fbpx
Wikipedia

Ice Hockey World Championships

May 29, 2023

"IHWC" redirects here. For other uses, see IHWC (disambiguation).
For the world women's championships, see IIHF World Women's Championship.

The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European Championships, the precursor to the World Championships, were first held in 1910. The tournament held at the 1920 Summer Olympics is recognized as the first Ice Hockey World Championship. From 1920 to 1968, the Olympic hockey tournament was also considered the World Championship for that year.

Ice Hockey World Championships
Current season, competition or edition:
2023 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships
IIHF World Championship Cup
SportIce hockey
Founded1920 (1920 Summer Olympics)
1930 (First individual event)
No. of teams16 in the Top Division
12 in Division I
12 in Division II
10 in Division III
4 in Division IV
CountryIIHF member countries
ContinentWorldwide
Most recent
champion(s)		 Canada (28th title)
Most titles Canada (28 titles)
Official websiteIIHF.com

The first World Championship that was held as an individual event was in 1930 in which twelve nations participated. In 1931, ten teams played a series of round-robin format qualifying rounds to determine which nations participated in the medal round. Medals were awarded based on the final standings of the teams in the medal round. In 1951, thirteen nations took part and were split into two groups. The top seven teams (Pool A) played for the World Championship. The other six (Pool B) played for ranking purposes. This basic format would be used until 1992 (although small variations were made). During a congress in 1990, the IIHF introduced a playoff system. As the IIHF grew, more teams began to participate at the World Championships, so more pools (later renamed divisions) were introduced.

The modern format for the World Championship features 16 teams in the championship group, 12 teams in Division I, 12 teams in Division II and 12 teams in Division III. If there are more than 52 teams, the rest compete in Division IV. The teams in the championship play a preliminary round, then the top eight teams play in the playoff medal round and the winning team is crowned World Champion. Over the years, the tournament has gone through several rule changes. In 1969 body-checking in all three zones in a rink was allowed, helmets and goaltender masks became mandatory in the early 1970s and in 1992 the IIHF began using the shootout. The current IIHF rules differ slightly from the rules used in the NHL. From the 1920 Olympics until the 1976 World Championships, only athletes designated as "amateur" were allowed to compete in the tournament. Because of this, players from the National Hockey League and its senior minor-league teams were not allowed to compete, while the Soviet Union was allowed to use permanent full-time players who were positioned as regular workers of an aircraft industry or tractor industry employer that sponsored what would be presented as an after-hours amateur social sports society team for their workers. In 1970, after an agreement to allow just a small number of its professionals to participate was rescinded by the IIHF, Canada withdrew from the tournament.[1] Starting in 1977, professional athletes were allowed to compete in the tournament and Canada re-entered.[2] The IIHF requires that players are citizens of the country they represent and allow players to switch national teams provided that they play in their new nation for a certain period of time.

Canada was the tournament's first dominant team, winning the tournament 12 times from 1930 to 1952. The United States, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Great Britain and Switzerland were also competitive during this period. The Soviet Union first participated in 1954 and soon became rivals with Canada. From 1963 until the nation's breakup in 1991, the Soviet Union was the dominant team, winning 20 championships out of 26. During that period, only three other nations won medals: Canada, Czechoslovakia and Sweden. Russia first participated in 1992 and the Czech Republic and Slovakia began competing in 1993. In the 2000s, the competition became more open as the "Big Six" teams[3]–Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden, and the United States–have become more evenly matched.

As this tournament takes place during the same period as the later stages of the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs, many of that league's top players are not available to participate for their national teams or have only become available after their NHL teams have been eliminated, after playing 90+ games. North American teams,[4] and especially the United States, have been criticized for not taking this tournament seriously. For example, USA Hockey often sent teams made up of younger NHL players alongside college players, not using top level stars even when they are available.

The 2015 World Championship, held in Prague and Ostrava, Czech Republic, was the most successful to date in terms of overall attendance; it was visited by 741,690 people and average attendance was at 11,589.

Background

 
Bohemian European Champions in 1911

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the sport's governing body, was created on 15 May 1908 under the name Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace (LIHG).[5] In 1908, organized ice hockey was still relatively new; the first organized indoor ice hockey game took place on 3 March 1875 at Montreal's Victoria Skating Rink.[6] In 1887, four clubs from Montreal formed the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) and developed a structured schedule. Lord Stanley donated the Stanley Cup and the trustees decided to award it to either the best team in the AHAC, or to any pre-approved team that won it in a challenge.[7] The Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA) was formed in 1905,[8] which mixed paid and amateur players in its rosters. The ECAHA eventually folded and as a result of the dissolution, the National Hockey Association (NHA) formed.[9]

The Ice Hockey European Championships, first held in Les Avants, Switzerland in January 1910, was the first official hockey tournament for national teams. Participating nations in the inaugural event were Great Britain, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland.[10] In North America, professional hockey was continuing to grow, the National Hockey League (NHL), the largest professional hockey league in the world, was formed in 1917.[11] The European Championships were held for five consecutive years but were not held from 1915 to 1920 due to World War I.[12] The LIHG Championships, held between 1911 and 1914, is also considered a precursor to the World Championships, though the competition did not gain as much importance at the time.[13]

History

1920–1928: Olympic Games

See also: Ice hockey at the Olympic Games
 
The gold medal-winning Winnipeg Falcons (representing Canada) en route to the 1920 Summer Olympics.

The IIHF considers the ice hockey tournament held at the 1920 Summer Olympics to be the first Ice Hockey World Championship.[14] It was organized by a committee that included future IIHF president Paul Loicq. The tournament was played from 23 to 29 April. Seven teams participated: Canada, Czechoslovakia, the United States, Switzerland, Sweden, France and Belgium.[15] Canada, represented by the Winnipeg Falcons, won the gold medal, outscoring opponents 27–1.[16] The United States and Czechoslovakia won the silver and bronze medals respectively.[17] Following the 1921 Olympic Congress in Lausanne, the first Winter Olympics were held in 1924 in Chamonix, France, though they were only officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as such in the following year.[18]

Subsequently, every Olympic tournament up to and including the 1968 Winter Olympics is counted as the World Championship. Canada won the gold medal at both the 1924 and 1928 Winter Olympics.[19][20] In 1928, the Swedish and Swiss teams won their first medals–silver and bronze, respectively–and a German team participated for the first time, finishing ninth.[21]

1930–1953: Canadian dominance

 
A gold medal won by Czechoslovakia (1947)

The first World Championship that was held as an individual event was in 1930. It was held in Chamonix, France; Vienna, Austria; and Berlin, Germany. Canada, represented by the Toronto CCMs, defeated Germany in the gold medal game, and Switzerland won the bronze.[22][23] Canada, represented by the Manitoba Grads, won the following year,[24] and the Winnipeg Winnipegs won Gold for Canada at the 1932 Winter Olympics.[25][26] At the 1933 World Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia, the United States won the gold medal, becoming the first non-Canadian team to win the competition. As of 2023, it is the only gold medal the United States has won at a non-Olympic tournament.[27] Two days before the 1936 Winter Olympics in Germany, Canadian officials protested that two players on the British team—James Foster and Alex Archer—had played in Canada but transferred without permission to play for clubs in the English National League. The IIHF agreed with Canada, but Britain threatened to withdraw if the two could not compete. Canada withdrew the protest before the games started. Britain became the first non-Canadian team to win Olympic gold, with the United States taking bronze.[28] Canada won the remainder of the World Championship tournaments held in the 1930s. The 1939 World Championships marked the first time that a team from Finland competed in the tournament.[29] World War II forced the cancellation of the 1940 and 1944 Winter Olympics and the World Championships from 1941 to 1946.[22][30]

 
Jersey of Canada's 1952 World Champion / Olympic Gold Medal team, the Edmonton Mercurys

Following World War II, Czechoslovakia's team was quickly improving. They won the 1947 World Championships, although a Canadian team had not participated in the event. In 1949, they became the third nation to win a World Championship tournament that Canada participated in.[14] During the run-up to the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland, a conflict broke out with the two American hockey bodies: the American Hockey Association (AHA, a forerunner to USA Hockey) and the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). The AAU refused to support the AHA's team because they believed that AHA players were "openly paid salaries" and at the time, the Olympics were strictly for amateur players.[31] A compromise was reached that the AHA team would be allowed to compete but would be considered unofficial and unable to win a medal. By the end of the tournament, the AHA team finished fourth in the standings.[31][32] Both Czechoslovakia and the RCAF Flyers of Canada won seven games and tied when they played each other. The gold medal winner was determined by goal average: Canada won the gold because they had an average of 13.8 compared to Czechoslovakia's average of 4.3.[33]

At the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway, the Edmonton Mercurys won Canada's second consecutive Olympic gold medal and their 15th World Championship in 19 competitions. It was the last time that a Canadian team would win an Olympic gold medal in hockey for 50 years.[34] At the 1953 tournament, reigning champion Canada did not attend, while the team from Czechoslovakia withdrew because of the death of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, leaving only Sweden, West Germany, and Switzerland competing in the top division. Sweden finished the tournament undefeated and won their first World Championship.[35]

1954–1962: Canada-Soviet Union rivalry

 
The final game at the 1957 World Championships in Moscow was played at the Luzhniki Stadium. It was attended by at least 50,000 people, a tournament record until 2010.
 
The game between Canada and the Soviet Union at the 1954 World Championships, which the Soviets won 7–2.
 
Soviet Union vs Canada in 1960s

The 1954 World Championships has been described by the IIHF as "the start of the modern era of international hockey."[36] The tournament saw the first participation of the Soviet Union in international competition. The Soviet Union had organized its first ice hockey league in 1946, having previously focused on bandy.[36] Led by coach Arkady Chernyshev, the Soviet national team finished their first six games undefeated. Canada, represented by the East York Lyndhursts, was also undefeated and, in the final game of the tournament, the two teams met for the first time in international competition. The Soviet Union won the game 7–2, becoming the fifth team to win a World Championship tournament.[36] The 1955 World Championship was held in West Germany, and the two teams again met in the final game of the tournament. The game was so high profile in Canada that announcer Foster Hewitt flew to West Germany to provide play-by-play coverage. Both teams were undefeated and Canada, represented by the Penticton Vees, defeated the Soviets 5–0 to reclaim the World Championship.[37] At the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Canada's Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen lost to both the Soviets and the United States in the medal round and won the bronze. The Soviets went undefeated and won their first Olympic ice hockey gold medal.[38] It would be seven years until the Soviet Union won another World Championship.[14]

The 1957 World Championships were held in Moscow. Canada and the United States did not participate in protest of the Soviet occupation of Hungary. Most of the games were held in the Luzhniki Sports Palace, but the Soviet officials decided to hold the final game in a nearby outdoor soccer stadium. The game was attended by at least 55,000 people, which stood as a World Championship attendance record until 2010. In the final game, Sweden edged the Soviet Union to finish with six wins and one tie (the Soviet Union had five wins and two ties) and won the gold medal.[39] Canada returned to the World Championship in 1958 and won two consecutive titles, with the Soviets winning silver both times.[14] At the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California, Canada, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and Sweden were the top four teams heading into the Games. All four were defeated by the American team, which won all seven games en route to its first Olympic gold medal.[40]

In 1961, Czechoslovakia defeated the Soviet Union and tied Canada to make it a three-way race for gold. In the final game, Canada defeated the Soviets 5–1 to win their nineteenth gold medal. The Trail Smoke Eaters became the final club team to represent Canada. The following year, Canada implemented a national team program, led by Father David Bauer. Canada would not win another world championship gold until 1994.[41] In 1962, the World Championships were held in North America for the first time. The tournament was held in Denver, United States, and was boycotted by the Soviet and Czechoslovak teams. Sweden defeated Canada for the first time in the history of the competition and won their third gold medal.[35]

1963–1976: Soviet dominance

 
In 1962, David Bauer established a national team made up of Canada's top amateur players.[42]

At the 1963 World Championships in Stockholm, the Soviet Union won the gold medal, beginning a streak of nine consecutive World Championship golds. The 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria marked the first time that Canada failed to win an Olympic medal in hockey. The Soviet Union won all seven of their games and the gold medal, but Canada finished the tournament with five wins and two losses, putting them in a three-way tie for second place with Sweden and Czechoslovakia. Prior to 1964, the tie-breaking procedure was based on goal difference from games against teams in the medal round and under that system, Canada would have placed third ahead of the Czechoslovaks. The procedure had been changed to count all games and that meant the Canadians finished fourth.[43] However, the Olympics also counted as the World Championships, and under IIHF rules, Canada should have won a World Championship bronze.[44] In April 2005, the IIHF admitted that a mistake had occurred and announced that they had reviewed the decision and would award the 1964 Canadian team a World Championship bronze medal.[45] However, two months later, the IIHF over-turned their decision and rejected an appeal in September.[46][47]

The Soviets dominated the remainder of the decade. Following 1963, the team went undefeated in Olympic and World Championship competition for four years. Their streak was broken by Czechoslovakia at the 1968 Winter Olympics. Despite the loss, the Soviets still won gold.[48][49] It was the last time that the Olympics were also counted as the World Championships.[50] In 1969, the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia played "the most emotionally charged games in the history of international hockey."[51] The rights to host the tournament had originally been awarded to Czechoslovakia but they were forced to decline the rights following the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact invasion of the nation in August 1968.[51] The tournament was held in Stockholm, Sweden, and with these international tensions, the Czechoslovak team was determined to defeat the Soviets. They won both of their games 2–0 and 4–3 but despite these wins, the Czechoslovaks lost both of their games to Sweden and won bronze.[51]

 
Vladislav Tretiak is one of two players (Alexander Ragulin being the other) to win ten World Championships.[52]

With European teams using their best players who are de facto professionals, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) felt their amateur players could no longer be competitive and pushed for the ability to use players from professional leagues. At the IIHF Congress in 1969, the IIHF voted to allow Canada to use nine non-NHL professional players[53] at the 1970 World Championships. The rights to host the tournament were awarded to Canada for the first time–in Montreal and Winnipeg.[54] However, the decision to allow the use of professionals was reversed in January 1970. IOC president Avery Brundage was opposed to the idea of amateur and professional players competing together and said that ice hockey's status as an Olympic sport would be in jeopardy if the change was made. In response, Canada withdrew from International ice hockey competition.[53][55] Canada's ice hockey team did not participate in the 1972 and 1976 Winter Olympics.[53] Canada also waived their rights to host the 1970 World Championship, so it was held in Stockholm, Sweden instead.[54]

Led by goaltender Vladislav Tretiak and forwards Valeri Kharlamov, Alexander Yakushev, Vladimir Petrov and Boris Mikhailov, the Soviet Union won gold at the 1970 and 1971 World Championships and the 1972 Winter Olympics.[56] 1972 marked the first time that both the Olympics and World Championships were held in the same year as separate events. At the World Championships in Prague, the Czechoslovak team ended the Soviet team's streak and won their first gold since 1949.[50] The Soviet team quickly returned to their winning ways, winning 1973 and 1974 World Championships. However, during the latter tournament, the Czechoslovak team defeated the Soviets 7–2. It was one of the biggest margins the Soviet team had ever lost by in an official game.[56] The 1976 World Championships were held in Katowice, Poland. On the opening day of the tournament, Poland defeated the Soviet Union 6–4 thanks to a hat-trick from forward Wieslaw Jobczyk and the goaltending of Andrzej Tkacz. It was one of the biggest upsets in international hockey history; two months earlier at the 1976 Winter Olympics, Poland had lost 16–1 to the Soviets. The Soviets lost two more games and won the silver, and Czechoslovakia won gold. Poland finished seventh and was relegated to Pool B, the division in which teams play for ranking purposes and not the championship (now known as Division I).[57]

1976–1987: First years of open competition

Günther Sabetzki became president of the IIHF in 1975 and helped to resolve the dispute with the CAHA. The IIHF agreed to allow "open competition" of all players in the World Championships, and moved the competition to later in the season so players not involved in the NHL playoffs could participate. However, NHL players were still not allowed to play in the Olympics, because of both the unwillingness of the NHL to take a break mid-season and the IOC's strict amateur-only policy. The IIHF also agreed to endorse the Canada Cup, a competition meant to bring together the best players from the top hockey-playing countries.[58]

The 1976 World Ice Hockey Championships in Katowice were the first to feature professionals although in the end only the United States made use of the new rule, recalling eight pros from the NHL's Minnesota North Stars and the WHA's Minnesota Fighting Saints. The first fully open World Championship was held in 1977 in Vienna, Austria, and saw the first participation of active Canadian NHL players, including two-time NHL MVP Phil Esposito. Sweden and Finland also augmented their rosters with a few NHL and WHA players. Many of the players on the Canadian team were not prepared for the tournament and were unfamiliar with the international game. The team finished fourth, losing both games to the Soviet Union by a combined score of 19–2. Czechoslovakia won gold, becoming the third team (after Canada and the Soviet Union) to win consecutive championships.[59]

As a result of these events, full world championship status was given to the IIHF World Under-20 Championship, which had been held annually since 1974 as an unofficial invitational tournament. Colloquially known as the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship, the event was structured after the World Championships, but limited to players under the age of 20.[60] The World Under-18 Championship was established in 1999 and typically held in April. It usually does not involve some of the top North American-based players because they are involved in junior league playoffs at the time.[61]

Starting in 1978, the Soviet team won five consecutive World Championships, and had an unbeaten streak that lasted from 1981 through the 1984 Winter Olympics and until 1985.[62] During that period, Canada remained competitive, winning three bronze medals. World Championship tournaments were not held in 1980, 1984 or 1988–the Olympic years.[14]

The 1987 World Championships in Vienna were over-shadowed by several controversies. At the beginning of the tournament, the roster of the West German team included Miroslav Sikora, a Polish-German forward who had previously played for Poland at the 1977 World Under-20 Championship. Sikora became a naturalized citizen of West Germany and played in the first three games, scoring a goal in a 3–1 win over Finland. Following the game, Finland launched a protest, demanding that the result be over-turned because the West Germans had used an ineligible player. At the time, players were not allowed to switch nationalities under any circumstances and the IIHF agreed to overturn the result and award the two points to Finland. This angered West German officials, who filed a protest in an Austrian court. The court agreed with the West Germans, overturning the IIHF decision and allowing them to keep their points. The result affected the final standings because had the IIHF's decision stood, Finland would have advanced to the medal round instead of Sweden.[63] However, the Finns finished out of the medal round, and Sweden won their first gold medal since 1962. The tournament format also became controversial because the Soviet Union finished undefeated in the preliminary round but the Swedish team, which had lost three games in the preliminary round, won on goal differential because of a 9–0 win over Canada in the medal round.[64]

1989–1992: Fall of the Iron Curtain

 
Soviet forward Igor Larionov won four World Championships before departing to play in the NHL in 1989.[65]

Before 1989, players that lived in the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and other nations behind the Iron Curtain were not allowed to leave and play in the NHL.[66] In March 1989, Sergei Pryakhin became the first member of the Soviet national team who was permitted to play for a non-Soviet team.[67] Several Soviet players, including Igor Larionov and Viacheslav Fetisov, wanted to leave and play in the NHL. Soviet officials agreed to allow players to leave if they played one final tournament with the national team. Players agreed to this, and the Soviet Union won its 21st World Championship.[65] Shortly after, Soviet players began to flood into the NHL.[68] Many of the Soviet Union's top players left, including the entire "Green Unit"–Larionov, Fetisov, Vladimir Krutov, Sergei Makarov and Alexei Kasatonov.[69] The following year, the Soviet team won their final title at the 1990 World Championships. In 1991, Swedish forward Mats Sundin–the first European player to be drafted first overall in the NHL–led his team to the gold medal. The Soviets won bronze–the last medal the team would ever win.[70]

The Soviet Union dissolved in December 1991. Nine former Soviet republics became part of the IIHF and began competing in international competitions, including Belarus, Kazakhstan, Latvia (which returned after a 52-year-long absence due to having been occupied by the Soviet Union) and Ukraine; the largest, Russia, succeeded the USSR. With this flood of new teams, the IIHF expanded the number of spots from eight to twelve.[71] From 1963 to 1991, only four teams won a World Championship medal: the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia (failing to win a medal only three times), Sweden and Canada. The Soviets won a medal in every tournament they participated in (1954 to 1991).[14] At the 1992 World Championships, Sweden won their second consecutive gold. Finland won the silver medal, the nation's first ever World Championship medal (the Finnish team had previously won a silver at the 1988 Winter Olympics).[72]

1993–present

Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in January 1993. The IIHF recognized the Czech Republic's team as the successor to Czechoslovakia and it retained its position in the top division. Slovakia's team began in the lowest division (Pool C) in 1994 and was forced to work its way up.[73] Following this, the next decade was dominated by the so-called "Big Six"–Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden and the United States.[74] From 1992 to 1996, five different teams won the World Championship. At the 1993 World Championships, Russia won its first title as an independent nation and the Czech Republic won its first medal (bronze).[14] In 1994, the Canadian team finished the preliminary round undefeated and defeated Finland in the final to win their first World Championship since 1961.[75] The following year in Sweden, the Finnish team won its first ever World Championship. Led by their top line of Saku Koivu, Ville Peltonen and Jere Lehtinen, the Finns defeated rival Sweden in the gold medal game.[76] At the 1995 Pool B championships, Slovakia, led by Peter Šťastný won Pool B and was promoted to the top division, where it has remained ever since.[77] In 1996, the Czech Republic won its first World Championship as a separate country. During this period, the United States was the only one of the "Big Six" not to win the World Championship,[14] although they did win the 1996 World Cup of Hockey[78] and their bronze at that year's World Championship was their first medal since 1962. In the mid-1990s, several new teams such as Slovakia, Latvia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine were quickly improving and older nations such as Austria, France, Italy, Norway and Switzerland were at risk of being relegated to Pool B. The IIHF feared that it would lose advertising revenue if that happened, so the number of teams was increased to 16 starting in 1998.[79]

 
Alexander Semin scores a goal in the gold medal game between Canada and Russia at the 2008 World Championships.

From 1996 to 2001, the Czech Republic won six consecutive World Championship medals, including World Championship gold from 1999 to 2001, as well as gold at the 1998 Winter Olympics.[80][81] In 2002, the Czechs were favoured to win, but were upset in the quarter final by Russia. In the gold medal game between Russia and Slovakia, Slovakian Peter Bondra scored in the final two minutes of the game and the nation won its first ever World Championship.[82] At the 2003 World Championships, Sweden made one of the biggest comebacks in tournament history, rallying from a 5–1 deficit in their quarterfinal game against Finland to win 6–5.[83] The gold medal game between Canada and Sweden went into overtime. Canada's Anson Carter scored the winning goal 13 minutes into play, but the goal had to be reviewed for ten minutes to determine if the puck had crossed the line.[84] In a rematch of the two nations the following year, Canada won and repeated as champions.[85]

 
The Czech ice hockey world champions at Old Town Square (2010)

The 2004–05 NHL season was locked out, and eventually cancelled, because of a labour dispute between the league and the players.[86] The 2005 World Championships, which featured more top players than normal, was won by the Czech Republic.[87] At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Sweden won the gold medal over Finland. Three months later, Sweden defeated the Czech Republic and won the 2006 World Championships. They became the first team to win Olympic gold and a separate World Championship tournament in the same year.[88] At the 2007 World Championship in Moscow, Canada defeated Finland to win the gold medal.[89] The following year, the tournament was held in Canada for the first time. Russia defeated the home team to win their first gold medal since 1993.[90] The Russian team successfully defended their title with a 2–1 win over Canada in 2009.[91] In 2009, NHL Players' Association director Paul Kelly suggested that the World Championships be held every other year and that the NHL go on break to allow full player participation. IIHF president René Fasel responded that the tournament has television contracts and hosting commitments and that a large change would be difficult to put in place.[92]

The 2010 tournament took place in Germany. The first game, between Germany and the United States, was played at Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen and was attended by 77,803 people, setting a new record for the most attended game in hockey history.[93] The tournament was noted for having several surprising preliminary round results, including: Switzerland beating Canada for the first time in World Championship play;[94] Norway defeating eventual champions the Czech Republic;[95] and Denmark upsetting Finland and the United States en route to their first ever quarterfinal appearance.[96] The German team, which had finished 15th in 2009 and only avoided relegation to Division I because they were set to host the 2010 tournament, advanced to the semi-finals for the first time since the new playoff format was adapted.[97] They finished fourth, losing to Sweden in the bronze medal game. In the gold medal game, the Czech Republic defeated the Russian team, winning gold.[98]

 
Finland gold medal celebrations at Market Square, Helsinki (2011)

The 2011 tournament was held in independent Slovakia for the first time. Finland won its second world championship with a 6–1 victory over Sweden. The Czech Republic won the bronze medal over Russia.[99]

The 2012 tournament was held in Sweden and Finland. Russia beat Slovakia in the final, while the Czech Republic beat Finland in the bronze medal game.[100]

In 2013, Switzerland finished the preliminary round undefeated before losing the gold medal game 5–1 to co-hosts Sweden. Switzerland's silver medal was the first for the nation since 1953. Sweden's gold made them the first team to win the tournament at home since the Soviet Union in 1986.[101]

The 2014 tournament was held for the first time in independent Belarus in spite of concerns of the human rights abuses perpetrated by the authoritarian government.[102] The tournament saw more upsets by the less prominent ice-hockey nations. France had beaten Canada for the second time in the modern history and made it to the quarterfinals. Eventual finalist Finland lost to Latvia and made it to the quarterfinals only due to a shootout win over Switzerland. The tournament was won by Russia (which had a stacked NHL squad compared to other teams who sent in younger players after the 2014 Winter Olympics), Finland won silver and Sweden won bronze defeating the Czech Republic.[citation needed]

The 2015 tournament was held in Prague and Ostrava, it was the most attended championship in history. It was to be the last appearance of Jaromír Jágr on the Czech national hockey team, and the home crowd had great expectations for its national team, who had failed to win a gold medal since 2010, matching its longest run without a win since the break-up of Czechoslovakia. However, the tournament was dominated by an excellent Canadian team, which went undefeated and beat Russia 6–1 in the gold medal match. Its captain, Sidney Crosby joined the Triple Gold Club, becoming the first player to achieve that honour as captain of each winning team. The bronze was won by the United States, leaving the Czechs with a second consecutive fourth place.[citation needed]

The 2020 tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[citation needed]

Tournament structure

History

 
Members of the 2008 World Champion Russian team with President Dmitry Medvedev.

The first World Championship to be held as an individual event was in 1930. Twelve different nations participated. Canada's team was given a bye to the gold medal game, and the rest of the nations played an elimination tournament to determine which nation would also play for the gold.[103]

In 1931, the World Championships switched to a similar format to what was used at the Olympics. Ten teams played series of round-robin format qualifying rounds were played to determine which nations participated in the medal round. Medals were awarded based on the final standings of the teams in the medal round.[103] The format was changed several times in the 1930s, in some years there was a gold medal game, while in others the gold medal was awarded based on points.[103]

In 1937, the tournament format was again switched to being similar to the version used at the Olympics. A preliminary round involving 11 teams was played, then the top four advanced to the medal round and medals were awarded based on points; no gold medal game was played. A gold medal game was played in 1938; it was the last gold medal game played in the World Championships until 1992.[103]

 
Timing of annual Champion Group tournament

In 1951, thirteen nations took part and were split into two groups. The top seven teams (Pool A) played for the World Championship.[103] The other six (Pool B) played for ranking purposes. Generally eight teams played in the top-level Championship, although the number varied over the years, going as low as three (in 1953) and as high as twelve (in 1959). The same format was used until 1992.[103] The format was criticized because often the gold medal winner was decided before the final game was played, such as at the 1988 Winter Olympics.

During a congress in 1990, the IIHF introduced a playoff system.[22][104]

As the IIHF grew, more teams began to participate at the World Championships, so more pools were introduced. Pool C games were first played in 1961 and Pool D was introduced in 1987.[105] In 2001, the pools were renamed: Pool B became Division I, Pool C became Division II and Pool D became Division III.[106][107]

Modern Champion Group, Division I, II and III format

The modern format for the World Championship features a minimum of 52 teams: 16 teams in the main championship group, 12 teams in Division I, 12 teams in Division II and 12 teams in Division III. If there are more than 52 teams, the rest compete in Division IV.

From 2000 to 2011, the teams were divided into four groups and played each other in a round robin format preliminary round, and the top 3 teams in each group advance into the qualifying round. The qualifying round is another round of group play with two groups of six, with the top four teams in each group advancing into the knockout playoff stage. The bottom four teams in the preliminary round played in another group as well; this group determined relegation. After a round-robin format, the bottom two teams were usually relegated to play in Division I the following year.[108]

From 1998 and 2004, the IIHF held a "Far East" qualifying tournament for Asian teams with an automatic berth in the championship division on the line. Japan always won this tournament, but finished last at every World Championship except in 2004, when they finished 15th. The IIHF discontinued the qualifying tournament following the 2004 tournament, and Japan was relegated to compete in Division I.[109]

Champion group format from 2012

The main group features 16 teams. The 16 teams are split into two groups based on their world ranking. The ranking is based on the standings of the last Winter Olympics and the last four World Championships. The results of more recent tournaments have a higher weight in the ranking. The last World Championship has 100% value, the tournament before 75% and so on. The Olympic tournament has the same value as the World Championship the same year.[110]

Beginning with the 2012 tournament, the qualifying round was eliminated, and the 16 teams divided into two groups of eight, with each team playing seven games in the preliminary round.

The top four teams from these groups advanced to the knockout playoff stage. In the quarterfinals, the first place team from one group played the fourth place team from the opposite group, and the second place team from one group played the third place team from the opposite group. The winners advanced to the semi-finals. In cases where the quarter-final venues were deemed too far apart to allow easy travel between them, the teams stayed within their groups for the quarters. The winners of the quarter-finals advanced to the semi-finals, with the winners of the semi-finals advancing to the gold medal game and the losers advancing to the bronze medal game.[108]

Also starting in 2012, the relegation round was eliminated. Instead, the eighth-place team in each group was relegated to Division I.[108]

Division I, II and III formats from 2012

Division I is split into two groups of six, both groups play in round robin tournaments independent of each other and the championship division. Previously the top team from both groups was promoted to the championship, while the bottom team was relegated to Division II. Beginning in 2012, the top two teams from the 'A' group were promoted to the championship, the bottom team was exchanged with the group 'B' winner, and that group's last place team was sent to Division II.

Division II works similarly to Division I, with two six-team groups where group 'A' promotes one team to Division I and group 'B' exchanges its last placed team with Division III. Division III is now composed of one group of six, and if more than six nations register for this, the lowest level, then a qualification tournament will be held.[111][112]

Division IV from 2020

The IIHF introduced Division IV, in the 2020 tournament. Kyrgyzstan hosted the 2022 Division IV Championship.

Rules

Game rules

See also: Ice hockey rules
 
A game between Canada and Sweden during the 1928 Winter Olympics.

At the first tournament in 1920, there were many differences from the modern game: games were played outdoors on natural ice, forward passes were not allowed,[113] the rink was 56x18 metres (the current International standard is 61x30 metres) and two twenty-minute periods were played.[15] Each side had seven players on the ice, the extra position being the rover.[22] Following the tournament, the IIHF held a congress and decided to adopt the "Canadian rules"–six men per side and three periods of play.[113]

At an IIHF congress in 1969, officials voted to allow body-checking in all three zones in a rink similar to the NHL. Prior to that, body-checking was only allowed in the defending zone in international hockey. The IIHF later described the rule change as "arguably the most substantial and dramatic rule changes in the history of international hockey" because it allowed for a more aggressive game.[114] The rule, which was first applied at the 1970 World Championships, was controversial: IIHF president Bunny Ahearne feared it would make ice hockey "a sport for goons."[114] Several other rule changes were implemented in the early 1970s: players were required to wear helmets starting in 1970 and goaltender masks became mandatory in 1972.[22] In 1992, the IIHF switched to using a playoff system to determine medalists and decided that tie games in the medal round would be decided in a shootout.[115] The IIHF decided to test a new rule in 1997 that would allow two-line passes. Prior to that, the neutral zone trap had slowed the game down and reduced scoring. At the 1997 World Championships, teams were allowed to decide if they wanted to test the rule. Although no team accepted the offer, the rule was adopted. The IIHF described it as "the most revolutionary rule change since allowing body-checking in all three zones in 1969. [...] The new rule almost immediately changed the game for the better. The 1999 IIHF World Championship in Norway was a stark contrast to the finals the year before with many more goals scored and with end-to-end action – not defence – dominating play."[116]

The current IIHF rules differ slightly from the rules used in the NHL.[117] One difference between NHL and IIHF rules is rink dimensions: the NHL rink is narrower, measuring 61x26 metres (200x85 feet), instead of the international size of 61x30.5metres (200x100feet).[118] Another rule difference between the NHL and the IIHF rules concerns how icings are called. As of the 2013–14 regular NHL season, a linesman stops play due to icing using the hybrid icing method,[119] instead of the former method, where a defending player (other than the goaltender) touched the puck before an attacking player was able to,[120] in contrast to the IIHF rules that use "no-touch" icing, where play is stopped the moment the puck crosses the goal line. The NHL and IIHF differ also in penalty rules. The NHL, in addition to the minor and double minor penalties called in IIHF games, calls major penalties which are more dangerous infractions of the rules, such as fighting, and have a duration of five minutes.[121] This is in contrast to the IIHF rule, in which players who fight are ejected from the game.[122]

Since the 2005–06 season, the NHL instituted several new rules. Some of them were already used by the IIHF, such as the shootout and making the two-line pass legal.[123] Others which were not picked up by the IIHF, such as requiring smaller goaltender equipment and the addition of the goaltender trapezoid to the rink.[124] However, the IIHF did agree to follow the NHL's league's zero-tolerance policy on obstruction and required referees to call more hooking, holding and interference penalties.[125][126] In 2006, the IIHF voted to eliminate tie games and institute a three-point system: wins in regulation time would be worth three points, overtime wins would be two points and over-time losses would be worth one point. The system was first used at the 2007 World Championships.[127]

Since 2019, the World Championships banned the shootout for the Gold Medal Game. Multiple 20-minute golden goal overtime periods of 3-on-3 are played until whoever scores, which wins the game.

Player eligibility

The World Championships have been open to all players, both professional and amateur, since 1977.[59] The IIHF lists the following requirements for a player to be eligible to play:[128][129]

  • "Each player must be under the jurisdiction of an IIHF member national association."
  • "Each player must be a citizen of the country he represents."
  • Each player must be at least 18 years of age on the day the respective championship starts, or be at least 16 and obtain an under age waiver

If a player who has never played in an IIHF competition changes their citizenship, they must participate in national competitions in their new country for at least two consecutive years and have an international transfer card (ITC).[128] If a player who has previously played in an IIHF tournament wishes to change their national team, they must have played in their new country for four years. A player can only do this once.[128]

As this tournament takes place during the same time period as the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs, NHL players generally only become available if their respective NHL team missed the playoffs, or once they have been eliminated from Stanley Cup contention. It is therefore common for several NHL players to join the World Championships while the tournament is already in progress.

Divisions

 
Winners of the Ice Hockey World Championships with number of wins.[n 1]

As of 2020, the IIHF World Championships are split up into five different divisions. This is the alignment of the divisions, accurate as of the 2018 IIHF World Ranking. Teams that are not ranked are not included here, for a full list of IIHF members, see List of members of the International Ice Hockey Federation.

Keys:

  Promoted
  Never been promoted/relegated (began in that division/group)
  Relegated

E.G. ;  1953 – this means that the team was relegated to that division for the 1953 competition, and have been there ever since.

Championship

See also: List of IIHF World Championship medalists

The Championship division comprises the top sixteen hockey nations in the world. The 85th championship was held from 13 to 29 May 2022, in Tampere and Helsinki, Finland.[130]

Teams for the 2023 IIHF World Championship were:

Nation Group
(as of 2023) 		IIHF Ranking
(as of May 2022) 		Member of
IIHF since 		Member of
division since 		Ref.
  Austria Group A 15 1912   2022 [131]
  Canada Group B 2 1920   1951 [132]
  Czech Republic Group A 6 [A]1908[A]   1993 [133]
  Denmark Group A 10 1946   2003 [134]
  Finland Group A 1 1928   1951 [135]
  France Group A 13 1908   2022 [136]
  Germany Group A 9 1909   2007 [137]
  Hungary Group B 20 1927   2023 [138]
  Kazakhstan Group B 16 1992   2020 [139]
  Latvia Group B 11 1931   1997 [140]
  Norway Group B 12 1935   2006 [141]
  Slovakia Group B 8 1993   1996 [142]
  Slovenia Group B 19 1992   2023 [143]
  Sweden Group A 5 1912   1951 [144]
  Switzerland Group B 7 1908   1998 [145]
  United States Group A 4 1920   1985 [146]
  Belarus Suspended[C] 14 1992   2020 [147]
  Russia Suspended[C] 3 [B]1952[B]   1992 [148]

^ A. The IIHF recognizes Bohemia, which joined in 1908, and Czechoslovakia as the predecessors to the Czech Republic, which officially became a member in 1993.[133]
^ B. The IIHF recognizes the Soviet Union, which joined in 1952, as the predecessor to Russia, which officially became a member in 1992.[148]
^ C. On 28 February 2022, IIHF decided to expel Russia and Belarus from the tournament due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[149]

Division I

Main article: IIHF World Championship Division I

Division I comprises twelve teams. Group A teams compete for promotion to the Elite Division with the loser being relegated to Division I Group B. Group B teams compete for promotion to Division I Group A while the loser is relegated to Division II Group A. In 2023, Group A games will be played in Nottingham, United Kingdom from 29 April to 5 May, and Group B games were played in Tallinn, Estonia from 23 to 29 April.

Table updated 10/12/2022

Nation Group
(as of 2023) 		IIHF Ranking
(as of 2022) 		Member of
IIHF since 		Member of
division since 		Member of
group since 		Ref.
  Great Britain Group A 18 1908   2023   2023 [150]
  Italy Group A 17 1924   2023   2023 [151]
  Lithuania Group A 23 1938   2005   2022 [152]
  Poland Group A 22 1926   2003   2023 [153]
  Romania Group A 24 1924   2018   2020 [154]
  South Korea Group A 21 1960   2019   2019 [155]
  China Group B 26 1963   2023   2023 [156]
  Estonia Group B 28 1935   2015   2015 [157]
  Japan Group B 25 1930   2005   2017 [158]
  Netherlands Group B 29 1935   2023   2023 [159]
  Serbia Group B 30 [C]1939[D]   2020   2020 [160]
  Ukraine Group B 27 1992   2008   2018 [161]

^ D. The IIHF recognizes Yugoslavia, which joined in 1939, and Serbia and Montenegro as the predecessors to Serbia, which officially became a member in 2007.[160][162]

Division II

Main article: IIHF World Championship Division II

Division II comprises twelve teams. Group A teams compete for promotion to Division I Group B with the loser being relegated to Division II Group B. Group B teams compete for promotion to Division II Group A while the loser is relegated to Division III. In 2023, Group A games will be played in Madrid, Spain from 16 to 22 April and Group B games will be played in Istanbul, Turkey from 17 to 23 April.

Table updated 10/12/2022

Nation Group
(as of 2023) 		IIHF Ranking
(as of 2022) 		Member of
IIHF since 		Member of
division since 		Member of
group since 		Ref.
  Australia Group A 36 1938   2013   2017 [163]
  Croatia Group A 31 1992   2019   2019 [164]
  Georgia Group A 41 2009   2019   2023 [165]
  Iceland Group A 34 1992   2007   2023 [166]
  Israel Group A 33 1991   2012   2020 [167]
  Spain Group A 32 1923   2012   2019 [168]
  Belgium Group B 40 1908   2005  2020 [169]
  Bulgaria Group B 37 1960   2020   2020 [170]
  Mexico Group B 35 1985   2006   2012 [171]
  New Zealand Group B 42 1977   2010   2013 [172]
  Turkey Group B 38 1991   2023   2023 [173]
  United Arab Emirates Group B 43 2001   2023   2023 [174]

Division III

Main article: IIHF World Championship Division III

Division III comprises twelve teams. Group A teams compete for promotion to Division II Group B with the loser being relegated to Division III Group B. Group B teams compete for promotion to Division III Group A while the loser is relegated to Division IV. In 2023, Group A games will be played in Cape Town, South Africa from 17 to 23 April and Group B games will be played in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina from 27 February to 5 March.

Table updated 10/12/2022

Nation Group
(as of 2023) 		IIHF Ranking
(as of 2022) 		Member of
IIHF since 		Member of
division since 		Member of
group since 		Ref.
  Chinese Taipei Group A 39 1983   2017   2022 [175]
  Luxembourg Group A 44 1912   2019   2022 [176]
  North Korea Group A 45 1963   2020   2022 [177]
  South Africa Group A 51 1937   2020   2023 [178]
  Thailand Group A 46 1989   2019   2023 [179]
  Turkmenistan Group A 48 2015   2019   2022 [180]
  Bosnia and Herzegovina Group B 50 2001   2015   2022 [181]
  Hong Kong, China Group B 47 1983   2019   2022 [182]
  Iran Group B 56 2019   2023   2023
  Kyrgyzstan Group B 49 2019   2023   2023 [183]
  Malaysia Group B 53 2006   2023   2023 [184]
  Singapore Group B 55 2017   2023   2023 [185]

Division IV

Main article: IIHF World Championship Division IV

Division IV comprises four teams. Teams compete for promotion to Division III Group B. In 2023 games will be played in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from 23 to 26 March.

Table updated 10/12/2022

Nation IIHF Ranking
(as of 2023) 		Member of
IIHF since 		Member of
division since 		Ref.
  Indonesia N/A 2016   2023
  Kuwait 52 2018   2020 [186]
  Mongolia N/A 1999   2023
  Philippines 54 2016   2023 [187]

Overall participation totals

86 championships (as of 2023); 67 teams
Key:   Current division (if no window is coloured, country doesn't play in any competition in the current year)

Team Top Division Division I Division II Division III Division IV Total
  Armenia – – – 4 – 4
  Australia 1 3 24 9 – 37
  Austria 34 35 7 – – 76
  Belarus 20 5 2 – – 27
  Belgium 12 5 32 8 – 57
  Bosnia and Herzegovina – – – 4 – 4
  Bulgaria – 4 40 7 – 51
  Canada 76 – – – – 76
  China – 11 33 – – 44
  Chinese Taipei – – – 5 – 5
  Croatia – 12 13 3 – 28
  Czech Republic 30 – – – – 30
  Czechoslovakia 52 – – – – 52
  Denmark 21 14 20 – – 55
  East Germany 14 14 – – – 28
  Estonia – 19 8 1 – 28
  Finland 69 – – – – 69
  France 34 18 15 – – 67
  Georgia – – 3 5 – 8
  Germany 43 3 – – – 46
  Great Britain 18 32 8 2 – 60
  Greece – – – 10 – 10
  Hong Kong – – – 7 – 7
  Hungary 13 28 25 – – 66
  Iceland – – 19 4 – 23
  Indonesia – – – – 1 1
  Iran – – – 1 1 2
  Ireland – – 2 8 – 10
  Israel – 1 20 9 – 30
  Italy 32 30 6 – – 68
  Japan 11 41 5 – – 57
  Kazakhstan 11 15 4 – – 30
  Kuwait – – – – 2 2
  Kyrgyzstan – – – 1 1 2
  Latvia 31 3 1 – – 35
  Lithuania 1 19 6 2 – 28
  Luxembourg – – 3 19 – 22
  Malaysia – – – 1 1 2
  Mexico – – 18 3 – 21
  Mongolia – – – 4 1 5
  Netherlands 4 41 15 – – 60
  New Zealand – – 16 9 – 25
  North Korea – – 20 6 – 26
  Norway 38 28 3 – – 69
  Philippines – – – – 1 1
  Poland 29 45 – – – 74
  Romania 8 36 19 1 – 64
  Russia 29 – – – – 29
  Serbia – 3 12 – – 15
  Serbia and Montenegro – – 9 2 – 11
  Singapore – – – 1 1 2
  Slovakia 27 1 1 – – 29
  Slovenia 10 14 5 – – 29
  South Africa – – 12 18 – 30
  South Korea 1 14 17 5 – 37
  Soviet Union 34 – – – – 34
  Spain – 1 30 8 – 39
  Sweden 81 – – – – 81
  Switzerland 55 23 2 – – 80
  Thailand – – – 2 – 2
  Turkey – – 8 16 – 24
  Turkmenistan – – – 3 – 3
  Ukraine 9 15 5 – – 29
  United Arab Emirates – – 1 6 – 7
  United States 74 5 – – – 79
  West Germany 24 6 – – – 30
  Yugoslavia 1 23 7 – – 31

Directorate awards

Main article: List of IIHF World Championship directorate award winners

Since 1954, the IIHF has given awards for play during the World Championship tournament. Voted on by the tournament directorate, the first awards recognised the top goaltender, forward and defenceman.[188] In 1999, an award for the most valuable player was added. There is also an all-star team voted on by members of the media. In 2004, Canadian Dany Heatley became the first player to lead in scoring, win the MVP award, win the best forward award and be named to the all-star team in the same year.[189] He repeated the feat in 2008.[190]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Note that championships won by the Soviet Union are credited to Russia, and those of Czechoslovakia are counted for the Czech Republic.

References

  1. ^ MacSkimming 1996, p. 8.
  2. ^ "IIHF World Men's Championship". Hockey Canada. from the original on 19 August 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2008.
  3. ^ "NHL announces World Cup of Hockey for 2016". The Canadian Press. 24 January 2015. from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  4. ^ "Sidney Crosby gets apology from hockey federation – The Star". Toronto Star. 20 May 2010. from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  5. ^ "It all started in Paris, 1908". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 23 July 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  6. ^ Farrell, Arthur (1899). "Hockey: Canada's Royal Winter Game": 27. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ Wong 2001, pp. 41–45
  8. ^ Wong 2001, p. 99
  9. ^ Wong 2001, pp. 127–128
  10. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #84–A Swiss Alpine village sees the dawn of international hockey". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  11. ^ McGourty, John (26 November 2006). . National Hockey League. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  12. ^ "It all started in Les Avants, 1910". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 25 September 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  13. ^ "1908-1913". Home. 16 May 1908. from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h "IIHF World Championships". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 26 November 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  15. ^ a b Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #21–Ice Hockey debuts at the Olympics". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  16. ^ . The Sports Network. Archived from the original on 27 August 2008. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  17. ^ "United States is second at hockey; Victory Over Czechoslovak Team by 16 to 0 Gives Americans 3 Points in Olympics". The New York Times. 29 April 1920. from the original on 5 September 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  18. ^ "Chamonix 1924". International Olympic Committee. from the original on 21 April 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  19. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #53–Harry Watson scores at will in Olympics". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 23 July 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  20. ^ . The Sports Network. Archived from the original on 3 September 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  21. ^ Comité Olympique Suisse (1928). (PDF) (in French). Lausanne: Imprimerie du Léman. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2009. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  22. ^ a b c d e "International hockey timeline". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 14 July 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  23. ^ Holland, Dave (2008). Canada on Ice; The World Hockey Championships, 1920–2008. Canada on Ice productions. pp. 30–31. ISBN 978-0-9808936-0-1.
  24. ^ Holland, Dave (2008). Canada on Ice; The World Hockey Championships, 1920–2008. Canada on Ice productions. pp. 32–33. ISBN 978-0-9808936-0-1.
  25. ^ Holland, Dave (2008). Canada on Ice; The World Hockey Championships, 1920–2008. Canada on Ice productions. pp. 34–35. ISBN 978-0-9808936-0-1.
  26. ^ . The Sports Network. Archived from the original on 3 September 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  27. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #78–USA wins its first and so far only Worlds in 1933, denying Canada for the first time". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  28. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #15–Great Britain wins Olympic gold". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  29. ^ (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  30. ^ Carl Diem, ed. (January 1940). (PDF). Olympic Review. Berlin: International Olympic Institute (8): 8–10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  31. ^ a b Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #82–USA sends two teams to the 1948 Olympics". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  32. ^ . sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 3 September 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  33. ^ Comité Olympique Suisse (January 1951). (PDF) (in French). Lausanne: H. Jaunin: 69. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2009. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  34. ^ . The Sports Network. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  35. ^ a b Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #57–Tre Kronor's win over Canada becomes sports lore in Sweden". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  36. ^ a b c Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #4–Soviets hammer Canada, win gold at their first Worlds". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  37. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #94–Penticton Vees defeat Soviets to reclaim World Championship gold". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  38. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #25–Soviet Union win their first Olympics, starting a new hockey era". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  39. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #71–Worlds final in front of 50,000 fans at soccer stadiuma". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  40. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #16–USA's original but unheralded "Miracle on Ice"". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 30 March 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  41. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #66–Trail Smoke Eaters' gold ends hockey's amateur era". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 8 January 2008. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  42. ^ . Legends of Hockey. Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 6 January 2006. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
  43. ^ . The Sports Network. Archived from the original on 3 September 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  44. ^ . The Sports Network. 30 April 2005. Archived from the original on 3 September 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  45. ^ "1964 Canadian Olympic hockey team to be honoured". CBC Sports. 29 April 2005. from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  46. ^ . The Sports Network. 5 June 2005. Archived from the original on 3 September 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  47. ^ Houston, William (21 September 2005). "IIHF backs off on giving Canadians 1964 bronze medal". The Globe and Mail. from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  48. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #81–Czechoslovakia snaps Soviets' six-year winning streak". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  49. ^ (PDF). Comité d'Organisation des xèmes Jeux Olympiques d'Hiver de Grenoble. 1969: 386. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 February 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2009. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  50. ^ a b Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #5–1972 – Soviet streak of nine straight World golds ends". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  51. ^ a b c Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #18–Two games Czechoslovakia simply couldn't lose". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  52. ^ "Record book". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 11 May 2009. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  53. ^ a b c Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #17–Protesting amateur rules, Canada leaves international hockey". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  54. ^ a b Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #40–Finally, Canada to host the World Championship". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  55. ^ . Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 7 August 2008. Retrieved 2 March 2009.
  56. ^ a b Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #67–The perfect game against the best team: Czechoslovaks-Soviets 7–2". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  57. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #39–Poland scores biggest shocker in World Championship history". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 12 March 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  58. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #6–First Canada Cup opens up the hockey world". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  59. ^ a b Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #13–After a seven-year absence, Canada returns to the Worlds". from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  60. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #91–The World U20 Championship takes its place on the IIHF calendar". from the original on 2 May 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  61. ^ "Canada blanks U.S. to win Under-18 gold". The Sports Network. 12 August 2006. Retrieved 13 March 2009.[permanent dead link]
  62. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #62–Soviets' revenge for Lake Placid – 13–1 over Sweden". from the original on 14 February 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  63. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #29–"Sikora case" – Vienna court decides the 1987 Worlds medal race". from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  64. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #44–Amid turmoil, Sweden wins first gold in a quarter of a century". from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  65. ^ a b Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #65–Igor Larionov openly revolts against coach, system". from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  66. ^ Pincus 2006, p. 148
  67. ^ Boer 2006, p. 104
  68. ^ Duhatschek, Eric (18 June 1989). "GMs figure Soviets one day will flood market". Calgary Herald. p. E4.
  69. ^ "Sweeping Changes". Sports Illustrated. 27 September 2002. from the original on 18 February 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  70. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #32–Sundin's marvellous goal ends Soviet Union's hockey era". from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  71. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #42;Breakup of old Europe creates a new hockey world". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  72. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #95–1988 Olympic silver – Finland is finally a true hockey power". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  73. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #77–Recently separated, Czechs and Slovaks meet in World Championships final". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  74. ^ Lapointe, Joe (11 February 2002). "Olympics: Hockey; N.H.L. and Its Teams Send Players to Bench". The New York Times. from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  75. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #45–Luc Robitaille the hero as Canada wins first World Championship in 33 years". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  76. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #26–Tupu, Hupu & Lupu take Finland to the top of the World". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 4 October 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  77. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #75–At 39, Peter Stastny closes circle and promotes his country to the A Pool". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  78. ^ Lapointe, Joe (16 September 1996). "Maple Leaf Wilts Under Stars & Stripes". The New York Times. from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  79. ^ Gibbons, Dennis (2001). "Preview of the 2001 IIHF World Championship". Hockey Canada. from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  80. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #10–Czech Republic wins first "open" Olympics". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  81. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #64–Moravec's OT winner cements Czech dominance". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  82. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #22–Bondra's bomb – the biggest thing for Slovakia since independence". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  83. ^ . Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. 9 May 2003. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011.
  84. ^ "Canada clinch world title". BBC Sports. 11 May 2003. from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  85. ^ Bulman, Erica (9 May 2004). "Canada beats Sweden for 23rd world hockey title". USA Today. from the original on 20 March 2009. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  86. ^ . The Sports Network. The Canadian Press. 3 January 2005. Archived from the original on 3 September 2009. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  87. ^ Marrapese-Burrell, Nancy (16 May 2005). "Canada checks out Czechs derail three-peat try". Boston Globe. from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  88. ^ "Sweden Wins World Hockey Title". The New York Times. Associated Press. 22 May 2006. from the original on 17 April 2009. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  89. ^ "Canada wins world hockey championship". CBC Sports. 13 May 2007. from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  90. ^ "Russia beats Canada 5–4 in overtime to win world title". International Herald Tribune. 19 May 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  91. ^ "Russia tops Canada, defends world title". ESPN. 10 May 2009. from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
  92. ^ Johnston, Chris (8 May 2009). . CTV Olympics. Archived from the original on 11 May 2009. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
  93. ^ . The Sports Network. The Canadian Press. 7 May 2010. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  94. ^ . The Sports Network. The Canadian Press. 12 May 2010. Archived from the original on 15 May 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  95. ^ . The Sports Network. The Canadian Press. 11 May 2010. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  96. ^ . International Ice Hockey Federation. 20 May 2010. Archived from the original on 23 May 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  97. ^ Podnieks, Andrew (20 May 2010). . International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 24 May 2010. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  98. ^ . The Sports Network. Associated Press. 23 May 2010. Archived from the original on 26 May 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  99. ^ . The Sports Network. Associated Press. 15 May 2011. Archived from the original on 18 May 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  100. ^ Chris Johnston (20 May 2012). . Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  101. ^ . The Sports Network. 19 May 2013. Archived from the original on 8 June 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  102. ^ "Hockey championship in Belarus: Lukashenko puts activists on ice". from the original on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  103. ^ a b c d e f "World Championship statistics" (PDF) (Press release). Hockey Canada. from the original on 26 October 2009. Retrieved 11 March 2009. Must be downloaded from link
  104. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #89–Finally, there's a real final game, The IIHF adopts a playoff system". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 2 May 2008. Retrieved 3 March 2009.
  105. ^ "Hong Kong in over its head in Pool D". The Atlanta Journal. 20 February 1988.
  106. ^ . International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 9 May 2009. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  107. ^ . International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 30 October 2009. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  108. ^ a b c . International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  109. ^ Edvinsson, Jan-Ake, ed. (November 2003). (PDF). Ice Times. International Ice Hockey Federation. 7 (5): 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2009. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
  110. ^ . International Ice Hockey Federation. 2008. Archived from the original on 1 March 2018.
  111. ^ . International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 2 August 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  112. ^ "Championships". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 27 June 2018.
  113. ^ a b Hansen, Kenth (May 1996). (PDF). Citius, Altius, Fortius. International Society of Olympic Historians. 4 (2): 5–27. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 February 2009.
  114. ^ a b Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #19–IIHF allows bodychecking in all three zones". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  115. ^ (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2009. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
  116. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #27–Dropping the red-line, allowing the two-line pass changes the Game". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  117. ^ "IIHF Rule Book". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  118. ^ . The Vancouver Sun. Canadian Online Explorer. 24 February 2009. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  119. ^ Rosen, Dan (30 September 2013). "Hybrid icing tops list of rule changes for 2013–14". National Hockey League. from the original on 11 January 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
  120. ^ . National Hockey League. 2005. Archived from the original on 3 September 2009. Retrieved 8 June 2006.
  121. ^ . National Hockey League. 2005. Archived from the original on 23 April 2006. Retrieved 8 June 2006.
  122. ^ . CBC Sports. 2006. Archived from the original on 3 September 2009. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
  123. ^ Burnside, Scott (25 July 2005). "Rule changes geared toward entertainment". ESPN. from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
  124. ^ "Olympics vs. National Hockey League: How the rules are different". ESPN. 16 December 2005. from the original on 11 January 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  125. ^ Burnside, Scott (14 December 2005). "Tough test for Turin; cap on the brain". ESPN. from the original on 11 January 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  126. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #31–Zebras told to crackdown – once and for all". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  127. ^ Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew (2008). "Story #93–Tie games are history; a win earns three points for teams". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 12 June 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  128. ^ a b c . International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 27 April 2009. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  129. ^ (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 October 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  130. ^ "2022 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Finland". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  131. ^ "Austria". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  132. ^ "Canada". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  133. ^ a b "Czech Republic". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  134. ^ "Denmark". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  135. ^ "Finland". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 4 May 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  136. ^ "France". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  137. ^ "Germany". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  138. ^ "Italy". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  139. ^ "Kazakhstan". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  140. ^ "Latvia". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 12 December 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  141. ^ "Norway". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  142. ^ "Slovakia". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  143. ^ "Slovenia". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 24 May 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  144. ^ "Sweden". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  145. ^ "Switzerland". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  146. ^ "United States". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 30 June 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  147. ^ "Belarus". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  148. ^ a b "Russia". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  149. ^ "IIHF - IIHF Council takes definitive action over Russia, Belarus". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  150. ^ "Great Britain". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  151. ^ "Italy". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  152. ^ "Lithuania". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  153. ^ "Poland". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 24 July 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  154. ^ "Romania". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  155. ^ "Korea". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  156. ^ "China". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  157. ^ "Estonia". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  158. ^ "Japan". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 17 August 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  159. ^ "Netherlands". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  160. ^ a b "Serbia". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 20 April 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  161. ^ "Ukraine". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  162. ^ "1934–1945". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2008.
  163. ^ "Australia". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  164. ^ "Croatia". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 15 April 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  165. ^ "Georgia". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  166. ^ "Iceland". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  167. ^ "Israel". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  168. ^ "Spain". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 18 April 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  169. ^ "Belgium". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  170. ^ "Bulgaria". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  171. ^ "Mexico". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  172. ^ "New Zealand". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 18 March 2018

May 29, 2023
hockey, world, championships, ihwc, redirects, here, other, uses, ihwc, disambiguation, world, women, championships, iihf, world, women, championship, annual, international, hockey, tournament, organized, international, hockey, federation, iihf, first, officia. IHWC redirects here For other uses see IHWC disambiguation For the world women s championships see IIHF World Women s Championship The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men s ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European Championships the precursor to the World Championships were first held in 1910 The tournament held at the 1920 Summer Olympics is recognized as the first Ice Hockey World Championship From 1920 to 1968 the Olympic hockey tournament was also considered the World Championship for that year Ice Hockey World ChampionshipsCurrent season competition or edition 2023 Men s Ice Hockey World ChampionshipsIIHF World Championship CupSportIce hockeyFounded1920 1920 Summer Olympics 1930 First individual event No of teams16 in the Top Division12 in Division I12 in Division II10 in Division III4 in Division IVCountryIIHF member countriesContinentWorldwideMost recentchampion s Canada 28th title Most titles Canada 28 titles Official websiteIIHF comThe first World Championship that was held as an individual event was in 1930 in which twelve nations participated In 1931 ten teams played a series of round robin format qualifying rounds to determine which nations participated in the medal round Medals were awarded based on the final standings of the teams in the medal round In 1951 thirteen nations took part and were split into two groups The top seven teams Pool A played for the World Championship The other six Pool B played for ranking purposes This basic format would be used until 1992 although small variations were made During a congress in 1990 the IIHF introduced a playoff system As the IIHF grew more teams began to participate at the World Championships so more pools later renamed divisions were introduced The modern format for the World Championship features 16 teams in the championship group 12 teams in Division I 12 teams in Division II and 12 teams in Division III If there are more than 52 teams the rest compete in Division IV The teams in the championship play a preliminary round then the top eight teams play in the playoff medal round and the winning team is crowned World Champion Over the years the tournament has gone through several rule changes In 1969 body checking in all three zones in a rink was allowed helmets and goaltender masks became mandatory in the early 1970s and in 1992 the IIHF began using the shootout The current IIHF rules differ slightly from the rules used in the NHL From the 1920 Olympics until the 1976 World Championships only athletes designated as amateur were allowed to compete in the tournament Because of this players from the National Hockey League and its senior minor league teams were not allowed to compete while the Soviet Union was allowed to use permanent full time players who were positioned as regular workers of an aircraft industry or tractor industry employer that sponsored what would be presented as an after hours amateur social sports society team for their workers In 1970 after an agreement to allow just a small number of its professionals to participate was rescinded by the IIHF Canada withdrew from the tournament 1 Starting in 1977 professional athletes were allowed to compete in the tournament and Canada re entered 2 The IIHF requires that players are citizens of the country they represent and allow players to switch national teams provided that they play in their new nation for a certain period of time Canada was the tournament s first dominant team winning the tournament 12 times from 1930 to 1952 The United States Czechoslovakia Sweden Great Britain and Switzerland were also competitive during this period The Soviet Union first participated in 1954 and soon became rivals with Canada From 1963 until the nation s breakup in 1991 the Soviet Union was the dominant team winning 20 championships out of 26 During that period only three other nations won medals Canada Czechoslovakia and Sweden Russia first participated in 1992 and the Czech Republic and Slovakia began competing in 1993 In the 2000s the competition became more open as the Big Six teams 3 Canada the Czech Republic Finland Russia Sweden and the United States have become more evenly matched As this tournament takes place during the same period as the later stages of the NHL s Stanley Cup playoffs many of that league s top players are not available to participate for their national teams or have only become available after their NHL teams have been eliminated after playing 90 games North American teams 4 and especially the United States have been criticized for not taking this tournament seriously For example USA Hockey often sent teams made up of younger NHL players alongside college players not using top level stars even when they are available The 2015 World Championship held in Prague and Ostrava Czech Republic was the most successful to date in terms of overall attendance it was visited by 741 690 people and average attendance was at 11 589 Contents 1 Background 2 History 2 1 1920 1928 Olympic Games 2 2 1930 1953 Canadian dominance 2 3 1954 1962 Canada Soviet Union rivalry 2 4 1963 1976 Soviet dominance 2 5 1976 1987 First years of open competition 2 6 1989 1992 Fall of the Iron Curtain 2 7 1993 present 3 Tournament structure 3 1 History 3 2 Modern Champion Group Division I II and III format 3 3 Champion group format from 2012 3 4 Division I II and III formats from 2012 3 5 Division IV from 2020 4 Rules 4 1 Game rules 4 2 Player eligibility 5 Divisions 5 1 Championship 5 2 Division I 5 3 Division II 5 4 Division III 5 5 Division IV 6 Overall participation totals 7 Directorate awards 8 See also 9 Notes 10 References 11 Bibliography 12 External linksBackground Edit Bohemian European Champions in 1911 The International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF the sport s governing body was created on 15 May 1908 under the name Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace LIHG 5 In 1908 organized ice hockey was still relatively new the first organized indoor ice hockey game took place on 3 March 1875 at Montreal s Victoria Skating Rink 6 In 1887 four clubs from Montreal formed the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada AHAC and developed a structured schedule Lord Stanley donated the Stanley Cup and the trustees decided to award it to either the best team in the AHAC or to any pre approved team that won it in a challenge 7 The Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association ECAHA was formed in 1905 8 which mixed paid and amateur players in its rosters The ECAHA eventually folded and as a result of the dissolution the National Hockey Association NHA formed 9 The Ice Hockey European Championships first held in Les Avants Switzerland in January 1910 was the first official hockey tournament for national teams Participating nations in the inaugural event were Great Britain Germany Belgium and Switzerland 10 In North America professional hockey was continuing to grow the National Hockey League NHL the largest professional hockey league in the world was formed in 1917 11 The European Championships were held for five consecutive years but were not held from 1915 to 1920 due to World War I 12 The LIHG Championships held between 1911 and 1914 is also considered a precursor to the World Championships though the competition did not gain as much importance at the time 13 History Edit1920 1928 Olympic Games Edit See also Ice hockey at the Olympic Games The gold medal winning Winnipeg Falcons representing Canada en route to the 1920 Summer Olympics The IIHF considers the ice hockey tournament held at the 1920 Summer Olympics to be the first Ice Hockey World Championship 14 It was organized by a committee that included future IIHF president Paul Loicq The tournament was played from 23 to 29 April Seven teams participated Canada Czechoslovakia the United States Switzerland Sweden France and Belgium 15 Canada represented by the Winnipeg Falcons won the gold medal outscoring opponents 27 1 16 The United States and Czechoslovakia won the silver and bronze medals respectively 17 Following the 1921 Olympic Congress in Lausanne the first Winter Olympics were held in 1924 in Chamonix France though they were only officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee IOC as such in the following year 18 Subsequently every Olympic tournament up to and including the 1968 Winter Olympics is counted as the World Championship Canada won the gold medal at both the 1924 and 1928 Winter Olympics 19 20 In 1928 the Swedish and Swiss teams won their first medals silver and bronze respectively and a German team participated for the first time finishing ninth 21 1930 1953 Canadian dominance Edit Finland national team at the 1939 World Championships A gold medal won by Czechoslovakia 1947 The first World Championship that was held as an individual event was in 1930 It was held in Chamonix France Vienna Austria and Berlin Germany Canada represented by the Toronto CCMs defeated Germany in the gold medal game and Switzerland won the bronze 22 23 Canada represented by the Manitoba Grads won the following year 24 and the Winnipeg Winnipegs won Gold for Canada at the 1932 Winter Olympics 25 26 At the 1933 World Championships in Prague Czechoslovakia the United States won the gold medal becoming the first non Canadian team to win the competition As of 2023 it is the only gold medal the United States has won at a non Olympic tournament 27 Two days before the 1936 Winter Olympics in Germany Canadian officials protested that two players on the British team James Foster and Alex Archer had played in Canada but transferred without permission to play for clubs in the English National League The IIHF agreed with Canada but Britain threatened to withdraw if the two could not compete Canada withdrew the protest before the games started Britain became the first non Canadian team to win Olympic gold with the United States taking bronze 28 Canada won the remainder of the World Championship tournaments held in the 1930s The 1939 World Championships marked the first time that a team from Finland competed in the tournament 29 World War II forced the cancellation of the 1940 and 1944 Winter Olympics and the World Championships from 1941 to 1946 22 30 Jersey of Canada s 1952 World Champion Olympic Gold Medal team the Edmonton Mercurys Following World War II Czechoslovakia s team was quickly improving They won the 1947 World Championships although a Canadian team had not participated in the event In 1949 they became the third nation to win a World Championship tournament that Canada participated in 14 During the run up to the 1948 Winter Olympics in St Moritz Switzerland a conflict broke out with the two American hockey bodies the American Hockey Association AHA a forerunner to USA Hockey and the Amateur Athletic Union AAU The AAU refused to support the AHA s team because they believed that AHA players were openly paid salaries and at the time the Olympics were strictly for amateur players 31 A compromise was reached that the AHA team would be allowed to compete but would be considered unofficial and unable to win a medal By the end of the tournament the AHA team finished fourth in the standings 31 32 Both Czechoslovakia and the RCAF Flyers of Canada won seven games and tied when they played each other The gold medal winner was determined by goal average Canada won the gold because they had an average of 13 8 compared to Czechoslovakia s average of 4 3 33 At the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo Norway the Edmonton Mercurys won Canada s second consecutive Olympic gold medal and their 15th World Championship in 19 competitions It was the last time that a Canadian team would win an Olympic gold medal in hockey for 50 years 34 At the 1953 tournament reigning champion Canada did not attend while the team from Czechoslovakia withdrew because of the death of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia leaving only Sweden West Germany and Switzerland competing in the top division Sweden finished the tournament undefeated and won their first World Championship 35 1954 1962 Canada Soviet Union rivalry Edit The final game at the 1957 World Championships in Moscow was played at the Luzhniki Stadium It was attended by at least 50 000 people a tournament record until 2010 The game between Canada and the Soviet Union at the 1954 World Championships which the Soviets won 7 2 Soviet Union vs Canada in 1960s The 1954 World Championships has been described by the IIHF as the start of the modern era of international hockey 36 The tournament saw the first participation of the Soviet Union in international competition The Soviet Union had organized its first ice hockey league in 1946 having previously focused on bandy 36 Led by coach Arkady Chernyshev the Soviet national team finished their first six games undefeated Canada represented by the East York Lyndhursts was also undefeated and in the final game of the tournament the two teams met for the first time in international competition The Soviet Union won the game 7 2 becoming the fifth team to win a World Championship tournament 36 The 1955 World Championship was held in West Germany and the two teams again met in the final game of the tournament The game was so high profile in Canada that announcer Foster Hewitt flew to West Germany to provide play by play coverage Both teams were undefeated and Canada represented by the Penticton Vees defeated the Soviets 5 0 to reclaim the World Championship 37 At the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d Ampezzo Italy Canada s Kitchener Waterloo Dutchmen lost to both the Soviets and the United States in the medal round and won the bronze The Soviets went undefeated and won their first Olympic ice hockey gold medal 38 It would be seven years until the Soviet Union won another World Championship 14 The 1957 World Championships were held in Moscow Canada and the United States did not participate in protest of the Soviet occupation of Hungary Most of the games were held in the Luzhniki Sports Palace but the Soviet officials decided to hold the final game in a nearby outdoor soccer stadium The game was attended by at least 55 000 people which stood as a World Championship attendance record until 2010 In the final game Sweden edged the Soviet Union to finish with six wins and one tie the Soviet Union had five wins and two ties and won the gold medal 39 Canada returned to the World Championship in 1958 and won two consecutive titles with the Soviets winning silver both times 14 At the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley California Canada the Soviet Union Czechoslovakia and Sweden were the top four teams heading into the Games All four were defeated by the American team which won all seven games en route to its first Olympic gold medal 40 In 1961 Czechoslovakia defeated the Soviet Union and tied Canada to make it a three way race for gold In the final game Canada defeated the Soviets 5 1 to win their nineteenth gold medal The Trail Smoke Eaters became the final club team to represent Canada The following year Canada implemented a national team program led by Father David Bauer Canada would not win another world championship gold until 1994 41 In 1962 the World Championships were held in North America for the first time The tournament was held in Denver United States and was boycotted by the Soviet and Czechoslovak teams Sweden defeated Canada for the first time in the history of the competition and won their third gold medal 35 1963 1976 Soviet dominance Edit In 1962 David Bauer established a national team made up of Canada s top amateur players 42 At the 1963 World Championships in Stockholm the Soviet Union won the gold medal beginning a streak of nine consecutive World Championship golds The 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck Austria marked the first time that Canada failed to win an Olympic medal in hockey The Soviet Union won all seven of their games and the gold medal but Canada finished the tournament with five wins and two losses putting them in a three way tie for second place with Sweden and Czechoslovakia Prior to 1964 the tie breaking procedure was based on goal difference from games against teams in the medal round and under that system Canada would have placed third ahead of the Czechoslovaks The procedure had been changed to count all games and that meant the Canadians finished fourth 43 However the Olympics also counted as the World Championships and under IIHF rules Canada should have won a World Championship bronze 44 In April 2005 the IIHF admitted that a mistake had occurred and announced that they had reviewed the decision and would award the 1964 Canadian team a World Championship bronze medal 45 However two months later the IIHF over turned their decision and rejected an appeal in September 46 47 The Soviets dominated the remainder of the decade Following 1963 the team went undefeated in Olympic and World Championship competition for four years Their streak was broken by Czechoslovakia at the 1968 Winter Olympics Despite the loss the Soviets still won gold 48 49 It was the last time that the Olympics were also counted as the World Championships 50 In 1969 the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia played the most emotionally charged games in the history of international hockey 51 The rights to host the tournament had originally been awarded to Czechoslovakia but they were forced to decline the rights following the Soviet led Warsaw Pact invasion of the nation in August 1968 51 The tournament was held in Stockholm Sweden and with these international tensions the Czechoslovak team was determined to defeat the Soviets They won both of their games 2 0 and 4 3 but despite these wins the Czechoslovaks lost both of their games to Sweden and won bronze 51 Vladislav Tretiak is one of two players Alexander Ragulin being the other to win ten World Championships 52 With European teams using their best players who are de facto professionals the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association CAHA felt their amateur players could no longer be competitive and pushed for the ability to use players from professional leagues At the IIHF Congress in 1969 the IIHF voted to allow Canada to use nine non NHL professional players 53 at the 1970 World Championships The rights to host the tournament were awarded to Canada for the first time in Montreal and Winnipeg 54 However the decision to allow the use of professionals was reversed in January 1970 IOC president Avery Brundage was opposed to the idea of amateur and professional players competing together and said that ice hockey s status as an Olympic sport would be in jeopardy if the change was made In response Canada withdrew from International ice hockey competition 53 55 Canada s ice hockey team did not participate in the 1972 and 1976 Winter Olympics 53 Canada also waived their rights to host the 1970 World Championship so it was held in Stockholm Sweden instead 54 Led by goaltender Vladislav Tretiak and forwards Valeri Kharlamov Alexander Yakushev Vladimir Petrov and Boris Mikhailov the Soviet Union won gold at the 1970 and 1971 World Championships and the 1972 Winter Olympics 56 1972 marked the first time that both the Olympics and World Championships were held in the same year as separate events At the World Championships in Prague the Czechoslovak team ended the Soviet team s streak and won their first gold since 1949 50 The Soviet team quickly returned to their winning ways winning 1973 and 1974 World Championships However during the latter tournament the Czechoslovak team defeated the Soviets 7 2 It was one of the biggest margins the Soviet team had ever lost by in an official game 56 The 1976 World Championships were held in Katowice Poland On the opening day of the tournament Poland defeated the Soviet Union 6 4 thanks to a hat trick from forward Wieslaw Jobczyk and the goaltending of Andrzej Tkacz It was one of the biggest upsets in international hockey history two months earlier at the 1976 Winter Olympics Poland had lost 16 1 to the Soviets The Soviets lost two more games and won the silver and Czechoslovakia won gold Poland finished seventh and was relegated to Pool B the division in which teams play for ranking purposes and not the championship now known as Division I 57 1976 1987 First years of open competition Edit Gunther Sabetzki became president of the IIHF in 1975 and helped to resolve the dispute with the CAHA The IIHF agreed to allow open competition of all players in the World Championships and moved the competition to later in the season so players not involved in the NHL playoffs could participate However NHL players were still not allowed to play in the Olympics because of both the unwillingness of the NHL to take a break mid season and the IOC s strict amateur only policy The IIHF also agreed to endorse the Canada Cup a competition meant to bring together the best players from the top hockey playing countries 58 The 1976 World Ice Hockey Championships in Katowice were the first to feature professionals although in the end only the United States made use of the new rule recalling eight pros from the NHL s Minnesota North Stars and the WHA s Minnesota Fighting Saints The first fully open World Championship was held in 1977 in Vienna Austria and saw the first participation of active Canadian NHL players including two time NHL MVP Phil Esposito Sweden and Finland also augmented their rosters with a few NHL and WHA players Many of the players on the Canadian team were not prepared for the tournament and were unfamiliar with the international game The team finished fourth losing both games to the Soviet Union by a combined score of 19 2 Czechoslovakia won gold becoming the third team after Canada and the Soviet Union to win consecutive championships 59 As a result of these events full world championship status was given to the IIHF World Under 20 Championship which had been held annually since 1974 as an unofficial invitational tournament Colloquially known as the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship the event was structured after the World Championships but limited to players under the age of 20 60 The World Under 18 Championship was established in 1999 and typically held in April It usually does not involve some of the top North American based players because they are involved in junior league playoffs at the time 61 Starting in 1978 the Soviet team won five consecutive World Championships and had an unbeaten streak that lasted from 1981 through the 1984 Winter Olympics and until 1985 62 During that period Canada remained competitive winning three bronze medals World Championship tournaments were not held in 1980 1984 or 1988 the Olympic years 14 The 1987 World Championships in Vienna were over shadowed by several controversies At the beginning of the tournament the roster of the West German team included Miroslav Sikora a Polish German forward who had previously played for Poland at the 1977 World Under 20 Championship Sikora became a naturalized citizen of West Germany and played in the first three games scoring a goal in a 3 1 win over Finland Following the game Finland launched a protest demanding that the result be over turned because the West Germans had used an ineligible player At the time players were not allowed to switch nationalities under any circumstances and the IIHF agreed to overturn the result and award the two points to Finland This angered West German officials who filed a protest in an Austrian court The court agreed with the West Germans overturning the IIHF decision and allowing them to keep their points The result affected the final standings because had the IIHF s decision stood Finland would have advanced to the medal round instead of Sweden 63 However the Finns finished out of the medal round and Sweden won their first gold medal since 1962 The tournament format also became controversial because the Soviet Union finished undefeated in the preliminary round but the Swedish team which had lost three games in the preliminary round won on goal differential because of a 9 0 win over Canada in the medal round 64 1989 1992 Fall of the Iron Curtain Edit Soviet forward Igor Larionov won four World Championships before departing to play in the NHL in 1989 65 Before 1989 players that lived in the Soviet Union Czechoslovakia and other nations behind the Iron Curtain were not allowed to leave and play in the NHL 66 In March 1989 Sergei Pryakhin became the first member of the Soviet national team who was permitted to play for a non Soviet team 67 Several Soviet players including Igor Larionov and Viacheslav Fetisov wanted to leave and play in the NHL Soviet officials agreed to allow players to leave if they played one final tournament with the national team Players agreed to this and the Soviet Union won its 21st World Championship 65 Shortly after Soviet players began to flood into the NHL 68 Many of the Soviet Union s top players left including the entire Green Unit Larionov Fetisov Vladimir Krutov Sergei Makarov and Alexei Kasatonov 69 The following year the Soviet team won their final title at the 1990 World Championships In 1991 Swedish forward Mats Sundin the first European player to be drafted first overall in the NHL led his team to the gold medal The Soviets won bronze the last medal the team would ever win 70 The Soviet Union dissolved in December 1991 Nine former Soviet republics became part of the IIHF and began competing in international competitions including Belarus Kazakhstan Latvia which returned after a 52 year long absence due to having been occupied by the Soviet Union and Ukraine the largest Russia succeeded the USSR With this flood of new teams the IIHF expanded the number of spots from eight to twelve 71 From 1963 to 1991 only four teams won a World Championship medal the Soviet Union Czechoslovakia failing to win a medal only three times Sweden and Canada The Soviets won a medal in every tournament they participated in 1954 to 1991 14 At the 1992 World Championships Sweden won their second consecutive gold Finland won the silver medal the nation s first ever World Championship medal the Finnish team had previously won a silver at the 1988 Winter Olympics 72 1993 present Edit Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in January 1993 The IIHF recognized the Czech Republic s team as the successor to Czechoslovakia and it retained its position in the top division Slovakia s team began in the lowest division Pool C in 1994 and was forced to work its way up 73 Following this the next decade was dominated by the so called Big Six Canada the Czech Republic Finland Russia Sweden and the United States 74 From 1992 to 1996 five different teams won the World Championship At the 1993 World Championships Russia won its first title as an independent nation and the Czech Republic won its first medal bronze 14 In 1994 the Canadian team finished the preliminary round undefeated and defeated Finland in the final to win their first World Championship since 1961 75 The following year in Sweden the Finnish team won its first ever World Championship Led by their top line of Saku Koivu Ville Peltonen and Jere Lehtinen the Finns defeated rival Sweden in the gold medal game 76 At the 1995 Pool B championships Slovakia led by Peter Stastny won Pool B and was promoted to the top division where it has remained ever since 77 In 1996 the Czech Republic won its first World Championship as a separate country During this period the United States was the only one of the Big Six not to win the World Championship 14 although they did win the 1996 World Cup of Hockey 78 and their bronze at that year s World Championship was their first medal since 1962 In the mid 1990s several new teams such as Slovakia Latvia Belarus Kazakhstan and Ukraine were quickly improving and older nations such as Austria France Italy Norway and Switzerland were at risk of being relegated to Pool B The IIHF feared that it would lose advertising revenue if that happened so the number of teams was increased to 16 starting in 1998 79 Alexander Semin scores a goal in the gold medal game between Canada and Russia at the 2008 World Championships From 1996 to 2001 the Czech Republic won six consecutive World Championship medals including World Championship gold from 1999 to 2001 as well as gold at the 1998 Winter Olympics 80 81 In 2002 the Czechs were favoured to win but were upset in the quarter final by Russia In the gold medal game between Russia and Slovakia Slovakian Peter Bondra scored in the final two minutes of the game and the nation won its first ever World Championship 82 At the 2003 World Championships Sweden made one of the biggest comebacks in tournament history rallying from a 5 1 deficit in their quarterfinal game against Finland to win 6 5 83 The gold medal game between Canada and Sweden went into overtime Canada s Anson Carter scored the winning goal 13 minutes into play but the goal had to be reviewed for ten minutes to determine if the puck had crossed the line 84 In a rematch of the two nations the following year Canada won and repeated as champions 85 The Czech ice hockey world champions at Old Town Square 2010 The 2004 05 NHL season was locked out and eventually cancelled because of a labour dispute between the league and the players 86 The 2005 World Championships which featured more top players than normal was won by the Czech Republic 87 At the 2006 Winter Olympics Sweden won the gold medal over Finland Three months later Sweden defeated the Czech Republic and won the 2006 World Championships They became the first team to win Olympic gold and a separate World Championship tournament in the same year 88 At the 2007 World Championship in Moscow Canada defeated Finland to win the gold medal 89 The following year the tournament was held in Canada for the first time Russia defeated the home team to win their first gold medal since 1993 90 The Russian team successfully defended their title with a 2 1 win over Canada in 2009 91 In 2009 NHL Players Association director Paul Kelly suggested that the World Championships be held every other year and that the NHL go on break to allow full player participation IIHF president Rene Fasel responded that the tournament has television contracts and hosting commitments and that a large change would be difficult to put in place 92 The 2010 tournament took place in Germany The first game between Germany and the United States was played at Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen and was attended by 77 803 people setting a new record for the most attended game in hockey history 93 The tournament was noted for having several surprising preliminary round results including Switzerland beating Canada for the first time in World Championship play 94 Norway defeating eventual champions the Czech Republic 95 and Denmark upsetting Finland and the United States en route to their first ever quarterfinal appearance 96 The German team which had finished 15th in 2009 and only avoided relegation to Division I because they were set to host the 2010 tournament advanced to the semi finals for the first time since the new playoff format was adapted 97 They finished fourth losing to Sweden in the bronze medal game In the gold medal game the Czech Republic defeated the Russian team winning gold 98 Finland gold medal celebrations at Market Square Helsinki 2011 The 2011 tournament was held in independent Slovakia for the first time Finland won its second world championship with a 6 1 victory over Sweden The Czech Republic won the bronze medal over Russia 99 The 2012 tournament was held in Sweden and Finland Russia beat Slovakia in the final while the Czech Republic beat Finland in the bronze medal game 100 In 2013 Switzerland finished the preliminary round undefeated before losing the gold medal game 5 1 to co hosts Sweden Switzerland s silver medal was the first for the nation since 1953 Sweden s gold made them the first team to win the tournament at home since the Soviet Union in 1986 101 The 2014 tournament was held for the first time in independent Belarus in spite of concerns of the human rights abuses perpetrated by the authoritarian government 102 The tournament saw more upsets by the less prominent ice hockey nations France had beaten Canada for the second time in the modern history and made it to the quarterfinals Eventual finalist Finland lost to Latvia and made it to the quarterfinals only due to a shootout win over Switzerland The tournament was won by Russia which had a stacked NHL squad compared to other teams who sent in younger players after the 2014 Winter Olympics Finland won silver and Sweden won bronze defeating the Czech Republic citation needed The 2015 tournament was held in Prague and Ostrava it was the most attended championship in history It was to be the last appearance of Jaromir Jagr on the Czech national hockey team and the home crowd had great expectations for its national team who had failed to win a gold medal since 2010 matching its longest run without a win since the break up of Czechoslovakia However the tournament was dominated by an excellent Canadian team which went undefeated and beat Russia 6 1 in the gold medal match Its captain Sidney Crosby joined the Triple Gold Club becoming the first player to achieve that honour as captain of each winning team The bronze was won by the United States leaving the Czechs with a second consecutive fourth place citation needed The 2020 tournament was cancelled due to the COVID 19 pandemic citation needed Tournament structure EditHistory Edit Members of the 2008 World Champion Russian team with President Dmitry Medvedev The first World Championship to be held as an individual event was in 1930 Twelve different nations participated Canada s team was given a bye to the gold medal game and the rest of the nations played an elimination tournament to determine which nation would also play for the gold 103 In 1931 the World Championships switched to a similar format to what was used at the Olympics Ten teams played series of round robin format qualifying rounds were played to determine which nations participated in the medal round Medals were awarded based on the final standings of the teams in the medal round 103 The format was changed several times in the 1930s in some years there was a gold medal game while in others the gold medal was awarded based on points 103 In 1937 the tournament format was again switched to being similar to the version used at the Olympics A preliminary round involving 11 teams was played then the top four advanced to the medal round and medals were awarded based on points no gold medal game was played A gold medal game was played in 1938 it was the last gold medal game played in the World Championships until 1992 103 Timing of annual Champion Group tournament In 1951 thirteen nations took part and were split into two groups The top seven teams Pool A played for the World Championship 103 The other six Pool B played for ranking purposes Generally eight teams played in the top level Championship although the number varied over the years going as low as three in 1953 and as high as twelve in 1959 The same format was used until 1992 103 The format was criticized because often the gold medal winner was decided before the final game was played such as at the 1988 Winter Olympics During a congress in 1990 the IIHF introduced a playoff system 22 104 As the IIHF grew more teams began to participate at the World Championships so more pools were introduced Pool C games were first played in 1961 and Pool D was introduced in 1987 105 In 2001 the pools were renamed Pool B became Division I Pool C became Division II and Pool D became Division III 106 107 Modern Champion Group Division I II and III format Edit The modern format for the World Championship features a minimum of 52 teams 16 teams in the main championship group 12 teams in Division I 12 teams in Division II and 12 teams in Division III If there are more than 52 teams the rest compete in Division IV From 2000 to 2011 the teams were divided into four groups and played each other in a round robin format preliminary round and the top 3 teams in each group advance into the qualifying round The qualifying round is another round of group play with two groups of six with the top four teams in each group advancing into the knockout playoff stage The bottom four teams in the preliminary round played in another group as well this group determined relegation After a round robin format the bottom two teams were usually relegated to play in Division I the following year 108 From 1998 and 2004 the IIHF held a Far East qualifying tournament for Asian teams with an automatic berth in the championship division on the line Japan always won this tournament but finished last at every World Championship except in 2004 when they finished 15th The IIHF discontinued the qualifying tournament following the 2004 tournament and Japan was relegated to compete in Division I 109 Champion group format from 2012 Edit The main group features 16 teams The 16 teams are split into two groups based on their world ranking The ranking is based on the standings of the last Winter Olympics and the last four World Championships The results of more recent tournaments have a higher weight in the ranking The last World Championship has 100 value the tournament before 75 and so on The Olympic tournament has the same value as the World Championship the same year 110 Beginning with the 2012 tournament the qualifying round was eliminated and the 16 teams divided into two groups of eight with each team playing seven games in the preliminary round The top four teams from these groups advanced to the knockout playoff stage In the quarterfinals the first place team from one group played the fourth place team from the opposite group and the second place team from one group played the third place team from the opposite group The winners advanced to the semi finals In cases where the quarter final venues were deemed too far apart to allow easy travel between them the teams stayed within their groups for the quarters The winners of the quarter finals advanced to the semi finals with the winners of the semi finals advancing to the gold medal game and the losers advancing to the bronze medal game 108 Also starting in 2012 the relegation round was eliminated Instead the eighth place team in each group was relegated to Division I 108 Division I II and III formats from 2012 Edit Division I is split into two groups of six both groups play in round robin tournaments independent of each other and the championship division Previously the top team from both groups was promoted to the championship while the bottom team was relegated to Division II Beginning in 2012 the top two teams from the A group were promoted to the championship the bottom team was exchanged with the group B winner and that group s last place team was sent to Division II Division II works similarly to Division I with two six team groups where group A promotes one team to Division I and group B exchanges its last placed team with Division III Division III is now composed of one group of six and if more than six nations register for this the lowest level then a qualification tournament will be held 111 112 Division IV from 2020 Edit The IIHF introduced Division IV in the 2020 tournament Kyrgyzstan hosted the 2022 Division IV Championship Rules EditGame rules Edit See also Ice hockey rules A game between Canada and Sweden during the 1928 Winter Olympics At the first tournament in 1920 there were many differences from the modern game games were played outdoors on natural ice forward passes were not allowed 113 the rink was 56x18 metres the current International standard is 61x30 metres and two twenty minute periods were played 15 Each side had seven players on the ice the extra position being the rover 22 Following the tournament the IIHF held a congress and decided to adopt the Canadian rules six men per side and three periods of play 113 At an IIHF congress in 1969 officials voted to allow body checking in all three zones in a rink similar to the NHL Prior to that body checking was only allowed in the defending zone in international hockey The IIHF later described the rule change as arguably the most substantial and dramatic rule changes in the history of international hockey because it allowed for a more aggressive game 114 The rule which was first applied at the 1970 World Championships was controversial IIHF president Bunny Ahearne feared it would make ice hockey a sport for goons 114 Several other rule changes were implemented in the early 1970s players were required to wear helmets starting in 1970 and goaltender masks became mandatory in 1972 22 In 1992 the IIHF switched to using a playoff system to determine medalists and decided that tie games in the medal round would be decided in a shootout 115 The IIHF decided to test a new rule in 1997 that would allow two line passes Prior to that the neutral zone trap had slowed the game down and reduced scoring At the 1997 World Championships teams were allowed to decide if they wanted to test the rule Although no team accepted the offer the rule was adopted The IIHF described it as the most revolutionary rule change since allowing body checking in all three zones in 1969 The new rule almost immediately changed the game for the better The 1999 IIHF World Championship in Norway was a stark contrast to the finals the year before with many more goals scored and with end to end action not defence dominating play 116 The current IIHF rules differ slightly from the rules used in the NHL 117 One difference between NHL and IIHF rules is rink dimensions the NHL rink is narrower measuring 61x26 metres 200x85 feet instead of the international size of 61x30 5metres 200x100feet 118 Another rule difference between the NHL and the IIHF rules concerns how icings are called As of the 2013 14 regular NHL season a linesman stops play due to icing using the hybrid icing method 119 instead of the former method where a defending player other than the goaltender touched the puck before an attacking player was able to 120 in contrast to the IIHF rules that use no touch icing where play is stopped the moment the puck crosses the goal line The NHL and IIHF differ also in penalty rules The NHL in addition to the minor and double minor penalties called in IIHF games calls major penalties which are more dangerous infractions of the rules such as fighting and have a duration of five minutes 121 This is in contrast to the IIHF rule in which players who fight are ejected from the game 122 Since the 2005 06 season the NHL instituted several new rules Some of them were already used by the IIHF such as the shootout and making the two line pass legal 123 Others which were not picked up by the IIHF such as requiring smaller goaltender equipment and the addition of the goaltender trapezoid to the rink 124 However the IIHF did agree to follow the NHL s league s zero tolerance policy on obstruction and required referees to call more hooking holding and interference penalties 125 126 In 2006 the IIHF voted to eliminate tie games and institute a three point system wins in regulation time would be worth three points overtime wins would be two points and over time losses would be worth one point The system was first used at the 2007 World Championships 127 Since 2019 the World Championships banned the shootout for the Gold Medal Game Multiple 20 minute golden goal overtime periods of 3 on 3 are played until whoever scores which wins the game Player eligibility Edit The World Championships have been open to all players both professional and amateur since 1977 59 The IIHF lists the following requirements for a player to be eligible to play 128 129 Each player must be under the jurisdiction of an IIHF member national association Each player must be a citizen of the country he represents Each player must be at least 18 years of age on the day the respective championship starts or be at least 16 and obtain an under age waiverIf a player who has never played in an IIHF competition changes their citizenship they must participate in national competitions in their new country for at least two consecutive years and have an international transfer card ITC 128 If a player who has previously played in an IIHF tournament wishes to change their national team they must have played in their new country for four years A player can only do this once 128 As this tournament takes place during the same time period as the NHL s Stanley Cup playoffs NHL players generally only become available if their respective NHL team missed the playoffs or once they have been eliminated from Stanley Cup contention It is therefore common for several NHL players to join the World Championships while the tournament is already in progress Divisions Edit Winners of the Ice Hockey World Championships with number of wins n 1 1 2 4 5 9 10 24 25 As of 2020 the IIHF World Championships are split up into five different divisions This is the alignment of the divisions accurate as of the 2018 IIHF World Ranking Teams that are not ranked are not included here for a full list of IIHF members see List of members of the International Ice Hockey Federation Keys Promoted Never been promoted relegated began in that division group RelegatedE G 1953 this means that the team was relegated to that division for the 1953 competition and have been there ever since Championship Edit See also List of IIHF World Championship medalists The Championship division comprises the top sixteen hockey nations in the world The 85th championship was held from 13 to 29 May 2022 in Tampere and Helsinki Finland 130 Teams for the 2023 IIHF World Championship were Nation Group as of 2023 IIHF Ranking as of May 2022 Member ofIIHF since Member ofdivision since Ref Austria Group A 15 1912 2022 131 Canada Group B 2 1920 1951 132 Czech Republic Group A 6 A 1908 A 1993 133 Denmark Group A 10 1946 2003 134 Finland Group A 1 1928 1951 135 France Group A 13 1908 2022 136 Germany Group A 9 1909 2007 137 Hungary Group B 20 1927 2023 138 Kazakhstan Group B 16 1992 2020 139 Latvia Group B 11 1931 1997 140 Norway Group B 12 1935 2006 141 Slovakia Group B 8 1993 1996 142 Slovenia Group B 19 1992 2023 143 Sweden Group A 5 1912 1951 144 Switzerland Group B 7 1908 1998 145 United States Group A 4 1920 1985 146 Belarus Suspended C 14 1992 2020 147 Russia Suspended C 3 B 1952 B 1992 148 A The IIHF recognizes Bohemia which joined in 1908 and Czechoslovakia as the predecessors to the Czech Republic which officially became a member in 1993 133 B The IIHF recognizes the Soviet Union which joined in 1952 as the predecessor to Russia which officially became a member in 1992 148 C On 28 February 2022 IIHF decided to expel Russia and Belarus from the tournament due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine 149 Division I Edit Main article IIHF World Championship Division I Division I comprises twelve teams Group A teams compete for promotion to the Elite Division with the loser being relegated to Division I Group B Group B teams compete for promotion to Division I Group A while the loser is relegated to Division II Group A In 2023 Group A games will be played in Nottingham United Kingdom from 29 April to 5 May and Group B games were played in Tallinn Estonia from 23 to 29 April Table updated 10 12 2022 Nation Group as of 2023 IIHF Ranking as of 2022 Member ofIIHF since Member ofdivision since Member ofgroup since Ref Great Britain Group A 18 1908 2023 2023 150 Italy Group A 17 1924 2023 2023 151 Lithuania Group A 23 1938 2005 2022 152 Poland Group A 22 1926 2003 2023 153 Romania Group A 24 1924 2018 2020 154 South Korea Group A 21 1960 2019 2019 155 China Group B 26 1963 2023 2023 156 Estonia Group B 28 1935 2015 2015 157 Japan Group B 25 1930 2005 2017 158 Netherlands Group B 29 1935 2023 2023 159 Serbia Group B 30 C 1939 D 2020 2020 160 Ukraine Group B 27 1992 2008 2018 161 D The IIHF recognizes Yugoslavia which joined in 1939 and Serbia and Montenegro as the predecessors to Serbia which officially became a member in 2007 160 162 Division II Edit Main article IIHF World Championship Division II Division II comprises twelve teams Group A teams compete for promotion to Division I Group B with the loser being relegated to Division II Group B Group B teams compete for promotion to Division II Group A while the loser is relegated to Division III In 2023 Group A games will be played in Madrid Spain from 16 to 22 April and Group B games will be played in Istanbul Turkey from 17 to 23 April Table updated 10 12 2022 Nation Group as of 2023 IIHF Ranking as of 2022 Member ofIIHF since Member ofdivision since Member ofgroup since Ref Australia Group A 36 1938 2013 2017 163 Croatia Group A 31 1992 2019 2019 164 Georgia Group A 41 2009 2019 2023 165 Iceland Group A 34 1992 2007 2023 166 Israel Group A 33 1991 2012 2020 167 Spain Group A 32 1923 2012 2019 168 Belgium Group B 40 1908 2005 2020 169 Bulgaria Group B 37 1960 2020 2020 170 Mexico Group B 35 1985 2006 2012 171 New Zealand Group B 42 1977 2010 2013 172 Turkey Group B 38 1991 2023 2023 173 United Arab Emirates Group B 43 2001 2023 2023 174 Division III Edit Main article IIHF World Championship Division III Division III comprises twelve teams Group A teams compete for promotion to Division II Group B with the loser being relegated to Division III Group B Group B teams compete for promotion to Division III Group A while the loser is relegated to Division IV In 2023 Group A games will be played in Cape Town South Africa from 17 to 23 April and Group B games will be played in Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina from 27 February to 5 March Table updated 10 12 2022 Nation Group as of 2023 IIHF Ranking as of 2022 Member ofIIHF since Member ofdivision since Member ofgroup since Ref Chinese Taipei Group A 39 1983 2017 2022 175 Luxembourg Group A 44 1912 2019 2022 176 North Korea Group A 45 1963 2020 2022 177 South Africa Group A 51 1937 2020 2023 178 Thailand Group A 46 1989 2019 2023 179 Turkmenistan Group A 48 2015 2019 2022 180 Bosnia and Herzegovina Group B 50 2001 2015 2022 181 Hong Kong China Group B 47 1983 2019 2022 182 Iran Group B 56 2019 2023 2023 Kyrgyzstan Group B 49 2019 2023 2023 183 Malaysia Group B 53 2006 2023 2023 184 Singapore Group B 55 2017 2023 2023 185 Division IV Edit Main article IIHF World Championship Division IV Division IV comprises four teams Teams compete for promotion to Division III Group B In 2023 games will be played in Ulaanbaatar Mongolia from 23 to 26 March Table updated 10 12 2022 Nation IIHF Ranking as of 2023 Member ofIIHF since Member ofdivision since Ref Indonesia N A 2016 2023 Kuwait 52 2018 2020 186 Mongolia N A 1999 2023 Philippines 54 2016 2023 187 Overall participation totals Edit86 championships as of 2023 67 teamsKey Current division if no window is coloured country doesn t play in any competition in the current year Team Top Division Division I Division II Division III Division IV Total Armenia 4 4 Australia 1 3 24 9 37 Austria 34 35 7 76 Belarus 20 5 2 27 Belgium 12 5 32 8 57 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4 4 Bulgaria 4 40 7 51 Canada 76 76 China 11 33 44 Chinese Taipei 5 5 Croatia 12 13 3 28 Czech Republic 30 30 Czechoslovakia 52 52 Denmark 21 14 20 55 East Germany 14 14 28 Estonia 19 8 1 28 Finland 69 69 France 34 18 15 67 Georgia 3 5 8 Germany 43 3 46 Great Britain 18 32 8 2 60 Greece 10 10 Hong Kong 7 7 Hungary 13 28 25 66 Iceland 19 4 23 Indonesia 1 1 Iran 1 1 2 Ireland 2 8 10 Israel 1 20 9 30 Italy 32 30 6 68 Japan 11 41 5 57 Kazakhstan 11 15 4 30 Kuwait 2 2 Kyrgyzstan 1 1 2 Latvia 31 3 1 35 Lithuania 1 19 6 2 28 Luxembourg 3 19 22 Malaysia 1 1 2 Mexico 18 3 21 Mongolia 4 1 5 Netherlands 4 41 15 60 New Zealand 16 9 25 North Korea 20 6 26 Norway 38 28 3 69 Philippines 1 1 Poland 29 45 74 Romania 8 36 19 1 64 Russia 29 29 Serbia 3 12 15 Serbia and Montenegro 9 2 11 Singapore 1 1 2 Slovakia 27 1 1 29 Slovenia 10 14 5 29 South Africa 12 18 30 South Korea 1 14 17 5 37 Soviet Union 34 34 Spain 1 30 8 39 Sweden 81 81 Switzerland 55 23 2 80 Thailand 2 2 Turkey 8 16 24 Turkmenistan 3 3 Ukraine 9 15 5 29 United Arab Emirates 1 6 7 United States 74 5 79 West Germany 24 6 30 Yugoslavia 1 23 7 31Directorate awards EditMain article List of IIHF World Championship directorate award winners Since 1954 the IIHF has given awards for play during the World Championship tournament Voted on by the tournament directorate the first awards recognised the top goaltender forward and defenceman 188 In 1999 an award for the most valuable player was added There is also an all star team voted on by members of the media In 2004 Canadian Dany Heatley became the first player to lead in scoring win the MVP award win the best forward award and be named to the all star team in the same year 189 He repeated the feat in 2008 190 See also EditList of IIHF World Championship medalists IIHF World Women s Championship Ice hockey at the Olympic Games 4 Nations Cup List of IIHF World Championships by attendance IIHF World Women s U18 Championships List of IIHF World Under 20 Championship medalists World Para Ice Hockey ChampionshipsNotes Edit Note that championships won by the Soviet Union are credited to Russia and those of Czechoslovakia are counted for the Czech Republic References Edit MacSkimming 1996 p 8 sfn error no target CITEREFMacSkimming1996 help IIHF World Men s Championship Hockey Canada Archived from the original on 19 August 2007 Retrieved 12 May 2008 NHL announces World Cup of Hockey for 2016 The Canadian Press 24 January 2015 Archived from the original on 25 January 2018 Retrieved 31 January 2015 Sidney Crosby gets apology from hockey federation The Star Toronto Star 20 May 2010 Archived from the original on 29 December 2017 Retrieved 29 December 2017 It all started in Paris 1908 International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 23 July 2018 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Farrell Arthur 1899 Hockey Canada s Royal Winter Game 27 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Wong 2001 pp 41 45 Wong 2001 p 99 Wong 2001 pp 127 128 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 84 A Swiss Alpine village sees the dawn of international hockey International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 3 March 2016 Retrieved 1 March 2009 McGourty John 26 November 2006 NHL celebrates 90th anniversary today National Hockey League Archived from the original on 7 June 2020 Retrieved 10 March 2009 It all started in Les Avants 1910 International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 25 September 2017 Retrieved 10 March 2009 1908 1913 Home 16 May 1908 Archived from the original on 16 April 2023 Retrieved 16 April 2023 a b c d e f g h IIHF World Championships International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 26 November 2009 Retrieved 25 April 2011 a b Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 21 Ice Hockey debuts at the Olympics International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 16 September 2017 Retrieved 10 March 2009 1920 Summer Olympics VII Antwerp Belgium The Sports Network Archived from the original on 27 August 2008 Retrieved 1 March 2009 United States is second at hockey Victory Over Czechoslovak Team by 16 to 0 Gives Americans 3 Points in Olympics The New York Times 29 April 1920 Archived from the original on 5 September 2009 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Chamonix 1924 International Olympic Committee Archived from the original on 21 April 2008 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 53 Harry Watson scores at will in Olympics International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 23 July 2018 Retrieved 1 March 2009 1928 Winter Olympics II St Moritz Switzerland The Sports Network Archived from the original on 3 September 2009 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Comite Olympique Suisse 1928 Rapport General du Comite Executif des IImes Jeux Olympiques d hiver PDF in French Lausanne Imprimerie du Leman Archived from the original PDF on 10 April 2008 Retrieved 10 March 2009 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help a b c d e International hockey timeline International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 14 July 2018 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Holland Dave 2008 Canada on Ice The World Hockey Championships 1920 2008 Canada on Ice productions pp 30 31 ISBN 978 0 9808936 0 1 Holland Dave 2008 Canada on Ice The World Hockey Championships 1920 2008 Canada on Ice productions pp 32 33 ISBN 978 0 9808936 0 1 Holland Dave 2008 Canada on Ice The World Hockey Championships 1920 2008 Canada on Ice productions pp 34 35 ISBN 978 0 9808936 0 1 1932 Winter Olympics III Lake Placid United States The Sports Network Archived from the original on 3 September 2009 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 78 USA wins its first and so far only Worlds in 1933 denying Canada for the first time International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 23 February 2014 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 15 Great Britain wins Olympic gold International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 26 February 2014 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Historia in Finnish Finnish Ice Hockey Association Archived from the original on 6 October 2008 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Carl Diem ed January 1940 The Fifth Olympic Winter Games Will Not Be Held PDF Olympic Review Berlin International Olympic Institute 8 8 10 Archived from the original PDF on 10 April 2008 Retrieved 10 March 2009 a b Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 82 USA sends two teams to the 1948 Olympics International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 26 May 2011 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Ice Hockey at the 1948 Sankt Moritz Winter Games Men s Ice Hockey sports reference com Archived from the original on 3 September 2009 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Comite Olympique Suisse January 1951 Rapport General sur les Ves Jeux Olympiques d hiver St Moritz 1948 PDF in French Lausanne H Jaunin 69 Archived from the original PDF on 10 April 2008 Retrieved 10 March 2009 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help 1952 Winter Olympics VI Oslo Norway The Sports Network Archived from the original on 4 June 2011 Retrieved 1 March 2009 a b Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 57 Tre Kronor s win over Canada becomes sports lore in Sweden International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 14 May 2014 Retrieved 10 March 2009 a b c Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 4 Soviets hammer Canada win gold at their first Worlds International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 20 February 2014 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 94 Penticton Vees defeat Soviets to reclaim World Championship gold International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 6 June 2014 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 25 Soviet Union win their first Olympics starting a new hockey era International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 21 February 2014 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 71 Worlds final in front of 50 000 fans at soccer stadiuma International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 6 June 2014 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 16 USA s original but unheralded Miracle on Ice International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 30 March 2010 Retrieved 1 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 66 Trail Smoke Eaters gold ends hockey s amateur era International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 8 January 2008 Retrieved 1 March 2009 Father David Bauer Legends of Hockey Hockey Hall of Fame Archived from the original on 6 January 2006 Retrieved 12 March 2009 1964 Winter Olympics IX Innsbruck Austria The Sports Network Archived from the original on 3 September 2009 Retrieved 10 March 2009 64 Team Canada gets bronze medals The Sports Network 30 April 2005 Archived from the original on 3 September 2009 Retrieved 10 March 2009 1964 Canadian Olympic hockey team to be honoured CBC Sports 29 April 2005 Archived from the original on 4 November 2012 Retrieved 10 March 2009 IIHF denies Canada 1964 bronze The Sports Network 5 June 2005 Archived from the original on 3 September 2009 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Houston William 21 September 2005 IIHF backs off on giving Canadians 1964 bronze medal The Globe and Mail Archived from the original on 15 September 2016 Retrieved 28 January 2019 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 81 Czechoslovakia snaps Soviets six year winning streak International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 8 August 2014 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Xth Winter Olympic Games Official Report PDF Comite d Organisation des xemes Jeux Olympiques d Hiver de Grenoble 1969 386 Archived from the original PDF on 26 February 2008 Retrieved 10 March 2009 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help a b Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 5 1972 Soviet streak of nine straight World golds ends International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 29 April 2014 Retrieved 10 March 2009 a b c Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 18 Two games Czechoslovakia simply couldn t lose International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 8 August 2014 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Record book International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 11 May 2009 Retrieved 11 March 2009 a b c Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 17 Protesting amateur rules Canada leaves international hockey International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 10 October 2017 Retrieved 10 March 2009 a b Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 40 Finally Canada to host the World Championship International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 10 October 2017 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Summit Series 72 Summary Hockey Hall of Fame Archived from the original on 7 August 2008 Retrieved 2 March 2009 a b Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 67 The perfect game against the best team Czechoslovaks Soviets 7 2 International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 13 December 2014 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 39 Poland scores biggest shocker in World Championship history International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 12 March 2008 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 6 First Canada Cup opens up the hockey world International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 7 August 2017 Retrieved 10 March 2009 a b Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 13 After a seven year absence Canada returns to the Worlds Archived from the original on 26 February 2014 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 91 The World U20 Championship takes its place on the IIHF calendar Archived from the original on 2 May 2008 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Canada blanks U S to win Under 18 gold The Sports Network 12 August 2006 Retrieved 13 March 2009 permanent dead link Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 62 Soviets revenge for Lake Placid 13 1 over Sweden Archived from the original on 14 February 2014 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 29 Sikora case Vienna court decides the 1987 Worlds medal race Archived from the original on 14 April 2014 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 44 Amid turmoil Sweden wins first gold in a quarter of a century Archived from the original on 14 April 2014 Retrieved 10 March 2009 a b Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 65 Igor Larionov openly revolts against coach system Archived from the original on 13 December 2014 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Pincus 2006 p 148 Boer 2006 p 104 Duhatschek Eric 18 June 1989 GMs figure Soviets one day will flood market Calgary Herald p E4 Sweeping Changes Sports Illustrated 27 September 2002 Archived from the original on 18 February 2008 Retrieved 8 August 2008 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 32 Sundin s marvellous goal ends Soviet Union s hockey era Archived from the original on 13 December 2014 Retrieved 10 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 42 Breakup of old Europe creates a new hockey world International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 10 October 2017 Retrieved 11 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 95 1988 Olympic silver Finland is finally a true hockey power International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 13 December 2014 Retrieved 11 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 77 Recently separated Czechs and Slovaks meet in World Championships final International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 13 December 2014 Retrieved 11 March 2009 Lapointe Joe 11 February 2002 Olympics Hockey N H L and Its Teams Send Players to Bench The New York Times Archived from the original on 19 October 2021 Retrieved 11 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 45 Luc Robitaille the hero as Canada wins first World Championship in 33 years International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 2 April 2015 Retrieved 11 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 26 Tupu Hupu amp Lupu take Finland to the top of the World International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 4 October 2017 Retrieved 11 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 75 At 39 Peter Stastny closes circle and promotes his country to the A Pool International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 2 April 2015 Retrieved 11 March 2009 Lapointe Joe 16 September 1996 Maple Leaf Wilts Under Stars amp Stripes The New York Times Archived from the original on 29 April 2023 Retrieved 11 March 2009 Gibbons Dennis 2001 Preview of the 2001 IIHF World Championship Hockey Canada Archived from the original on 17 July 2012 Retrieved 11 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 10 Czech Republic wins first open Olympics International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 13 December 2014 Retrieved 11 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 64 Moravec s OT winner cements Czech dominance International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 3 April 2015 Retrieved 11 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 22 Bondra s bomb the biggest thing for Slovakia since independence International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 13 December 2014 Retrieved 11 March 2009 As good as it gets Sports Illustrated Associated Press 9 May 2003 Archived from the original on 29 June 2011 Canada clinch world title BBC Sports 11 May 2003 Archived from the original on 21 April 2019 Retrieved 11 March 2009 Bulman Erica 9 May 2004 Canada beats Sweden for 23rd world hockey title USA Today Archived from the original on 20 March 2009 Retrieved 11 March 2009 IIHF not giving up on NHLers in Turin The Sports Network The Canadian Press 3 January 2005 Archived from the original on 3 September 2009 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Marrapese Burrell Nancy 16 May 2005 Canada checks out Czechs derail three peat try Boston Globe Archived from the original on 3 April 2015 Retrieved 11 March 2009 Sweden Wins World Hockey Title The New York Times Associated Press 22 May 2006 Archived from the original on 17 April 2009 Retrieved 11 March 2009 Canada wins world hockey championship CBC Sports 13 May 2007 Archived from the original on 4 November 2012 Retrieved 11 March 2009 Russia beats Canada 5 4 in overtime to win world title International Herald Tribune 19 May 2008 Retrieved 11 March 2009 Russia tops Canada defends world title ESPN 10 May 2009 Archived from the original on 4 April 2015 Retrieved 31 December 2009 Johnston Chris 8 May 2009 Future of international hockey debated at world championship CTV Olympics Archived from the original on 11 May 2009 Retrieved 8 May 2009 Germany beats US in OT before record hockey crowd at worlds The Sports Network The Canadian Press 7 May 2010 Archived from the original on 29 June 2011 Retrieved 20 May 2010 Switzerland pick up first ever win over Canada at Worlds The Sports Network The Canadian Press 12 May 2010 Archived from the original on 15 May 2010 Retrieved 20 May 2010 Russia Sweden reach second round at WHC Norway beats Czechs The Sports Network The Canadian Press 11 May 2010 Archived from the original on 29 June 2011 Retrieved 20 May 2010 Fasel happy with Germany 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation 20 May 2010 Archived from the original on 23 May 2010 Retrieved 20 May 2010 Podnieks Andrew 20 May 2010 Miracle at Mannheim International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 24 May 2010 Retrieved 21 May 2010 WHC Czechs upset Russia for gold Sweden takes bronze The Sports Network Associated Press 23 May 2010 Archived from the original on 26 May 2010 Retrieved 23 May 2010 Finland defeats Sweden for gold at World Hockey Championship The Sports Network Associated Press 15 May 2011 Archived from the original on 18 May 2011 Retrieved 15 May 2011 Chris Johnston 20 May 2012 Russia cruises to world championship gold Ottawa Citizen Archived from the original on 30 May 2012 Retrieved 20 May 2012 Sweden defeats Switzerland to win Worlds Gold at Home The Sports Network 19 May 2013 Archived from the original on 8 June 2013 Retrieved 19 May 2013 Hockey championship in Belarus Lukashenko puts activists on ice Archived from the original on 9 August 2018 Retrieved 19 December 2015 a b c d e f World Championship statistics PDF Press release Hockey Canada Archived from the original on 26 October 2009 Retrieved 11 March 2009 Must be downloaded from link Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 89 Finally there s a real final game The IIHF adopts a playoff system International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 2 May 2008 Retrieved 3 March 2009 Hong Kong in over its head in Pool D The Atlanta Journal 20 February 1988 IIHF Championships 2000 International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 9 May 2009 Retrieved 11 March 2009 IIHF Championships 2001 International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 30 October 2009 Retrieved 11 March 2009 a b c Format amp Rules International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 3 May 2012 Retrieved 15 May 2012 Edvinsson Jan Ake ed November 2003 News release Hockey fans are the best in the world PDF Ice Times International Ice Hockey Federation 7 5 11 Archived from the original PDF on 18 March 2009 Retrieved 12 March 2009 2008 Men s World Ranking International Ice Hockey Federation 2008 Archived from the original on 1 March 2018 Changes in World Structure International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 2 August 2011 Retrieved 25 January 2012 Championships International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 27 June 2018 a b Hansen Kenth May 1996 The Birth of Swedish Ice Hockey Antwerp 1920 PDF Citius Altius Fortius International Society of Olympic Historians 4 2 5 27 Archived from the original PDF on 26 February 2009 a b Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 19 IIHF allows bodychecking in all three zones International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 16 September 2017 Retrieved 10 March 2009 All game winning shot competitions shootouts PDF International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original PDF on 18 March 2009 Retrieved 12 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 27 Dropping the red line allowing the two line pass changes the Game International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 16 September 2017 Retrieved 11 March 2009 IIHF Rule Book International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 29 January 2019 Retrieved 28 January 2019 VANOC shrinks Olympic ice The Vancouver Sun Canadian Online Explorer 24 February 2009 Archived from the original on 25 December 2018 Retrieved 11 March 2009 Rosen Dan 30 September 2013 Hybrid icing tops list of rule changes for 2013 14 National Hockey League Archived from the original on 11 January 2016 Retrieved 18 February 2014 Icing the puck National Hockey League 2005 Archived from the original on 3 September 2009 Retrieved 8 June 2006 Major penalties National Hockey League 2005 Archived from the original on 23 April 2006 Retrieved 8 June 2006 Ice Hockey Essentials International vs NHL CBC Sports 2006 Archived from the original on 3 September 2009 Retrieved 12 March 2009 Burnside Scott 25 July 2005 Rule changes geared toward entertainment ESPN Archived from the original on 3 February 2016 Retrieved 12 March 2009 Olympics vs National Hockey League How the rules are different ESPN 16 December 2005 Archived from the original on 11 January 2016 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Burnside Scott 14 December 2005 Tough test for Turin cap on the brain ESPN Archived from the original on 11 January 2016 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 31 Zebras told to crackdown once and for all International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 16 September 2017 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Szemberg Szymon Podnieks Andrew 2008 Story 93 Tie games are history a win earns three points for teams International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 12 June 2008 Retrieved 10 March 2009 a b c IIHF Eligibility International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 27 April 2009 Retrieved 11 March 2009 IIHF Statutes and Bylaws PDF International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original PDF on 27 October 2011 Retrieved 17 January 2012 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Finland International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 1 June 2022 Retrieved 3 June 2022 Austria International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 25 December 2017 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Canada International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 14 August 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 a b Czech Republic International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 9 May 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Denmark International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 22 May 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Finland International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 4 May 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 France International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 28 June 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Germany International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 24 December 2017 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Italy International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 28 June 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Kazakhstan International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 16 August 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Latvia International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 12 December 2017 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Norway International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 22 May 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Slovakia International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 22 May 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Slovenia International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 24 May 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Sweden International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 18 September 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Switzerland International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 18 September 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 United States International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 30 June 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Belarus International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 22 June 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 a b Russia International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 18 September 2017 Retrieved 8 March 2009 IIHF IIHF Council takes definitive action over Russia Belarus IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 28 February 2022 Retrieved 28 February 2022 Great Britain International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 26 August 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Italy International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 28 June 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Lithuania International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 22 May 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Poland International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 24 July 2017 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Romania International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 7 July 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Korea International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 22 May 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 China International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 28 June 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Estonia International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 30 August 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Japan International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 17 August 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Netherlands International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 22 May 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 a b Serbia International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 20 April 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Ukraine International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 26 June 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 1934 1945 International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 29 June 2011 Retrieved 18 March 2008 Australia International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 1 June 2013 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Croatia International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 15 April 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Georgia International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 22 May 2018 Retrieved 19 May 2013 Iceland International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 17 October 2017 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Israel International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 1 December 2017 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Spain International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 18 April 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Belgium International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 10 January 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Bulgaria International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 27 June 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 Mexico International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 22 May 2018 Retrieved 8 March 2009 New Zealand International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 18 March 2018, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.