Moscow (AFP) - Legendary Soviet ice hockey coach Viktor Tikhonov, who led his team to three Olympic gold medals but also oversaw the shock "Miracle on Ice" defeat to the US, has died at the age of 84.

"Last night, Russian hockey and all Russian sport suffered an irreplaceable loss -- the legendary trainer and famed hockey player Viktor Tikhonov passed away," the Russian Ice Hockey Federation said in a statement.

"He was passionately devoted to hockey until the last days of his life," Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko told the R-sport agency.

"We all really loved and highly respected him," he said. "We'll do everything that we can to immortalise his memory for years to come."

Reports said Tikhonov was hospitalised at the end of October and had been unable to walk without assistance.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, himself a hockey enthusiast, presented his condolences to Tikhonov's family, the Kremlin said.

As a coach, Tikhonov led the Soviet national side to gold at the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Olympics and victory at eight world championships in 1978, 1979, 1981-83, 1986, 1989 and 1990.

He was also the coach during the USSR's most painful hockey defeat, during the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics, when the dominant Soviets lost to their Cold War rivals the United States in a shock defeat that became known as the "Miracle on Ice."

The game saw the heavily-favoured Soviet "Red Machine" -- having won four previous consecutive gold Olympic medals and having crushed the Americans just three days before during an exhibition match -- lose to an underdog US team mostly made up of college amateurs after Tikhonov in a surprise move replaced experienced goalkeeper Vladislav Tretiak at the end of the first period.

- Slew of titles -

As a player, Tikhonov won four Soviet titles in 1951-54.

He hung up his skates in 1963 and began his coaching career, spending three years at Dynamo Moscow as an assistant coach before taking over Dynamo Riga as a head coach in 1968.

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In 1977 Tikhonov took over Soviet flagship side CSKA Moscow and the Soviet national squad.

In addition to the gold medals and the world championships, Tikhonov as a coach won the Challenge Cup in 1979 and Canada Cup in 1981 with the Soviet national team.

Tikhonov also led CSKA Moscow team to 13 consecutive Soviet titles between 1977 and 1989.

The Continental Hockey League (KHL) management announced it would start all 10 league matches on Monday with a minute of silence in memory of the great coach.

Tikhonov passed his hockey passion to his son, Vasili, who worked as a professional coach in Russia, Finland, the US and Switzerland, and died in an accidental fall from his Moscow apartment in August 2013, just six months before his son, also named Viktor, was due to play for the Russian side at the Sochi Winter Olympics.

The elder Tikhonov was known as a stern-faced task master with a dictatorial coaching style, but was a warm and caring person with his family.

"He was just a normal grandfather. Kind and helpful," his grandson, Viktor, told AFP in an interview ahead of the Sochi Games.

"In his house he has a whole room dedicated to medals and trophies and tournaments. When I was younger I would ask him about one or two. He has so many."