The World Championship is the largest international competition that has been held every year since 1920. They are held under the auspices of the IIHF (International Hockey Federation).
This year the anniversary 80th World Championship took place, it was held in Russia, on the ice rinks of two largest cities Russia - Moscow and St. Petersburg. The Russian team took third place. The first three championships were combined with the Olympic Games: in 1920 - with summer Olympics, in 1924 and 1928. - with winter ones. In the period from 1928 to 1968, the World Hockey Championship was considered a competition that was organized as part of the winter Olympic Games. Since 1969, the World Cup has been held separately, every year in different country. The venue for the hockey championship is chosen by the IIHF.
Countries that hosted the Ice Hockey World Cup
The leader in the number of world championships is Sweden, where competitions were held 11 times.
- The championship was held 9 times in the Czech Republic (8 times in Czechoslovakia, 1 time in the Czech Republic, which became the successor to Czechoslovakia in hockey).
- 8 times – in Finland and Switzerland.
- 7 times – in Germany.
- The championship was held 6 times in Austria and Russia (4 times in the USSR, 2 times in the Russian Federation).
Among the cities, Stockholm remains the leader in the number of world championships. The ice arenas of this city have hosted the world championship 10 times.
- The championship was held 9 times in Prague, the capital of Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic).
- 7 times - in Helsinki - the capital of Finland.
- 6 times - in Vienna - the capital of Austria.
- 5 times in Moscow - the capital of the USSR (Russia). The venue for the 2016 Ice Hockey World Championship is also Moscow.
The Ice Hockey World Championship has been held annually since 1930, with the exception of World War II (1940-1046). It was not held in 1980, 1984, 1988, when the Winter Olympic Games fell on these years.
Countries - winners of the World Hockey Championship
In the entire history of the championships, 8 countries have become winners of the world championship. The USSR team and its successor, the Russian team, have the most gold medals - 27. The largest number of medals for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places were won by the Canadian team and the Czechoslovakian team (Czech Republic) - 46 each.
The legal successor of the weedy USSR at the World Hockey Championship is the Russian team, the Czechoslovakian team is the Czech team, and the German team is the German team. The USSR national team did not take part in the World Championship only once - in 1962. The Ice Hockey World Championship is considered the most prestigious competition in this sport; if the year coincides, it is held at the Winter Olympics; Olympic gold has been equal to championship medals since 1930.
We will try to find out what the 2019 World Hockey Championship will be like and whether we should expect surprises and loud sensations from it in a review prepared by our sports experts.
When and where will the tournament take place?
The matches of the 83rd World Hockey Championship will take place from May 10 to May 26, 2019 in two cities of Slovakia - Bratislava and Kosice.
The Slovaks' main competitor in the competition for the right to host the championship was Switzerland, however, at the last moment, the sports officials of this country withdrew their application, deciding to postpone it to 2020.
As for the venue for the World Hockey Championship games, two ice rinks were chosen: the capital's Slovnaft Arena and the Steel Arena in Kosice. Both sports complexes are quite spacious. The first can accommodate more than 10,000 spectators, the second is designed for 8,500 fans.
The fights for bronze medals, as well as the final meeting of the two strongest teams of the tournament, will take place at the Slovnaft Arena, which has repeatedly become the central venue for world-class competitions. The 2011 World Hockey Championship and the 2014 KHL All-Star Game took place within its walls.
Participants of the upcoming championship
Currently, 16 teams are guaranteed participation in the 2019 World Cup. First of all, this is the national team of Slovakia. This privilege was given to her by right of the host party. The list of other teams that will perform at the upcoming tournament was determined based on the results of the 2018 championship. Thus, at the tournament in Slovakia, fans will see: Sweden, Switzerland, USA, Russia, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia, Italy, France, Norway, Austria, Denmark, Germany and the UK.
Ice Hockey World Cup Regulations
According to IIHF officials, the usual format of the World Hockey Championship will remain the same. The tournament will be attended by teams from the first division of the World Hockey Federation. All 16 national teams that will compete at the championship will be divided into two groups, within which they will have one match with each of their opponents. The teams that take the first four lines in the standings will receive the right to participate in the playoffs (1/4 finals).
It is worth paying attention to the fact that in knockout matches there is a 10-minute overtime, which will determine the winner in the event of a draw in regular time of the match. To determine the strongest in the final confrontation, teams are given a 20-minute overtime. If there is a draw in extra time, the winner of the tournament is determined by a series of shootouts.
Championship calendar
The group round games of the 2019 World Hockey Championship will be held daily from May 10 to May 21. The further match schedule will look like this:
- quarter final matches: May 23;
- 1/2 finals: May 25th;
- match for 3rd place and final: May 26th.
In total, 64 matches will be played as part of the championship, the live broadcast of which can be watched on Russian sports channels or on their official websites on the Internet.
Group stage games
Based on the results of the IIHF draw, the participants in both baskets of the upcoming championship became known. Group A will include: Canada, Finland, USA, Slovakia, Germany, Denmark, France and Great Britain. In Group B, spots in the playoffs will be contested by: Russia, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Norway, Austria, Italy, Latvia and the current world hockey champion - the Swedish national team.
Bookmakers' forecasts
According to sports analysts, the traditional favorites of the hockey championships have the highest chances of winning the 2019 world champion title. This list includes teams from Russia, Canada, the Czech Republic, the USA and Sweden. The national teams of Germany and Switzerland have quite good chances of reaching the quarter-finals of the World Cup, having demonstrated simply brilliant results in the three previous tournaments.
It is worth mentioning separately the team from Sweden, who are the current holders of the trophy. At the 2018 championship, which took place in Denmark, Rikard Grönborg's team showed themselves to be a strong and formidable opponent. At the stage of group games, the Scandinavians did not suffer a single defeat from their competitors. Latvia was defeated in the quarter finals, and in the semi-final match the “yellow-blues” won a landslide victory over the Americans, defeating them with a score of 6:0. The final match turned out to be the most difficult test of the tournament for the Swedes, however, they did not disappoint their fans here either, beating the Swiss in a shootout (3:2).
As for the Russian national team, the 82nd World Cup season did not turn out very well for our hockey players. Despite the fact that the “red machine” played group matches at its usual highest level, in the quarterfinals the domestic team was unable to overcome the resistance of the Canadians. As a result, the first match of the playoff stage was lost with a score of 4:5.
For millions of Russian fans, the team's elimination at the early stage of the championship was a real tragedy, however, they never cease to believe in the success of their heroes at the tournament in Slovakia.
Summarizing
Taking into account the mood and readiness of the Russian team to fight for the title of world champion in 2019, we can say with confidence that at the future championship our hockey players will demonstrate their best game and will do everything possible to please their fans with beautiful victories.
For those fans who still don’t know in which country, when and in which cities the 83rd World Hockey Championship will take place, we remind you that the championship matches will take place in Kosice and the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava, from May 10 to May 26, 2019- year
The 2018 IIHF World Championship will be the 82nd tournament held under the auspices of the IHF. The upcoming competition will bring together the best teams on the planet, in whose ranks there are outstanding puck masters. An uncompromising fight awaits on every centimeter of the ice, spectacular goals and exciting confrontations between world hockey stars.
The 2018 Ice Hockey World Championship will be held in Denmark for the first time in its history. Initially, Latvia also applied for the right to host the prestigious competition, but the IHF leadership took into account that the Baltic republic hosted this championship in 2005. According to the voting results, an overwhelming number of sports officials (95 versus 12) spoke in favor of Denmark.
All matches of the tournament will take place in two Danish cities:
- Copenhagen;
- Herning.
In the capital Copenhagen, all matches, including the final, will take place at the Royal Arena. In Herning, matches can be watched from the stands of the Boxen Arena. The maximum capacity of both stadiums is 12 thousand spectators. The start date of the 2018 World Hockey Championship was chosen as May 4. The match for 3rd place and the final will take place on May 20.
Tournament regulations
The regulations for the 2018 Ice Hockey World Championship have not changed. As before, 16 people will take part in the main hockey event on the planet best teams, which will be divided into two subgroups. The following teams will compete in subgroup “A”:
- Switzerland;
- Belarus;
- Slovakia;
- France;
- Austria;
- Sweden;
- Russia;
- Czech Republic.
The following teams were included in subgroup “B”:
- Denmark;
- Canada;
- Latvia;
- Germany;
- Norway;
- Finland;
- South Korea.
Within the subgroup, the teams will play one match against each other. For a victory in regular time, that is, in the first 60 minutes of the game, the team receives three points; the losing team does not receive any points. In the event of a draw after three periods, overtime is assigned for 5 minutes (4x4 format), and if this does not help determine the winner, then the teams will conduct a series of shootouts. The team that defeats the opponent in overtime or in shootouts gets 2 points, while the losing side gets 1 point.
Based on the results of the past matches, the four best teams advance to the playoff stage, where they will play in a criss-cross system. In other words, the first team from subgroup “A” will fight with the squad that is in fourth place in subgroup “B,” etc. The last team from each subgroup leaves the elite of world hockey and goes to the first division. In the elimination stage, if there is a draw, teams play in a 4x4 format in an additional overtime of 10 minutes (for the ¼ and ½ finals), and in the final match the overtime increases to 20 minutes. When during this time it was not possible to identify a winner, a series of shootouts is held.
Title Contenders
The World Hockey Championship, like any other competition, has its favorites and outsiders. Since the collapse of the USSR and the acquisition of sovereignty Russian Federation only four teams have won the world trophy, not counting 2002, when Slovakia broke the hegemony of the favorites. Today, the Slovaks do not have enough stars in the sky and are considered to be in the middle of the championship, and the following teams will be vying for the title in 2018:
- Russia;
- Canada;
- Sweden;
- Finland.
For the Russians, who won the trophy back in 2014, winning the championship in Denmark will be a matter of honor. At the competition held in 2017, the path to the title was blocked by eternal rivals - the Canadians, and in the semi-final match, after two periods, Oleg Znarok's charges led with a score of 2:0, but in the end lost 2:4. Of course, the most ardent fans regarded the third place achieved in the fight against the Finns as a failure, but experts noticed a number of positive changes. For example, the rejuvenation of the roster is carried out almost painlessly, and the players from the National Hockey League interact well with the stars. As a result, in 2018 the Russians will become one of the main contenders for the trophy.
The obvious contender for gold is Team Canada. Over the past three years, the Maple Leaves have won the trophy twice, and in the last year they were content with silver, losing in the main match of the championship to Sweden in a shootout. We can talk endlessly about the skill of the Canadian stars, but it’s better to see the game once and enjoy this amazing spectacle. When hockey players from Canada are on a roll, it is impossible to stop them, which is why they are on the list of possible winners at the upcoming championship.
The Swedish national team - winner of the last World Hockey Championship - is capable of defeating any opponent, as the Canadians can confirm. Tre Krunur have a collection of experienced players who know when to step up. The ability to vary the pace, play excellent defense and instantly release the counterattack spring is far from full list merits of the Swedish team.
Finland looked rather lackluster at the last World Cup, but even with such a game, the “lions” reached the semi-finals. If the Finns manage to establish cooperation and strengthen the goalkeeper position, then they will have every chance of success, especially since the fans have already forgotten about the last triumph (Finland became champions in 2011).
The list of contenders for victory in the tournament will be incomplete without the USA. The American team is considered a mood team that plays attacking hockey, completely forgetting about defense. It is the defensive component that is main reason losses in decisive matches. In its history, the United States became the champion only once, back in 1960, so objectively it’s hardly worth expecting a repeat of this success, but the Americans may well compete for third place.
The 2018 Ice Hockey World Championship is a wonderful sporting event that attracts millions of fans every year. Russians will once again be able to cheer for their favorites, ready to fight the most formidable opponents and defend the honor of their Motherland. Don't miss the start of the tournament on May 4th.
Top 15 best goals at the Hockey World Championships, see the following video:
MOSCOW, May 6 - R-Sport. The Ice Hockey World Championship will be held in Moscow and St. Petersburg from May 6 to May 22, 2016. The Russian team will meet with the national teams of Sweden, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Latvia, Norway, Denmark and Kazakhstan in the group stage of the tournament.
Below is reference Information about the history of the performance of the USSR and Russian national teams at the World Hockey Championships.
World Championship 2007 (April 27 - May 13, Russia). For the first time since 1986, the World Hockey Championship was hosted by Moscow (some of the matches took place in Mytishchi, near Moscow). At the preliminary stage, the Russian national team, under the leadership of new coach Vyacheslav Bykov, took 1st place in its qualifying group and advanced to the second group stage, where it also did not experience the bitterness of defeat, beating the teams of Italy (3:0), Switzerland (6:3) and Sweden (4:2). In the quarterfinals, the Russians defeated the Czech team (4:0), and in the semifinals they unexpectedly lost to the Finnish team in overtime (1:2). In the match for 3rd place, the Russian team beat the Swedish team (3:1) and won bronze medals in the championship. Russian hockey player Andrei Markov was recognized as the best defender, and his teammate Alexey Morozov was recognized as the best forward of the world championship.
World Championship 2008 (May 2-18, Canada). For the first time since 1962, the World Championships were held in North America and was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the creation of the International Ice Hockey Federation. At the preliminary stage, the Russian national team under the leadership of Vyacheslav Bykov took 1st place in its qualifying group and advanced to the second group stage, where they won three victories in a row - over the national teams of Belarus (4:3) in a shootout and Sweden (3:2) , as well as over the Swiss national team (5:3) in regular time. In the quarterfinals, Russian hockey players defeated the Swiss team (6:0), in the semifinals they dealt with the Finnish team (4:0), and in the final, losing 2:4 after two periods, they managed to snatch victory from the Canadian team in overtime (5:4) , winning gold medals and repeating the success of the Russian team 15 years ago. Russian hockey player Evgeni Nabokov recognized best goalkeeper World Championship.
World Championship 2009 (April 24 - May 10, Switzerland). At the preliminary stage, the Russian team, led by Vyacheslav Bykov, took 1st place in its qualifying group and advanced to the second group stage, where they also won three victories in a row - over the teams of Sweden (6:5 in overtime), the USA (4:1) and Latvia (6:1). In the quarterfinals, Russian hockey players defeated the Belarusian team in a bitter struggle (4:3), in an equally tense quarterfinal they beat the US team (3:2), and in the final, as a year earlier, they defeated the Canadian team (2:1), winning gold medals at the championship. Russian hockey player Ilya Kovalchuk was recognized as the best forward and the most valuable player of the world championship.
World Championship 2010 (May 7-23, Germany). At the preliminary stage, the Russian national team under the leadership of Vyacheslav Bykov took 1st place in its qualifying group and advanced to the second group stage, where again it did not lose a single point, beating the teams of Germany (3:2), Denmark (6:1) and Finland (5:0). In the quarterfinals, the Russians beat the Canadian team (5:2). In the semi-finals, in a bitter struggle, the Russian team beat the sensation of the tournament - the German team (2:1), and in the no less tense final lost to the Czech team (1:2), winning silver medals championship. Russian hockey player Pavel Datsyuk was recognized as the best forward of the tournament.
World Championship 2011 (April 29 - May 15, Slovakia). At the preliminary stage, the Russian team, led by Vyacheslav Bykov, took second place and advanced to the second group stage, where they beat the Danish team (4:3) and were defeated by the teams of Finland (2:3 in a shootout) and the Czech Republic (2:3) . The Russians finished the group stage with 7 points and took fourth place in Group E. In the quarterfinals, the Russians won a difficult victory over the Canadian team (2:1), followed by a “dry” defeat from Finland in the semifinals (0:3). In the match for third place, the Czech team beat the Russian team (7:4), which for the first time in the last five years remained below the medal list.
World Championship 2012 (May 4-20, Sweden, Finland). For the first time, the championship was held in two countries, Finland and Sweden. The Russian national team, under the leadership of new coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov, won all 10 matches, and never even needed to play overtime. All group round meetings ended with the Russians having an advantage of at least two goals. In the quarterfinals, the future world champions won a confident victory over the Norwegians (5:2), and in the semifinals they defeated the Finns (6:2). In the final of the world championship, the Russian team defeated the Slovak team with a score of 6:2. Center forward of the Russian national hockey team Evgeni Malkin became top scorer World Championship and was recognized as the most valuable hockey player.
World Championship 2013 (May 3-19, Finland, Sweden). The Russian team, led by Zinetula Bilyaletdinov, began the defense of the world champion title with three victories: over Latvia (6:0), Germany (4:1) and the USA (5:3). In the fourth match of the group stage against the French team, the Russians lost with a score of 1:2. Many experts hastened to attribute the defeat in the match with the French to goalkeeper Vasily Koshechkin, in the first and last time appeared on the ice during the tournament. In the next match of the group stage, the Russian team had the opportunity to rehabilitate itself in the match against the hosts of the tournament, the Finnish national team. But the Finns achieved a victory with a score of 3:2. The Russian team broke the series of defeats by defeating the Slovak team in the sixth match of the group stage (3:1). This victory guaranteed the Russian team access to the quarterfinals. The Russian team played its last match in the group stage against Austria. The Russian team won 8:4. In the quarterfinals, the Russian team lost to the US team with a score of 3:8 and ended their performance in Helsinki. This defeat was the largest at the world championships in the history of the team. For the first time since 2006, Russia failed to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup.
World Championship 2014 (9-25 May 2014, Belarus). A year after the failure at the World Championships and just three months after an even more difficult defeat at the home Olympics in Sochi, the Russian team, under the leadership of new coach Oleg Znarka, regained the title of the strongest in the world. The Russian team followed the path of Zinetula Bilyaletdinov’s team in 2012 and won all ten championship matches. In the playoffs, the Russian team beat the teams of France (3:0) and Sweden (3:1). In the final, they defeated the Finnish team with a score of 5:2 and won the world championship. The Russian team played the final match without Znark, who received a one-game disqualification from the International Federation for an incorrect gesture towards the Swedes in the semi-finals. Russian striker Viktor Tikhonov became the top scorer and sniper of the World Cup. Sergei Bobrovsky was recognized as the best goalkeeper.
At the 2015 World Championships (May 1-17, Czech Republic), the Russian team again reached the final. At the group stage, the Russians won five victories in seven matches, beating the teams of Norway (6:2), Slovenia (5:3), Denmark (5:2), Belarus (7:0), Slovakia (3:2, in overtime) , and losing to the USA (2:4) and Finland (2:3 in shootouts). The Russian team qualified for the playoffs of the World Championship in the Czech Republic from third place in Group B. In the quarterfinals, Russian hockey players defeated the Swedish team with a score of 5:3, and in the semifinal match they defeated the US team (4:0). In the championship final, the Russians lost to the Canadians with a score of 1:6 and won silver medals.
The 2019 World Hockey Championship will be the 83rd tournament, which will bring together the world's leading teams in the fight for the prestigious trophy. IN Lately The presented competition became extremely unpredictable, since the level of play of many squads was approximately the same. This means that the outcome of the confrontation is impossible to predict, and fans are in for exciting ice battles.
Where will it take place?
The 2019 World Hockey Championship will be held in Slovakia (the cities of Bratislava and Kosice). The date of the tournament is from May 3 to May 19. Initially, Switzerland also applied to host the championship, but sports officials from this country withdrew their application and decided to bid to host the 2020 World Championship. As a result, Slovakia was chosen as the host of the competition on an uncontested basis.
All matches of the Men's World Hockey Championship will take place at the following arenas:
- Slovnaft Arena (capacity 10,055);
- Steel Arena (8,045).
The bronze medal matches, as well as the final game, will take place at the Slovnaft Arena in Bratislava. Now the local Slovan, which plays in the KHL, plays home games here. The stadium has all the necessary infrastructure to host large-scale hockey events, so spectators who came to the 2019 World Championship to cheer on their favorites will certainly be satisfied.
Tournament participants
On this moment Only the Slovak team guaranteed itself the right to take part in the competition. The final list of lucky winners who will compete for the trophy in Kosice and Bratislava will be determined at the 2018 championship. Considering high level certain teams, let’s assume that the following will perform at the tournament:
- Canada;
- Russia;
- Czech Republic;
- Sweden;
- Finland;
- Switzerland.
The rest of the hockey teams that are now part of the world elite are unlikely to seriously lay claim to victory in the competition. The main task for them will be not to be relegated to the lower division, and for this it is necessary not to fall to the last line in the standings.
World Cup regulations
The format of the 2019 World Hockey Championship, which will be held in Slovakia, will not change. All 16 teams will be divided into two subgroups, after which each team will play one game with its opponent. The first four teams advance to the playoff stage (1/4 finals). The distribution of teams occurs crosswise, that is, the first team of subgroup “A” will meet with the fourth team of subgroup “B”, the second – with the third, etc.
It is noteworthy that in knockout matches there is a 10-minute overtime (instead of 5 minutes as in the group stage). In the final match, if there is a draw, there will be a 20-minute overtime. A shootout to determine the winner is only scheduled if the score is tied after extra time has elapsed.
Interesting fact: the Swiss team will not be relegated from the elite, even if it ends up in 8th place in its subgroup. It is this country that will host the 2020 World Cup, so it automatically remains in the main division for another year. In case of unsuccessful performance of the Swiss, the seventh team of the subgroup will drop to the lower division.
For many fans, the question of where the 2019 World Hockey Championship will be held is no longer relevant. The only thing that occupies fans of the game on ice is determining the participants in the championship. There is not much time left until the tournament schedule and the final list of subgroups appear.
See the best goals of the Russian national team in the following video:
