Obverse. Photo © Bank of Russia
  • 3 Rubles 2016, CBR# 5111-0331, Russia, Federation, 2016 Ice Hockey World Championship in Moscow & St. Petersburg
  • 3 Rubles 2016, CBR# 5111-0331, Russia, Federation, 2016 Ice Hockey World Championship in Moscow & St. Petersburg
Description

The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The tournament held at the 1920 Summer Olympics is recognized as the first Ice Hockey World Championship. Between 1920 and 1968, the Olympic hockey tournament was also considered the World Championship for that year. The first World Championship that was held as an individual event was in 1930 in which twelve nations participated. The modern format for the World Championship features 16 teams in the championship group. The teams play a preliminary round, then the top eight teams play in the playoff medal round and the winning team is crowned World Champion.

Canada was the tournament's first dominant team, winning the tournament 12 times between 1930 and 1952. The Soviet Union first participated in 1954 and soon became rivals with Canada. From 1963 until the nation's breakup in 1991, the Soviet Union was the dominant team, winning 20 championships. In the 2000s, the competition became more open as the "Big Six" teams – Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden, and the United States – as well as Slovakia became more evenly matched.

The 2016 IIHF World Championship is the 80th such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), being held in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Russia, from 6 May to 22 May 2016.

Date of the issue: 29.04.2016

Obverse

The relief image of the national coat of arms of the Russian Federation, over it – the semicircular inscription along the rim: RUSSIAN FEDERATION, framed on both sides by doubled rhombuses, below under the coat of arms: to the left – indications of the precious metal and its fineness, to the right – the fine metal content and the mint trade mark (SPMD), on the bottom in the centre, in three lines – the inscription: BANK OF RUSSIA, the denomination of the coin: 3 RUBLES, the year of issue: 2016.

The two main elements of Russian state symbols (the two-headed eagle and the mounted figure slaying the dragon) predate Peter the Great. Today, however, the official description does not refer to the rider on the central shield as representing Saint George, mainly in order to maintain the secular character of the modern Russian state. The imperial crowns on each headstand for the unity and sovereignty of Russia, both as a whole and in its constituent republics and regions. The orb and scepter grasped in the eagle's talons are traditional heraldic symbols of sovereign power and authority. They have been retained in modern Russian arms despite the fact that the Russian Federation is not a monarchy.

Artist: E. V. Kramskaya
Sculptor: A. A. Dolgopolova

РОССИЙСКАЯ ФЕДЕРАЦИЯ
Ag 925 31,1
СПМД
БАНК РОССИИ
3 РУБЛЯ
2016

Reverse

Depicts the relief image of the hockey player with a hockey stick and a puck against a background of the symbolic network of parallels and meridians, to the right – the year of the championship: 2016, to the left along the rim the inscription: ICE HOCKEY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP.

Artist: A. D. Schablykin
Sculptors: A. D. Schablykin

ЧЕМПИОНАТ МИРА ПО ХОККЕЮ
2016

Edge

300 corrugations

3 Rubles

2016 Ice Hockey World Championship in Moscow & St. Petersburg

CBR# 5111-0331
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Silver
Fineness 0.925
Weight 33.94 g
Diameter 39 mm
Thickness 3.3 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Saint Petersburg Mint (SPMD)

Related coins

Anna Pavlova

Russia's Contribution to World Culture

Silver, 34.88 g, ⌀ 39 mm
Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich

170th Anniversary of the Russian Geographic Society

Silver, 33.94 g, ⌀ 39 mm