Soviet-era goaltender Tretiak, a close friend of the country's influential Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, polled 125 votes to Fetisov's 11.

It will be Tretiak's third four-year term as head of the Federation having been first elected in 2006.

The 62-year-old, winner of three Olympic gold medals and a silver in four appearances at the Games, was re-elected despite the Federation being widely blamed for Russia's quarter-final defeat at Sochi 2014. 

But they bounced back last month to win the World Championships in Minsk. 

Vladislav Tretiak lit the Olympic Flame, along with ice skater Irina Rodnina, at Sochi 2014 ©Getty Images

Fetisov, a former team-mate of Tretiak's at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, where the Soviet Union were famously beaten by the United States, and Sarajevo 1984, where they won the gold medal, had been openly critical of his rival in the run-up to the election.

The 56-year-old Fetisov, who also won an Olympic gold medal at Calgary 1988, along with back-to-back Stanley Cup titles with the Detroit Red Wings, had accused Tretiak of neglecting Russia's youth development programme.

Fetisov had also been Russia's Sports Minister between 2002 and 2008, playing a leading role in Sochi being awarded the 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

Russia put the disappointment of failing to win an Olympic medal at Sochi 2014 by lifting the title at the World Ice Hockey Championships ©Getty Images 

"I would like to thank my opponent," said Tretiak following the election. 

"He prepared an interesting programme.

"After winning the World Championship the whole country got a huge celebration.

"Such a reaction said that we must act together, think about the future and solve the existing problems."