Russia's national hockey team faced Finland on Thursday in a game that saw the Russian players don retro-style Soviet Union jerseys in the first period.
The Euro Hockey Tour match, played in the Finnish city of Tampere, came 50 years after Finland and the Soviet Union faced each other at the Tampereen Ice Stadium, where Thursday's match took place.
To mark the occasion the Russian players wore Soviet jerseys during the first period, reverting back to their usual jerseys in the second period.
#CCCP did not help #Russia to win #Finland:Форма СССР не помогла хокк. России обыграть финнов http://t.co/1XwuqAP6q5 pic.twitter.com/Cp8HqnjkvY
— Juhani Kaukoranta (@jukaukor) 17 апреля 2015
Trainer Andrei Safronov told Gazeta.ru the idea to wear Soviet-era jerseys had been proposed by the Finnish side.
The Russian players also donned black armbands during the match as a mark of respect for hockey trainer Valery Belousov who passed away on Thursday in the Siberian city of Chelyabinsk.
Finland ran out 3-0 winners in the match with Tommi Huhtala, Sami Lepisto and Petri Kontiola getting on the scoresheet. The Euro Hockey Tour usually acts as a warmup for the World Championship, which this year takes place in the Czech Republic from May 1 to May 17.
It is not the first time that the Russian team has taken to the ice wearing Soviet jerseys. Russia also faced Italy in the 2008 World Championships wearing jerseys emblazoned with the Russian initials for U.S.S.R.. Watch the highlights of the match here.
The Soviet jerseys worn by the Russian players in Finland are set to be auctioned off for charity, Sport Express reported, without specifying the name of the organization that would receive the funds.
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