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 Poland national men's ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team of Poland, and a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. They are ranked 21st in the world in the IIHF World Rankings, but prior to the 1980s they were ranked as high as 6th internationally. They are one of eight countries never to have played below the Division I level. As of 2024 the Polish national team plays at the top level of the World Championship.
The Australian men's national ice hockey team represent Australia in the sport of ice hockey under the jurdicstation of Ice Hockey Australia which is a part of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Australia competed in the Winter Olympics once, in 1960, when the team lost all of their matches. They have also competed in the Ice Hockey World Championships, 33 times with their best result being a ninth-place finish at the same Olympics with a 13th place in 1962. The national team currently are in division two after being relegated from division one in 2013 with the team being currently ranked 35th in the IIHF World Rankings.
The IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), or simply the "World Juniors" in ice hockey circles, is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for national under-20 ice hockey teams from around the world. It is traditionally held in late December, ending in early January. The tournament usually attracts the top hockey players in this age category.
The 2008 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships was the 72nd such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Teams representing 48 countries participated in four levels of competition. The competition also served as qualification for division placements in the 2009 competition. Russia won the Top Division tournament and became the world champions. In the Division I Championship held in April, Austria and Hungary were promoted to the Championship division, while South Korea and Estonia were demoted to Division II. In the Division II competition, Romania and Australia were promoted, Ireland and New Zealand were relegated to Division III. Greece won the Division III qualification in February, and competed in the Division III competition from March to April. In that competition, North Korea and South Africa were promoted to Division II for 2009.
The 2002 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships were held between 26 April and 11 May 2002 in Gothenburg, Karlstad and Jönköping, Sweden.
The 2000 World Junior Hockey Championships, was the 24th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. The tournament was hosted in Skellefteå and Umeå, Sweden from December 25, 1999, to January 4, 2000. The Czech Republic won the gold medal with a 1–0 shootout victory over Russia in the championship game, while Canada won the bronze medal with a 4–3 shootout victory over the United States. This still remains as the only tournament to where both medal games have been decided in a shootout.
The 2009 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships was the 73rd such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Teams representing 46 countries participated in four levels of competition. The competition also served as qualifications for division placements in the 2010 competition. In the Division I Championship held in April, Kazakhstan and Italy were promoted to the Championship division, while Australia and Romania were demoted to Division II. In the Division II competition, Serbia and South Korea were promoted, North Korea and South Africa were relegated to Division III. In the Division III competition, New Zealand and Turkey were promoted to Division II for 2009.
The 1996 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was the 20th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship, hosted in Massachusetts, United States. The tournament was won by Canada—defeating Sweden 4–1 in the gold-medal game—earning Canada their fourth straight gold medal and ninth overall, tying the Soviet team's record in both regards.
The Ukrainian men's national junior ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team in Ukraine. The team represents Ukraine at the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Junior Hockey Championship Division I.
The Belarusian men's national under-20 ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team in Belarus. The team represented Belarus at the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Junior Hockey Championship. Prior to independence in 1991, Belarusian players played for the Soviet Union, which played in the World Juniors from its inception in 1974. Belarus has played in the top division eight times, first in 1999 and most recently in 2018, with their best finish being ninth overall in both 2001 and 2002. The most recent tournament, the 2019 tournament, had Belarus finished second in Division I, the second tier, and twelfth overall.
The Slovenia men's national under 20 ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team of Slovenia. The team is controlled by the Ice Hockey Federation of Slovenia, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation.
The Italian men's national under 20 ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team in Italy. The team represents Italy at the International Ice Hockey Federation's IIHF World U20 Championship.
The Kazakh men's national under 20 ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team in Kazakhstan. The team represents Kazakhstan at the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Junior Hockey Championship Division I. They have played in the championship level 8 times.
The Spain men's national junior ice hockey team is the national men's junior under-20 ice hockey team of Spain. The team is controlled by the Federación Española de Deportes de Hielo, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation.
The Switzerland men's national under 20 ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team of Switzerland. The team is controlled by the Schweizerischer Eishockeyverband, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation.
The South Africa men's national under-20 ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team of South Africa. The team is controlled by the South African Ice Hockey Federation and a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
The Danish men's national under 20 ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team in Denmark. The team represents Denmark at the International Ice Hockey Federation's World U20 Championships. Denmark has played in the top division in 2008, 2012 and 2015-2019. They've reached the quarterfinals three times, their best finish being 5th in 2017.
The French men's national under 20 ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team in France. The team represents France at the International Ice Hockey Federation's IIHF World U20 Championship's World Junior Hockey Championship Division I.
Zoltán Kovács is a Hungarian ice hockey coach and administrator. He joined the Hungarian Ice Hockey Federation as a secretary in 1994, then served as its general secretary from 1998 to 2017, and has served as its vice-president since 2017. He played for the Hungary men's national junior ice hockey team in 1980, and was its manager in 2003 when the team earned promotion to Division I of the IIHF World U20 Championship. He played professionally for Ferencvárosi TC, and sat on several International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) committees. The IIHF named Kovács as the 2020 Paul Loicq Award recipient, for his contributions to the IIHF and international hockey.
Jason O'Leary 
France 3 - 1 Austria 
Soviet Union 19 - 1 Austria 
