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110-636: As of December 2019, the league's alumni page lists 889 players from 2006 to 2019 who graduated from the GMHL to play for NCAA colleges, various professional leagues, major junior teams, or represented their country in various IIHF World Championships . The GMHL is an independent junior league and is not a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League or sanctioned by Hockey Canada . The league, founded by Bob Russell and Hockeyworks International Ltd., opened its doors in early 2006, with

220-654: 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

330-512: 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. 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

440-557: A 9–0 win over Canada in the medal round. 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. In March 1989, Sergei Pryakhin became the first member of the Soviet national team who was permitted to play for a non-Soviet team. Several Soviet players, including Igor Larionov and Viacheslav Fetisov , wanted to leave and play in

550-803: A Nipissing/Ville-Marie combined squad. The only loss for a GMHL team happened to the Toronto Canada Moose . In the summer of 2010, the GMHL expanded in two fashions internationally. First, Canada 's only All-Russian team in the Shelburne Red Wings and then late in the summer they expanded to the United States through the expansion of the Jamestown Jets . On September 17, 2010, the GMHL played its first international regulation game, in Jamestown, New York between

660-584: A World Championship bronze medal. However, two months later, the IIHF over-turned their decision and rejected an appeal in September. 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. It

770-724: 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. A compromise was reached that the AHA team would be allowed to compete but would be considered unofficial and unable to win

880-545: 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. As a result of these events, full world championship status

990-665: A medal in every tournament they participated in (1954 to 1991). 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 ). Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in January 1993. The IIHF recognized the Czech Republic 's team as

1100-513: A medal. By the end of the tournament, the AHA team finished fourth in the standings. 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. At the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo , Norway ,

1210-824: A regular season game, known as the North Shore Winter Classic, between the Elliot Lake Bobcats and Algoma Avalanche on January 29, 2011. This is the first known regulation outdoor game in Ontario in the modern era. Elliot Lake would win the game 8–2 in front of an estimated 400 fans. At the conclusion of the 2011–12 season, the league lost the Elliot Lake Bobcats to the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League . Relocation of teams and expansion

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1320-540: A result of the dissolution, the National Hockey Association (NHA) formed. 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. In North America, professional hockey was continuing to grow,

1430-462: A round-robin format, the bottom two teams were usually relegated to play in Division I the following year. 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

1540-488: A unique concept and approach to improving the standard of developing young hockey players within a Junior 'A' league format setting. A draft showcase event took place from May 5 until May 7, 2006 with players from Canada, United States, and Europe taking up residence at the Hockeyworks' World Hockey Centre near Shelburne, Ontario to take part in the league's first tryout camp. As of September 2006, it became clear that

1650-708: Is the only gold medal the United States has won at a non-Olympic tournament. 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

1760-626: 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

1870-491: The 1940 and 1944 Winter Olympics and the World Championships from 1941 to 1946. 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. During the run-up to the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland,

1980-592: The 1968 Winter Olympics is counted as the World Championship. Canada won the gold medal at both the 1924 and 1928 Winter Olympics . 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. 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

2090-511: The 1993 World Championships , Russia won its first title as an independent nation and the Czech Republic won its first medal (bronze). In 1994 , the Canadian team finished the preliminary round undefeated and defeated Finland in the final to win their first World Championship since 1961. 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 ,

2200-425: The 1996 World Cup of Hockey 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

2310-612: 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. The Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA) was formed in 1905, which mixed paid and amateur players in its rosters. The ECAHA eventually folded and as

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2420-485: The Bradford Rattlers and South Muskoka Shield being thrown out in the semifinal round. An incident, both on-ice and later off-ice, involving a player from each team and later two more players and a parent from one team entering the altercation, resulted in a police investigation and one team refusing to continue. The league disqualified both teams after the game failed to continue. Since the 2012 tournament,

2530-656: The Brock Bucks . At the same time, the Quebec -based Temiscaming Royals walked away from the league to join the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League , but were replaced within weeks by the Ville-Marie Dragons . In December 2008 and January 2009, eight teams of the GMHL hosted Kazakhstan 's Under-18 Torpedo UST-Kamenogorsk squad. Victorious were the Elliot Lake Bobcats (twice), South Muskoka Shield , King Wild , Bradford Rattlers , Innisfil Lakers , and

2640-691: 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. 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

2750-467: The Jamestown Jets and Sturgeon Falls Lumberjacks , both expansion teams to the league for the 2010–11 season. Jamestown won the game 4–3. In December 2010, the GMHL named Bob Bernstein commissioner. After serving as commissioner for seven days, Bernstein was relieved of his duties and Ken Girard later resumed as full-time commissioner. In mid-January 2011, it was announced that the town of Iron Bridge, Ontario and its 500-seat outdoor arena would host

2860-898: The King Wild and Richmond Hill Rams played two games each against the Mexico national ice hockey team . The Wild won both their games, while the Rams lost both of theirs. For the 2008–09 season, the GMJHL adopted much of the National Collegiate Athletic Association 's ice hockey rulebook. The GMJHL added the Minden Riverkings and the Oro-Medonte 77's to the mix, and the Dukes relocated to become

2970-491: 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. Canada returned to

3080-638: 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. The 1976 World Ice Hockey Championships in Katowice were

3190-403: The National Hockey League (NHL), the largest professional hockey league in the world, was formed in 1917. The European Championships were held for five consecutive years but were not held from 1915 to 1920 due to World War I . 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

3300-591: The National Junior Hockey Alliance . The affiliation resulted in a national championship between the GMJHL playoff champion and the winner of the WHA Junior West Hockey League after the 2006–07 season. The first ever regular season of the GMJHL concluded on February 25, 2007 with the Bradford Rattlers leading the way as regular season champs with a record of 37 wins, 1 regulation loss, and 4 overtime losses. In

3410-469: The Nipissing Alouettes , but the bottom dropped out and the Dukes went on a horrid 38-game losing streak. Despite this, the Dukes ended up facing the King Wild in the first round of the playoffs. They kept the first game close, and games two, three, and four close until the third period, but the previous year's finalists swept the series 4 games to none. In April 2008, it was announced that

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3520-767: The Seguin Huskies . The Force and Schooners both folded during the season without winning a game. After one season following the Islanders merge, the Seguin Huskies folded in 2018. The GMHL also added two teams originally in the Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League in the Niagara-on-the-Lake Nationals and Ottawa Sharpshooters for 2018–19. The Wiarton Schooners returned but folded midseason for

3630-475: 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

3740-668: The Toronto CCMs , defeated Germany in the gold medal game, and Switzerland won the bronze. Canada, represented by the Manitoba Grads , won the following year , and the Winnipeg Winnipegs won Gold for Canada at the 1932 Winter Olympics . 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

3850-584: 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. The 2020 tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The first World Championship to be held as an individual event was in 1930 . Twelve different nations participated. Canada's team

3960-724: The Winnipeg Falcons , won the gold medal, outscoring opponents 27–1. The United States and Czechoslovakia won the silver and bronze medals respectively. 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. Subsequently, every Olympic tournament up to and including

4070-655: The World Championships in Prague, the Czechoslovak team ended the Soviet team's streak and won their first gold since 1949. 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. The 1976 World Championships were held in Katowice , Poland . On

4180-776: The 2013–14 season, and were renamed the Shelburne Stars. However, the Stars did not play in 2014–15 and changed their name to the Shelburne Sharks and began play in 2015–16. In May 2015, the Rama Aces took a leave of absence but never returned. In November 2015, the Brantford Steelfighters suspended their operations after 18 games. The Shelburne Sharks returned as the Shelburne Stars in June 2016, but

4290-403: The Czechoslovaks. The procedure had been changed to count all games and that meant the Canadians finished fourth. However, the Olympics also counted as the World Championships, and under IIHF rules, Canada should have won a World Championship bronze. 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

4400-459: The Dukes first victory and first-ever shutout by a score of 2–0. Tony DeCarlo scored both the first and second goal in franchise history in the third period of this very close contest. After a strong start to the season, the Dukes lost many of their key players to defections to other clubs including: Guy Wallace, Brad Meyers, Mike Banelopoulos, Andrew Bobas, John Minark and Mike Madgett. The Dukes won two of their first four games, beating Innisfil and

4510-409: The Dukes had moved to become the Warsaw Redmen, but a month later it was disclosed that the team would instead move to Beaverton, Ontario and would be called the Brock Bucks. On September 14, 2008, the Brock Bucks played their first ever game since relocation. The game was against the Minden Riverkings in Minden Hills. The Bucks won 7–5 which snapped the longest running multi-season losing streak in

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4620-423: The Finns defeated rival Sweden in the gold medal game. 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. 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, although they did win

4730-507: The GMHL at 38 losses. This win was the franchise's first win since September 22, 2007. In the summer of 2010, it was announced that the team was moving to Bobcaygeon and becoming the Bobcaygeon Bucks. In the Spring of 2014, the team announced that after four seasons in the GMHL the team would relocate to Colborne, Ontario as members of the newly formed Canadian International Hockey League . The Hawks, after nine games would find themselves in seventh place out of eight teams. In mid-November,

4840-426: The Hawks originated as the Douro Dukes of Douro, Ontario in 2007. From 2008 until 2014, the team was known as the Bucks from Beaverton, Ontario and later Bobcaygeon , Ontario. The Douro Dukes were one of six expansion teams for the 2007–08 GMHL season. On September 6, 2007, the Douro Dukes played their first-ever game at the Ennismore Arena against the Innisfil Lakers . John Minarik made 27 saves to record

4950-440: 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 . Shortly after, Soviet players began to flood into the NHL. Many of the Soviet Union's top players left, including the entire " Green Unit "–Larionov, Fetisov, Vladimir Krutov , Sergei Makarov and Alexei Kasatonov . The following year,

5060-404: The National Junior Hockey League (NJHL). Bolded are overall regular season champions. Bolded are overall champions, Italics are finalist. Since 2009, the GMHL has had a mid-season prospect tournament. Generally, the top seven teams of the league compete in the tournament with an eighth team, the GMHL Selects representing the other teams in the league. The 2012 tournament featured both

5170-453: 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. In 1962, the World Championships were held in North America for

5280-425: The Soviet Union in 1986. 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. 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

5390-405: 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. The 1955 World Championship was held in West Germany, and

5500-493: 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. 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

5610-416: 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. It would be seven years until the Soviet Union won another World Championship. 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

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5720-724: 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, 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 2024 World Championship , held in Prague and Ostrava , Czech Republic ,

5830-421: 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

5940-404: The Wild. The first goal in the league's history was scored by the Rams' Darren Archibald (future Vancouver Canucks prospect) on the power play during the first period. Rams' goaltender Daniel Jones picked up the historical first victory, as well as the league's first shutout in history. On November 15, 2006, the GMJHL announced its affiliation with the World Hockey Association and creation of

6050-417: The World Championship in 1958 and won two consecutive titles, with the Soviets winning silver both times. 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. In 1961, Czechoslovakia defeated

6160-427: 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

6270-412: 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 at the 1970 World Championships. The rights to host the tournament were awarded to Canada for the first time–in Montreal and Winnipeg . However, the decision to allow the use of professionals was reversed in January 1970. IOC president Avery Brundage

6380-429: 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

6490-454: 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

6600-456: The final standings because had the IIHF's decision stood, Finland would have advanced to the medal round instead of Sweden. 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

6710-473: The final standings of the teams in the medal round. 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. 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

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6820-411: The final two minutes of the game and the nation won its first ever World Championship. 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. The gold medal game between Canada and Sweden went into overtime. Canada's Anson Carter scored the winning goal 13 minutes into play, but

6930-426: 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

7040-402: The first time in World Championship play; Norway defeating eventual champions the Czech Republic; and Denmark upsetting Finland and the United States en route to their first ever quarterfinal appearance. 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

7150-459: 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

7260-442: 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. 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

7370-452: 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

7480-399: The goal had to be reviewed for ten minutes to determine if the puck had crossed the line. In a rematch of the two nations the following year , Canada won and repeated as champions. The 2004–05 NHL season was locked out , and eventually cancelled , because of a labour dispute between the league and the players. The 2005 World Championships , which featured more top players than normal,

7590-423: The league changed the format to a prospect weekend with no championship rounds. *Min. 11 games, except 2020-21 due to COVID-19 (6 games). *Records reflect teams playing full 42-game schedule. IIHF World Championships 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

7700-436: The league would operate its first season with seven teams. The original seven were the Bradford Rattlers , Deseronto Thunder , King Wild , Nipissing Alouettes , Richmond Hill Rams , South Muskoka Shield , and Toronto Canada Moose . The league's first ever game took place on September 8, 2006 between the King Wild and the Richmond Hill Rams . The final result was a 6–0 victory for the Rams, despite being badly outshot by

7810-432: 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 – Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland , Russia, Sweden, and

7920-469: The new playoff format was adapted. 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. 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. The 2012 tournament

8030-429: The number of teams was increased to 16 starting in 1998. 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 . 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

8140-601: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and no champion was named. The following 2020–21 season did not take place as scheduled due to pandemic restrictions in Ontario and Quebec, with six teams playing only two games each in December 2020. The four teams in the GMHL West were able to play a partial season and a playoff in May 2021. In 2023, all teams from the GMHL West were removed by the league, which then formed their own league called

8250-430: 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

8360-640: The playoffs, the Rattlers beat the Deseronto Thunder in six games, and then the King Wild in five games to win the first ever Russell Cup as playoff champions. In September 2007, the GMJHL started its second season with six new teams, the Douro Dukes , Elliot Lake Bobcats , Espanola Kings , Innisfil Lakers , Tamworth Cyclones , and Temiscaming Royals . The Deseronto Thunder ran into financial trouble after their first season and ownership of

8470-439: The qualifying tournament following the 2004 tournament, and Japan was relegated to compete in Division I. 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,

8580-401: 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. The 2015 tournament was held in Prague and Ostrava , it was the most attended championship in history. It

8690-607: The season. The Orangeville Ice Crushers would also suspend operations in January 2017 and all remaining games against Orangeville were considered forfeits. For 2017–18, the league added the Fergus Force, Ville-Marie Pirates, Wiarton Schooners, and Windsor Aces while losing the Toronto Attack . In late August 2017, the Parry Sound Islanders announced they were taking a leave of absence and merged with

8800-667: The second consecutive season, and third consecutive midseason GMHL team folding in the town of Wiarton. In 2019, the league added the Western Provinces Hockey Association (WPHA) as a Western Division in the GMHL for the 2019–20 season, which then rebranded as the GMHL West. The WPHA had played the previous season in the Western States Hockey League as the Provinces Division. The 2020 playoffs were then curtailed by

8910-611: 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. Brock Bucks The Colborne Cramahe Hawks were a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Colborne, Ontario . The Hawks were members of the World United Hockey League . Competing in the Greater Metro Junior 'A' Hockey League from 2007 until 2014,

9020-412: The successor to Czechoslovakia, and it retained its position in the top division while Slovakia 's team began in the lowest division (Pool C) in 1994 and was forced to work its way up. Following this, the next decade was dominated by the so-called " Big Six "–Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden and the United States. From 1992 to 1996, five different teams won the World Championship. At

9130-819: The team folded soon afterwards. The Sturgeon Falls Lumberjacks re-branded as the West Nipissing Lynx, but remained in Sturgeon Falls. Early into the 2016–17 season, the Toronto Blue Ice Jets were removed from the schedule in the first week, the Bracebridge Blues in the fifth week, the Komoka Dragons in the seventh week, the Lincoln Mavericks in the twelfth week, and Wiarton Rock in the fifteenth week of

9240-786: The team was transferred to the town. The team is now known as the Deseronto Storm . On December 11, 2007, the GMJHL announced a seven-game challenge series versus a Russian team known as the Moscow Selects. In late December and early January, the top seven teams of the GMJHL will compete against the Moscow Selects—a mixture of top Top Junior talent from the City of Moscow . The Selects played seven games, against Bradford, Innisfil, Temiscaming, Elliot Lake, Richmond Hill, Deseronto, and South Muskoka, winning each game. In March 2008,

9350-456: 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

9460-417: The time. The IIHF considers the ice hockey tournament held at the 1920 Summer Olympics to be the first Ice Hockey World Championship. 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 . Canada, represented by

9570-598: The top North American-based players because they are involved in junior league playoffs at the time. 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 . During that period, Canada remained competitive, winning three bronze medals. World Championship tournaments were not held in 1980, 1984 or 1988–the Olympic years. The 1987 World Championships in Vienna were over-shadowed by several controversies. At

9680-459: The top division. Sweden finished the tournament undefeated and won their first World Championship. The 1954 World Championships has been described by the IIHF as "the start of the modern era of international hockey." 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 . Led by coach Arkady Chernyshev ,

9790-410: The tournament before 75% and so on. The Olympic tournament has the same value as the World Championship the same year. 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,

9900-564: The tournament has television contracts and hosting commitments and that a large change would be difficult to put in place. 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. The tournament was noted for having several surprising preliminary round results, including: Switzerland beating Canada for

10010-446: The tournament was held in Canada for the first time. Russia defeated the home team to win their first gold medal since 1993. The Russian team successfully defended their title with a 2–1 win over Canada in 2009 . 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

10120-642: The tournament. Starting in 1977, professional athletes were allowed to compete in the tournament and Canada re-entered. 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

10230-414: 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. 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. World War II forced the cancellation of

10340-552: 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. At the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo , Italy, Canada's Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen lost to both

10450-497: The years, going as low as three (in 1953 ) and as high as twelve (in 1959 ). The same format was used until 1992. 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. 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

10560-416: Was busier than ever in 2014. The Mattawa Voyageurs moved to Sundridge to make way for an NOJHL team. The Powassan Eagles moved to Parry Sound to make way for an NOJHL team. The league expanded rapidly with a total of 15 new teams in the off-season of 2014 and 2015. There was a total of 30 teams, with a total of six teams playing in the same market (two teams per town). The Shelburne Red Wings were sold after

10670-428: 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. 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

10780-654: 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. The World Under-18 Championship was established in 1999 and typically held in April. It usually does not involve some of

10890-412: 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

11000-679: 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. 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

11110-456: Was held in Stockholm, Sweden instead. 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 . 1972 marked the first time that both the Olympics and World Championships were held in the same year as separate events. At

11220-401: Was held in Sweden and Finland. Russia beat Slovakia in the final, while the Czech Republic beat Finland in the bronze medal game. 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

11330-609: Was introduced in 1987. In 2001, the pools were renamed: Pool B became Division I, Pool C became Division II and Pool D became Division III. 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,

11440-414: 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. Canada's ice hockey team did not participate in the 1972 and 1976 Winter Olympics . Canada also waived their rights to host the 1970 World Championship, so it

11550-411: Was played. A gold medal game was played in 1938 ; it was the last gold medal game played in the World Championships until 1992. 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. Generally eight teams played in the top-level Championship, although the number varied over

11660-452: Was relegated to Pool B, the division in which teams play for ranking purposes and not the championship (now known as Division I). 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

11770-556: Was the last time that the Olympics were also counted as the World Championships. In 1969, the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia played "the most emotionally charged games in the history of international hockey." 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. The tournament

11880-519: Was the most successful to date in terms of overall attendance ; it was visited by 797,727 people and average attendance was at 12,464. 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). 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 . In 1887, four clubs from Montreal formed

11990-495: 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

12100-475: Was won by the Czech Republic. 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. At the 2007 World Championship in Moscow, Canada defeated Finland to win the gold medal. The following year ,

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