Russian President Vladimir Putin's embarrassing ice hockey tumble

Russian President Vladimir Putin does not mess around on the ice. Photo / AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin has taken an ugly tumble while celebrating his team's ice hockey win in Moscow.

Putin scored eight goals in an exhibition ice-hockey game with former NHL players in an event that has become an annual tradition for one of the world's most powerful men.

The Russian leader took to the ice on Saturday morning (AEST) and was in fine form on his skates until the final buzzer sounded, reports news.com.au.

The 66-year-old came unstuck while skating around the arena during his team's victory lap when he lost track of his surroundings.

While waving up to fans in the crowd, Putin forgot to look where he was going and accidentally skated over a patch of red carpet left on the ice for the post-match presentation.

The contact with the carpet sent Putin flying face forward in a tumble which saw the Russian leader crash hard onto the ice.

He was able to pick himself back up and appeared to be in good spirits after dusting himself off.

Russian President Vladimir Putin does not mess around on the ice. Photo / AP

The whereabouts and condition of the carpet he tripped on remains unknown.

Putin played on the "Legends" team in the exhibition match alongside Russian hockey stars such as Slava Fetisov and Pavel Bure.

Putin got the puck across the goal line eight times. His teammate, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, scored three goals.

The opposing team was made up of high-profile amateur players, including Putin's childhood friend, tycoon Gennady Timchenko, billionaire Vladimir Potanin and several Russian governors.

Putin takes this whole ice hockey thing incredibly seriously.

He was filmed training on the ice in January with a top-level with Russian Amateur Ice Hockey League team.

He also played in another exhibition game in December, where a rink was set-up in Moscow's Red Square especially for the occasion.

Putin donned his usual No. 11 shirt for the cameras.

He's previously used his ice hockey skills for diplomatic reasons, inviting Belarus's authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko to play on the ice with him.

"It's a good kind of entertainment," Putin told state-owned news channel Russia 24.

"I think this is a well-justified reason [to play hockey]."

— with AP