defeated the Russians in the group stage, and then in the dramatic semifinal of the tournament with a score of 5:2.

• The Olympic Games in Sochi 2014. One of the most striking modern matches was the meeting in the group stage of home Games. That meeting was remembered for a tense shootout, where T. J. Oshie's decisive shot brought victory to the Americans with a score of 3:2.

• The last known match between the national teams of Russia and the USA in the framework of the World Youth Hockey Championship took place on December 26, 2020. The Russian national team then won 5-3.

• Junior and youth battles. At the level of youth national teams (under 20), Russia—USA matches almost always became the decoration of the world Championships, often ending in fights and goals in overtime.

It is worth noting that in recent years, the national teams have met mainly at the stages of the European Tour and the World Championships.