Claim: The Soviet Union won the Ice Hockey World Championships (organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation) in 1981 for the 17th time, with Don Cherry saying, "This is the best Russian team I've ever seen."
Evidence: The Soviet Union became World Champions for the 17th time, and also won their twentieth European title. Don Cherry commented, "This is the best Russian team I've ever seen." The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).