The
Big Six in men's international
ice hockey are the six national teams that have been dominant in competitive play throughout the history of international hockey and especially since the 1950s. The group is composed of the North American countries of
Canada and the
United States, and four European countries:
Czech Republic,
Finland,
Russia and
Sweden. Before the end of the Cold War, the
Soviet Union/
CIS and
Czechoslovakia held the places of Russia and the Czech Republic. The four European members are sometimes referred to as the "
European Big Four" or "
Big Four", especially to distinguish them from the North American teams.