MOSCOW – Zinetula Bilyaletdinov is the new head coach of the Russian national team. As many expected, “Coach Z” will take over after Vyacheslav Bykov, who was released following the 2011 Worlds.

Bilyaletdinov was appointed on Monday by Russian Sports Minister Vitali Mutko and by Russian Ice Hockey Federation President Vladislav Tretiak.

Although the statement claims that no written contract has yet been signed, it is very likely that the contract will include leading Team Russia at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and obviously in the two IIHF World Championships before that; the 2012 event in Finland and Sweden and 2013 in Sweden and Finland.

It is also not yet clear if “Coach Z” will combine the national team assignment with coaching the KHL team Ak Bars Kazan. Vyacheslav Bykov had the double function with the Russian federation while maintaining his position as head coach of KHL club Salavat Yulayev Ufa.

The management of Ak Bars Kazan stated last week that the club would “not be happy to lose its head coach”, but that Ak Bars was prepared to release Bilyaletdinov if “it serves the best interests of Russian ice hockey”.

Bilyaletdinov has been with Ak Bars Kazan since 2005 winning the Russian championship in 2006, 2009 and 2010, the European Champions Cup in 2007 and the Continental Cup in 2008.

He also coached his only club he represented as a player, Dynamo Moscow, and Swiss team HC Lugano. Bilyaletdinov was in the coaching staff of the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes organization from 1993 to 1997.

Born in Moscow as a son of Tatar parents, Bilyaletdinov represented the Soviet Union in eight IIHF World Championships (five golds, one silver, one bronze), two Olympic Winter Games (one gold, 1984 and one silver, 1980) and three Canada Cups.

He debuted internationally at the 1976 Canada Cup sporting the longest jersey name bar seen at that time in hockey.

For the Russian national team he was the head coach at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, and an assistant coach at the 1998 and 2002 Olympic Winter Games and the 2000 IIHF World Championship.