After World War II, Tarasov was asked to put together a hockey program from scratch. He helped found a hockey department at the Red Army's sports club, CSKA Moscow with little more than several old hockey rulebooks. Before then, the most popular ice sport in Russia and the Soviet Union was bandy, a sport similar to field hockey. The Russian style of hockey, with its emphasis on skating skill, offense and passing, is still heavily influenced by bandy. Tarasov was known for his ruthless training methods, tough discipline among his players and innovative, instinctive decisions.