Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Soviet Union men's national ice hockey team won its first gold medal in 1954 at the World Championships held in Stockholm. This victory shocked the international hockey community because few outside the Eastern Bloc knew about their existence.
Viktor Tikhonov assumed control of the Soviet Union men's national ice hockey team from 1977 until 1991. Players lived in military-style barracks for eleven months each year under his leadership to maintain constant training schedules.
The final score was 4, 3 in favor of the United States during the 1980 Winter Olympics match in Lake Placid. This loss marked only the second time since 1956 that the Soviets failed to win gold at the Olympics and became known as the Miracle on Ice.
Soviet players worked full-time jobs at companies like aircraft manufacturers or food producers to maintain official amateur status. They were listed as members of social sports societies sponsored by organizations including the KGB, Red Army, and Soviet Air Force.
Russia received official recognition from the International Ice Hockey Federation as the successor to the Soviet Union hockey federation after the dissolution in December 1991. The organization passed its ranking directly to Russia while treating other new teams as entirely fresh entries sent to compete in Pool C.