 Many of the best Soviet players had since left the former Soviet Union for the National Hockey League (NHL), which did not stop play for the Olympics.Thus, the team used players from the Russian and Swiss leagues instead, and head coach Viktor Tikhonov, known for his authoritarian style of coaching, was forced to modify his strategy, as he had no leverage over the players.Despite the absence of superstars, the CIS team had no problems with talent and was far more talented than Canada, who was made up of university-level players, boasting experienced veterans Vyacheslav Bykov, Andrei Khomutov and Alexei Zhamnov.