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World Championship
2023 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships
Praha, magistrát na Mariánském náměstí, pohár pro mistra světa IIHF v ledním hokeji (2)
Sport Ice hockey
Founded [[1920 (1920 Summer Olympics)
1930 (First individual event)]]
No. of teams 16 in the Top Division
12 in Division I
12 in Division II
10 in Division III
4 in Division IV
Country(ies) IIHF member countries
Continent Worldwide
Most recent champion(s) Flag of Canada Canada (28th title)
Most championship(s) Flag of Canada Canada (28 titles)

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.

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[]

České hokejové mužstvo - mistr Evropy 1911

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
Winnipegfalcons

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[]

Black and white photo of hockey team standing in a row on the ice

Finland national team at the 1939 World Championships

1947 IIHF World Championship Gold Medal

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 the Edmonton Mercurys

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[]

Moscow (3)

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.

1954 World Ice Hockey Championships Canada vs Soviet

The game between Canada and the Soviet Union at the 1954 World Championships, which the Soviets won 7–2.

Tribune Russian vs Canada

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[]

Dbauer44

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

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[]

Igor Larionov3-2008-11-21

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 first goal in final 2008 IIHF World Championship

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]

Vladimir Ruzicka and Czech ice hockey team 2010

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]

2011 IIHF World Championship gold medal celebrations in Helsinki

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[]

Dmitry Medvedev 20 May 2008-2

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]

Chart of Terms

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
Bundesarchiv Bild 102-05472, St

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[]

Map of winners of the Ice Hockey World Championships

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:

Green-Up-Arrow Promoted
Disc Plain yellow dark Never been promoted/relegated (began in that division/group)
RedDownArrow Relegated

E.G. ;RedDownArrow 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.
Flag of Austria Austria Group A 15 1912 Green-Up-Arrow 2022 [131]
Flag of Canada Canada Group B 2 1920 Disc Plain yellow dark 1951 [132]
Flag of the Czech Republic Czech Republic Group A 6 [A]1908[A] Disc Plain yellow dark 1993 [133]
Flag of Denmark Denmark Group A 10 1946 Green-Up-Arrow 2003 [134]
Flag of Finland Finland Group A 1 1928 Disc Plain yellow dark 1951 [135]
Flag of France France Group A 13 1908 Green-Up-Arrow 2022 [136]
Flag of Germany Germany Group A 9 1909 Green-Up-Arrow 2007 [137]
Flag of Hungary Hungary Group B 20 1927 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 [138]
Flag of Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Group B 16 1992 Green-Up-Arrow 2020 [139]
Flag of Latvia Latvia Group B 11 1931 Green-Up-Arrow 1997 [140]
Flag of Norway Norway Group B 12 1935 Green-Up-Arrow 2006 [141]
Flag of Slovakia Slovakia Group B 8 1993 Green-Up-Arrow 1996 [142]
Flag of Slovenia Slovenia Group B 19 1992 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 [143]
Flag of Sweden Sweden Group A 5 1912 Disc Plain yellow dark 1951 [144]
Flag of Switzerland Switzerland Group B 7 1908 Green-Up-Arrow 1998 [145]
Flag of the United States United States of America Group A 4 1920 Green-Up-Arrow 1985 [146]
Flag of Belarus Belarus Suspended[C] 14 1992 Green-Up-Arrow 2020 [147]
Flag of Russia Russia Suspended[C] 3 [B]1952[B] Disc Plain yellow dark 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[]

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.
Flag of the United Kingdom Great Britain Group A 18 1908 RedDownArrow 2023 RedDownArrow 2023 [150]
Flag of Italy Italy Group A 17 1924 RedDownArrow 2023 RedDownArrow 2023 [151]
Flag of Lithuania Lithuania Group A 23 1938 Green-Up-Arrow 2005 Green-Up-Arrow 2022 [152]
Flag of Poland Poland Group A 22 1926 RedDownArrow 2003 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 [153]
Flag of Romania Romania Group A 24 1924 Green-Up-Arrow 2018 Green-Up-Arrow 2020 [154]
Flag of Korea South Korea Group A 21 1960 RedDownArrow 2019 RedDownArrow 2019 [155]
Flag of China China Group B 26 1963 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 [156]
Flag of Estonia Estonia Group B 28 1935 Green-Up-Arrow 2015 Green-Up-Arrow 2015 [157]
Flag of Japan Japan Group B 25 1930 RedDownArrow 2005 RedDownArrow 2017 [158]
Flag of the Netherlands Netherlands Group B 29 1935 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 [159]
Flag of Serbia Serbia Group B 30 [C]1939[D] Green-Up-Arrow 2020 Green-Up-Arrow 2020 [160]
Flag of Ukraine Ukraine Group B 27 1992 RedDownArrow 2008 RedDownArrow 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[]

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.
Flag of Australia Australia Group A 36 1938 RedDownArrow 2013 Green-Up-Arrow 2017 [163]
Flag of Croatia Croatia Group A 31 1992 RedDownArrow 2019 RedDownArrow 2019 [164]
Flag of Georgia Georgia Group A 41 2009 Green-Up-Arrow 2019 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 [165]
Flag of Iceland Iceland Group A 34 1992 Green-Up-Arrow 2007 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 [166]
Flag of Israel Israel Group A 33 1991 Green-Up-Arrow 2012 Green-Up-Arrow 2020 [167]
Flag of Spain Spain Group A 32 1923 RedDownArrow 2012 Green-Up-Arrow 2019 [168]
Flag of Belgium Belgium Group B 40 1908 RedDownArrow 2005 RedDownArrow2020 [169]
Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria Group B 37 1960 Green-Up-Arrow 2020 Green-Up-Arrow 2020 [170]
Flag of Mexico Mexico Group B 35 1985 Green-Up-Arrow 2006 Disc Plain yellow dark 2012 [171]
Flag of New Zealand New Zealand Group B 42 1977 Green-Up-Arrow 2010 RedDownArrow 2013 [172]
Flag of Turkey Turkey Group B 38 1991 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 [173]
Flag of the United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates Group B 43 2001 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 [174]

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.
Flag of Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei Group A 39 1983 Disc Plain yellow dark 2017 Disc Plain yellow dark 2022 [175]
Flag of Luxembourg Luxembourg Group A 44 1912 RedDownArrow 2019 Disc Plain yellow dark 2022 [176]
Flag of North Korea North Korea Group A 45 1963 RedDownArrow 2020 Disc Plain yellow dark 2022 [177]
Flag of South Africa South Africa Group A 51 1937 RedDownArrow 2020 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 [178]
Flag of Thailand Thailand Group A 46 1989 Disc Plain yellow dark 2019 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 [179]
Flag of Turkmenistan Turkmenistan Group A 48 2015 Green-Up-Arrow 2019 Disc Plain yellow dark 2022 [180]
Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Group B 50 2001 Disc Plain yellow dark 2015 Disc Plain yellow dark 2022 [181]
Flag of Hong Kong Hong Kong, China Group B 47 1983 RedDownArrow 2019 Disc Plain yellow dark 2022 [182]
Iran Group B 56 2019 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 Green-Up-Arrow 2023
Flag of Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan Group B 49 2019 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 [183]
Flag of Malaysia Malaysia Group B 53 2006 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 [184]
Flag of Singapore Singapore Group B 55 2017 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 Green-Up-Arrow 2023 [185]

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.
Flag of Indonesia Indonesia N/A 2016 Disc Plain yellow dark 2023
Flag of Kuwait Kuwait 52 2018 RedDownArrow 2020 [186]
Flag of Mongolia Mongolia N/A 1999 Disc Plain yellow dark 2023
Flag of Philippines Philippines 54 2016 Disc Plain yellow dark 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
Flag of Armenia Armenia 4 4
Flag of Australia Australia 1 3 24 9 37
Flag of Austria Austria 34 35 7 76
Flag of Belarus Belarus 20 5 2 27
Flag of Belgium Belgium 12 5 32 8 57
Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina 4 4
Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria 4 40 7 51
Flag of Canada Canada 76 76
Flag of China China 11 33 44
Flag of Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei 5 5
Flag of Croatia Croatia 12 13 3 28
Flag of the Czech Republic Czech Republic 30 30
Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia 52 52
Flag of Denmark Denmark 21 14 20 55
Flag of East Germany East Germany 14 14 28
Flag of Estonia Estonia 19 8 1 28
Flag of Finland Finland 69 69
Flag of France France 34 18 15 67
Flag of Georgia Georgia 3 5 8
Flag of Germany Germany 43 3 46
Flag of Great Britain United Kingdom 18 32 8 2 60
Flag of Greece Greece 10 10
Flag of Hong Kong Hong Kong 7 7
Flag of Hungary Hungary 13 28 25 66
Flag of Iceland Iceland 19 4 23
Flag of Indonesia Indonesia 1 1
Flag of Iran Iran 1 1 2
Flag of Ireland Ireland 2 8 10
Flag of Israel Israel 1 20 9 30
Flag of Italy Italy 32 30 6 68
Flag of Japan Japan 11 41 5 57
Flag of Kazakhstan Kazakhstan 11 15 4 30
Flag of Kuwait [[Kuwait {{{altlink}}}|Kuwait]] 2 2
Flag of Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan 1 1 2
Flag of Latvia Latvia 31 3 1 35
Flag of Lithuania Lithuania 1 19 6 2 28
Flag of Luxembourg Luxembourg 3 19 22
Flag of Malaysia Malaysia 1 1 2
Flag of Mexico Mexico 18 3 21
Flag of Mongolia Mongolia 4 1 5
Flag of the Netherlands Netherlands 4 41 15 60
Flag of New Zealand New Zealand 16 9 25
Flag of North Korea North Korea 20 6 26
Flag of Norway Norway 38 28 3 69
Flag of Philippines Philippines 1 1
Flag of Poland Poland 29 45 74
Flag of Romania Romania 8 36 19 1 64
Flag of Russia Russia 29 29
Flag of Serbia Serbia 3 12 15
Flag of Serbia and Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro 9 2 11
Flag of Singapore 1 1 2
Flag of Slovakia Slovakia 27 1 1 29
Flag of Slovenia Slovenia 10 14 5 29
Flag of South Africa South Africa 12 18 30
Flag of Korea South Korea 1 14 17 5 37
Flag of the Soviet Union Soviet Union 34 34
Flag of Spain Spain 1 30 8 39
Flag of Sweden Sweden 81 81
Flag of Switzerland Switzerland 55 23 2 80
Flag of Thailand Thailand 2 2
Flag of Turkey Turkey 8 16 24
Flag of Turkmenistan Turkmenistan 3 3
Flag of Ukraine Ukraine 9 15 5 29
Flag of the United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates 1 6 7
Flag of the United States United States of America 74 5 79
Flag of Germany Federal Republic of Germany 24 6 30
Flag of SFR Yugoslavia Yugoslavia 1 23 7 31

Directorate awards[]

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[]

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  2. "IIHF World Men's Championship", Hockey Canada. 
  3. NHL announces World Cup of Hockey for 2016 (24 January 2015).
  4. Sidney Crosby gets apology from hockey federation – The Star (20 May 2010).
  5. It all started in Paris, 1908.
  6. Farrell, Arthur (1899). "Hockey: Canada's Royal Winter Game". 
  7. Wong 2001, pp. 41–45
  8. Wong 2001, p. 99
  9. Wong 2001, pp. 127–128
  10. Story #84–A Swiss Alpine village sees the dawn of international hockey (2008).
  11. McGourty, John (26 November 2006). NHL celebrates 90th anniversary today.
  12. It all started in Les Avants, 1910.
  13. 1908-1913 (May 16, 1908).
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7 IIHF World Championships.
  15. 15.0 15.1 Story #21–Ice Hockey debuts at the Olympics (2008).
  16. 1920 – Summer Olympics VII (Antwerp, Belgium). The Sports Network.
  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).
  18. Chamonix 1924. International Olympic Committee.
  19. Story #53–Harry Watson scores at will in Olympics (2008).
  20. 1928 – Winter Olympics II (St. Moritz, Switzerland). The Sports Network.
  21. Comité Olympique Suisse (1928). "Rapport Général du Comité Exécutif des IImes Jeux Olympiques d'hiver" (in fr). Lausanne: Imprimerie du Léman. 
  22. 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 International hockey timeline.
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  24. Holland, Dave (2008). Canada on Ice; The World Hockey Championships, 1920–2008. Canada on Ice productions, 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, 34–35. ISBN 978-0-9808936-0-1. 
  26. 1932 – Winter Olympics III (Lake Placid, United States). The Sports Network.
  27. Story #78–USA wins its first and so far only Worlds in 1933, denying Canada for the first time (2008).
  28. Story #15–Great Britain wins Olympic gold (2008).
  29. Historia (fi). Finnish Ice Hockey Association.
  30. (January 1940) "The Fifth Olympic Winter Games Will Not Be Held". Olympic Review (8): 8–10. Berlin: International Olympic Institute. 
  31. 31.0 31.1 Story #82–USA sends two teams to the 1948 Olympics (2008).
  32. Ice Hockey at the 1948 Sankt Moritz Winter Games: Men's Ice Hockey. sports-reference.com.
  33. Comité Olympique Suisse (January 1951). "Rapport Général sur les Ves Jeux Olympiques d'hiver St-Moritz 1948" (in fr): 69. Lausanne: H. Jaunin. 
  34. 1952 – Winter Olympics VI (Oslo, Norway). The Sports Network.
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  36. 36.0 36.1 36.2 Story #4–Soviets hammer Canada, win gold at their first Worlds (2008).
  37. Story #94–Penticton Vees defeat Soviets to reclaim World Championship gold (2008).
  38. Story #25–Soviet Union win their first Olympics, starting a new hockey era (2008).
  39. Story #71–Worlds final in front of 50,000 fans at soccer stadiuma (2008).
  40. Story #16–USA's original but unheralded "Miracle on Ice" (2008).
  41. Story #66–Trail Smoke Eaters' gold ends hockey's amateur era (2008).
  42. Father David Bauer. Legends of Hockey. Hockey Hall of Fame.
  43. 1964 – Winter Olympics IX (Innsbruck, Austria). The Sports Network.
  44. '64 Team Canada gets bronze medals. The Sports Network (30 April 2005).
  45. "1964 Canadian Olympic hockey team to be honoured", CBC Sports, 29 April 2005. 
  46. IIHF denies Canada 1964 bronze. The Sports Network (5 June 2005).
  47. Houston, William. "IIHF backs off on giving Canadians 1964 bronze medal", The Globe and Mail, 21 September 2005. 
  48. Story #81–Czechoslovakia snaps Soviets' six-year winning streak (2008).
  49. (1969) "Xth Winter Olympic Games Official Report": 386. Comité d'Organisation des xèmes Jeux Olympiques d'Hiver de Grenoble. 
  50. 50.0 50.1 Story #5–1972 – Soviet streak of nine straight World golds ends (2008).
  51. 51.0 51.1 51.2 Story #18–Two games Czechoslovakia simply couldn't lose (2008).
  52. Record book.
  53. 53.0 53.1 53.2 Story #17–Protesting amateur rules, Canada leaves international hockey (2008).
  54. 54.0 54.1 Story #40–Finally, Canada to host the World Championship (2008).
  55. "Summit Series '72 Summary", Hockey Hall of Fame. 
  56. 56.0 56.1 Story #67–The perfect game against the best team: Czechoslovaks-Soviets 7–2 (2008).
  57. Story #39–Poland scores biggest shocker in World Championship history (2008).
  58. Story #6–First Canada Cup opens up the hockey world (2008).
  59. 59.0 59.1 Story #13–After a seven-year absence, Canada returns to the Worlds (2008).
  60. Story #91–The World U20 Championship takes its place on the IIHF calendar (2008).
  61. Canada blanks U.S. to win Under-18 gold. The Sports Network (12 August 2006).[dead link]
  62. Story #62–Soviets' revenge for Lake Placid – 13–1 over Sweden (2008).
  63. Story #29–"Sikora case" – Vienna court decides the 1987 Worlds medal race (2008).
  64. Story #44–Amid turmoil, Sweden wins first gold in a quarter of a century (2008).
  65. 65.0 65.1 Story #65–Igor Larionov openly revolts against coach, system (2008).
  66. Pincus 2006, p. 148
  67. Boer 2006, p. 104
  68. Duhatschek, Eric. "GMs figure Soviets one day will flood market", 18 June 1989, p. E4. 
  69. (27 September 2002) "Sweeping Changes". 
  70. Story #32–Sundin's marvellous goal ends Soviet Union's hockey era (2008).
  71. Story #42;Breakup of old Europe creates a new hockey world (2008).
  72. Story #95–1988 Olympic silver – Finland is finally a true hockey power (2008).
  73. Story #77–Recently separated, Czechs and Slovaks meet in World Championships final (2008).
  74. Lapointe, Joe (11 February 2002). Olympics: Hockey; N.H.L. and Its Teams Send Players to Bench. The New York Times.
  75. Story #45–Luc Robitaille the hero as Canada wins first World Championship in 33 years (2008).
  76. Story #26–Tupu, Hupu & Lupu take Finland to the top of the World (2008).
  77. Story #75–At 39, Peter Stastny closes circle and promotes his country to the A Pool (2008).
  78. Lapointe, Joe (16 September 1996). Maple Leaf Wilts Under Stars & Stripes. The New York Times.
  79. Gibbons, Dennis (2001). Preview of the 2001 IIHF World Championship. Hockey Canada.
  80. Story #10–Czech Republic wins first "open" Olympics (2008).
  81. Story #64–Moravec's OT winner cements Czech dominance (2008).
  82. Story #22–Bondra's bomb – the biggest thing for Slovakia since independence (2008).
  83. (9 May 2003) "As good as it gets". 
  84. "Canada clinch world title", BBC Sports, 11 May 2003. 
  85. Bulman, Erica (9 May 2004). Canada beats Sweden for 23rd world hockey title. USA Today.
  86. IIHF not giving up on NHLers in Turin. The Sports Network (3 January 2005).
  87. Marrapese-Burrell, Nancy (16 May 2005). Canada checks out Czechs derail three-peat try. Boston Globe.
  88. "Sweden Wins World Hockey Title", The New York Times, 22 May 2006. 
  89. "Canada wins world hockey championship", CBC Sports, 13 May 2007. 
  90. Russia beats Canada 5–4 in overtime to win world title. International Herald Tribune (19 May 2008).
  91. Russia tops Canada, defends world title. ESPN (10 May 2009).
  92. Johnston, Chris (8 May 2009). Future of international hockey debated at world championship. CTV Olympics.
  93. Germany beats US in OT before record hockey crowd at worlds. The Sports Network (7 May 2010).
  94. Switzerland pick up first ever win over Canada at Worlds. The Sports Network (12 May 2010).
  95. Russia, Sweden reach second round at WHC; Norway beats Czechs. The Sports Network (11 May 2010).
  96. Fasel happy with Germany 2010 (20 May 2010).
  97. Podnieks, Andrew (20 May 2010). Miracle at Mannheim.
  98. "WHC: Czechs upset Russia for gold; Sweden takes bronze", The Sports Network, 23 May 2010. 
  99. Finland defeats Sweden for gold at World Hockey Championship. The Sports Network (15 May 2011).
  100. Chris Johnston (20 May 2012). Russia cruises to world championship gold. Ottawa Citizen.
  101. Sweden defeats Switzerland to win Worlds Gold at Home. The Sports Network (19 May 2013).
  102. "Hockey championship in Belarus: Lukashenko puts activists on ice". 
  103. 103.0 103.1 103.2 103.3 103.4 103.5 Hockey Canada. World Championship statistics (PDF). Press release.  “Must be downloaded from link”
  104. Story #89–Finally, there's a real final game, The IIHF adopts a playoff system (2008).
  105. "Hong Kong in over its head in Pool D", The Atlanta Journal, 20 February 1988. 
  106. IIHF Championships 2000.
  107. IIHF Championships 2001.
  108. 108.0 108.1 108.2 Format & Rules.
  109. (November 2003) "News release–Hockey fans are the best in the world". Ice Times 7 (5). International Ice Hockey Federation. 
  110. 2008 Men's World Ranking (2008).
  111. Changes in World Structure.
  112. Championships.
  113. 113.0 113.1 Hansen, Kenth (May 1996). "The Birth of Swedish Ice Hockey – Antwerp 1920". Citius, Altius, Fortius 4 (2): 5–27. International Society of Olympic Historians. 
  114. 114.0 114.1 Story #19–IIHF allows bodychecking in all three zones (2008).
  115. All game-winning shot competitions ("shootouts").
  116. Story #27–Dropping the red-line, allowing the two-line pass changes the Game (2008).
  117. IIHF Rule Book.
  118. VANOC shrinks Olympic ice. The Vancouver Sun. Canadian Online Explorer (24 February 2009).
  119. Rosen, Dan (30 September 2013). Hybrid icing tops list of rule changes for 2013–14.
  120. Icing the puck (2005).
  121. Major penalties (2005).
  122. Ice Hockey Essentials – International vs. NHL. CBC Sports (2006).
  123. Burnside, Scott (25 July 2005). Rule changes geared toward entertainment. ESPN.
  124. Olympics vs. National Hockey League: How the rules are different. ESPN (16 December 2005).
  125. Burnside, Scott (14 December 2005). Tough test for Turin; cap on the brain. ESPN.
  126. Story #31–Zebras told to crackdown – once and for all (2008).
  127. Story #93–Tie games are history; a win earns three points for teams (2008).
  128. 128.0 128.1 128.2 IIHF Eligibility.
  129. IIHF Statutes and Bylaws.
  130. 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Finland.
  131. Austria.
  132. Canada.
  133. 133.0 133.1 Czech Republic.
  134. Denmark.
  135. Finland.
  136. France.
  137. Germany.
  138. Italy.
  139. Kazakhstan.
  140. Latvia.
  141. Norway.
  142. Slovakia.
  143. Slovenia.
  144. Sweden.
  145. Switzerland.
  146. United States.
  147. Belarus.
  148. 148.0 148.1 Russia.
  149. IIHF - IIHF Council takes definitive action over Russia, Belarus (en).
  150. Great Britain.
  151. Italy.
  152. Lithuania.
  153. Poland.
  154. Romania.
  155. Korea.
  156. China.
  157. Estonia.
  158. Japan.
  159. Netherlands.
  160. 160.0 160.1 Serbia.
  161. Ukraine.
  162. 1934–1945.
  163. Australia.
  164. Croatia.
  165. Georgia.
  166. Iceland.
  167. Israel.
  168. Spain.
  169. Belgium.
  170. Bulgaria.
  171. Mexico.
  172. New Zealand.
  173. Turkey.
  174. United Arab Emirites.
  175. Chinese Taipei.
  176. Luxembourg.
  177. North Korea.
  178. South Africa.
  179. Thailand.
  180. Turkmenistan.
  181. Bosnia & Herzegovina.
  182. Hong Kong.
  183. Kyrgyzstan.
  184. Malaysia.
  185. Singapore.
  186. Kuwait.
  187. Philippines.
  188. IIHF directorate awards and most valuable player. Hockey Canada.
  189. Edvinsson, Jan-Ake:News release–There is nothing like the sweet taste of gold (June 2004).
  190. Edvinsson, Jan-Ake:Past, present & future collide in Canada (July 2008).

References[]

Bibliography[]

External links[]

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