| Republic(s) | Byelorussian SSR Estonian SSR Kazakh SSR Latvian SSR Lithuanian SSR Russian SFSR Ukrainian SSR |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1946 |
| Folded | 1992 |
| Relegation to | Soviet Class A2 Soviet Class B |
| Championship | Soviet Championship |
| Associated Title(s) | Soviet Cup |
| Most successful club | CSKA Moscow (32) |
The Soviet Championship (Russian: Чемпионат СССР) was the highest level ice hockey league in the Soviet Union, running from 1946 to 1992. Before the 1940s the game of ice hockey was not cultivated in Russia, instead the more popular form of hockey was bandy, with history of the game in Russia dating several centuries into the past. Following the dissolution of the USSR, the league was temporarily renamed the CIS Championship in 1992. This organization was the direct predecessor of the International Hockey League (Russian: Межнациональная Хоккейная Лига), and subsequent Russian Superleague (RSL) and current Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
The first cities to join the Soviet League were Moscow, Leningrad, Kaunas, Riga and Arkhangelsk.
| Preceded by none |
Soviet Championship League 1946—1992 |
Succeeded by International Hockey League |
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