The following is a list of international ice hockey competitions where National Hockey League players have been able to participate. Most of these competitions were arranged by the NHL or NHLPA. There have been 14 full international tournaments where it was possible for all NHL players to participate since the 1976 Canada Cup, dubbed as the first real World Championship. There are 5 Canada Cups, 3 World Cups of Hockey, 5 Winter Olympics and 2005 IIHF World Championship. Canada won 9 tournaments. Czech Republic won twice. USA, Sweden and Soviet Union each won once.
The Summit Series was an eight-game challenge series between the Soviet National Team and a Canadian professional team.
In the 1972 Summit Series, the Canadian team was made up of NHL hockey players. No World Hockey Association players were included in the event. Two years later, Canadian WHA players competed in the 1974 Summit Series and were defeated by the Soviets. No active NHL players participated in the series; there were however, some former NHLers that played for the WHA-composed Canadian team in the series.
Year | Winner | Runner-up |
---|---|---|
1972 | Canada | Soviet Union |
1974 | Soviet Union | Canada |
The Super Series were exhibition games between Soviet teams and NHL teams that took place on each NHL opponents' home ice in North America from 1976 to 1991. The Soviet teams were usually club teams from the Soviet hockey league. The exception was in 1983, when the Soviet National Team represented the Soviet Union. Soviet teams won 14 series, NHL teams won 2 series, and 2 series were tied.
In the following summary the winner of a series is in bold.
Year | 1st Team | 2nd Team | W | L | T |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1976 | CSKA Moscow | NHL | 2 | 1 | 1 |
1976 | Soviet Wings Moscow | NHL | 3 | 1 | 0 |
1978 | Spartak Moscow | NHL | 3 | 2 | 0 |
1979 | Soviet Wings Moscow | NHL | 2 | 1 | 1 |
1980 | Dynamo Moscow | NHL | 2 | 1 | 1 |
1980 | CSKA Moscow | NHL | 3 | 2 | 0 |
1983 | Soviet Union | NHL | 4 | 2 | 0 |
1986 | CSKA Moscow | NHL | 5 | 1 | 0 |
1986 | Dynamo Moscow | NHL | 2 | 1 | 1 |
1989 | CSKA Moscow | NHL | 4 | 2 | 1 |
1989 | NHL | Dinamo Riga | 4 | 2 | 1 |
1990 | NHL | Khimik Voskresensk | 3 | 3 | 0 |
1990 | NHL | Soviet Wings Moscow | 3 | 1 | 1 |
1990 | CSKA Moscow | NHL | 4 | 1 | 0 |
1990 | Dynamo Moscow | NHL | 3 | 2 | 0 |
1991 | NHL | Khimik Voskresensk | 3 | 3 | 1 |
1991 | CSKA Moscow | NHL | 6 | 1 | 0 |
1991 | Dynamo Moscow | NHL | 3 | 2 | 2 |
The Canada Cup tournament was a major international invitational competition for NHL players before the advent of the World Cup of Hockey.
Year | Winner | Runner-up |
---|---|---|
1976 | Canada | Czechoslovakia |
1981 | Soviet Union | Canada |
1984 | Canada | Sweden |
1987 | Canada | Soviet Union |
1991 | Canada | United States |
Year | Winner | Runner-up |
---|---|---|
1979 | Soviet Union | NHL All-Stars |
In 1987, two matches were held between the USSR and NHL All Stars in Quebec City, Canada in place of the annual NHL All Star Game. Each team won one game and the series was declared a tie.
Game | Date | Winner | Runner-up | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | 11 February 1987 | NHL All-Stars | Soviet Union | 4–3 |
2nd | 13 February 1987 | Soviet Union | NHL All-Stars | 5–3 |
During the 1994–95 NHL lockout the Ninety Nine All Stars Tour was created by Wayne Gretzky and some of his personal friends, who formed a team and toured Europe for a total of eight games against mainly European competition, and playing games in five different countries.
In 1996, the World Cup of Hockey replaced the Canada Cup.
Year | Winner | Runner-up |
---|---|---|
1996 | United States | Canada |
2004 | Canada | Finland |
2016 | Canada | Europe |
2028 | "Future event" |
Between 1998 and 2014, the NHL had a break in the season to allow its players to participate in the Olympics. In 2024 The NHL, along with the National Hockey League Players Association and the International Ice Hockey Federation, have agreed to allow players to participate in the 2026 and 2030 Olympic Games.
Year | City | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | Nagano | Czech Republic | Russia | Finland |
2002 | Salt Lake City | Canada | United States | Russia |
2006 | Turin | Sweden | Finland | Czech Republic |
2010 | Vancouver | Canada | United States | Finland |
2014 | Sochi | Canada | Sweden | Finland |
2026 | Milan / Cortina | To be determined | ||
2030 | Future event |
Since 1976, there has been no limit to how many NHL players countries can send to the IIHF World Championships, but the tournament is usually played during the NHL playoffs. Because of the NHL lockout in 2004, all NHL players were available to participate in the 2005 Championship. However, many players did not participate because they had not played for a full season, and were therefore not in "game shape."
Between 2000 and 2003, a select few NHL teams traveled to Europe to play exhibition games against top division teams in the Swedish and Finnish leagues.
Year | Winner | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Vancouver Canucks | Modo | 5-2 |
2000 | Vancouver Canucks | Djurgårdens IF | 2-1 |
2001 | Colorado Avalanche | Brynäs IF | 5-3 |
2003 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Jokerit | 5-3 |
2003 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Djurgårdens IF | 9-2 |
2003 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Färjestads BK | 3-0 |
The Victoria Cup was an ice hockey tournament organized by the IIHF and intended for teams of the Champions Hockey League and the NHL. The inaugural Cup was a single game playoff between the 2008 IIHF European Champions Cup winners Metallurg Magnitogorsk and the New York Rangers of the NHL. It was held in Bern, Switzerland on 1 October 2008. The Rangers won 4-3.
The 2009 edition of the tournament featured the ZSC Lions, the 2008–09 Champions Hockey League winners, and the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL. The ZSC Lions defeated the Blackhawks 2-1 in the Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland.
Year | Winner | Runner-up |
---|---|---|
2008 | New York Rangers | Metallurg Magnitogorsk |
2009 | ZSC Lions | Chicago Blackhawks |
Teams of the former Soviet league did not play against NHL teams after the Super Series ended until 2008, when the 2008 Victoria Cup took place in Bern. In 2010 NHL teams played their first games on Russian and Latvian ice since 1990.
In 2025 the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off will consist of a total of seven games played during a nine-day period from February 12–20, along with two practice days, February 10–11, and will be held in two yet-to-be named North American cities, one in Canada and one in the United States. the countries participating in the tournament are Canada, Finland, Sweden and United States.
Year | Winner | Runner-up | Third place | Fourth place |
---|---|---|---|---|
2025 |
Ice hockey is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hockey sticks to control, advance, and shoot a closed, vulcanized, rubber disc called a "puck" into the other team's goal. Each goal is worth one point. The team which scores the most goals is declared the winner. In a formal game, each team has six skaters on the ice at a time, barring any penalties, one of whom is the goaltender. Ice hockey is a full contact sport, and is considered to be one of the more physically demanding team sports. It is distinct from field hockey, in which players move a ball around a non-frozen pitch using field hockey sticks.
The National Hockey League is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered to be the top ranked professional ice hockey league in the world, with players from 17 countries as of the 2023–24 season. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) also views the Stanley Cup as one of the "most important championships available to the sport". The NHL is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.
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 World Cup of Hockey is an international ice hockey tournament. Inaugurated in 1996, it is the successor to the Canada Cup, which was held every 3 to 5 years from 1976 to 1991 and was the first international hockey championship to allow nations to field their top players. The World Cup has occurred thrice before on an irregular basis, with the United States winning in 1996 and Canada winning in 2004 and 2016. Following the 2016 tournament, it is uncertain if the series will be continued, after the cancellation of the 2020 tournament.
The Canada Cup was an invitational international ice hockey tournament held on five occasions between 1976 and 1991. The brainchild of Toronto lawyer Alan Eagleson, the tournament was created to meet demand for a true world championship that allowed the best players from participating nations to compete regardless of their status as professional or amateur. It was sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation, Hockey Canada and the National Hockey League. Canada won the tournament four times, while the Soviet Union captured the championship once. It was succeeded by the World Cup of Hockey in 1996.
The Canada men's national ice hockey team is the ice hockey team representing Canada internationally. The team is overseen by Hockey Canada, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. From 1920 until 1963, Canada's international representation was by senior amateur club teams. Canada's national men's team was founded in 1963 by Father David Bauer as a part of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, playing out of the University of British Columbia. The nickname "Team Canada" was first used for the 1972 Summit Series and has been frequently used to refer to both the Canadian national men's and women's teams ever since.
Valeri Borisovich Kharlamov was a Soviet ice hockey forward who played for CSKA Moscow in the Soviet League from 1967 until his death in 1981. Although small in stature, Kharlamov was a speedy, intelligent, skilled and dominant player, being named the Soviet Championship League most valuable player in 1972 and 1973. An offensive player, who was considered very creative on the ice, he also led the league in scoring in 1972. He was also a gifted skater who was able to make plays at top speed. Kharlamov was considered one of the best players of his era, as well as one of the greatest players of all time.
The Russian men's national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of Russia, overseen by the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia. As of 2021, they were rated third in the IIHF World Ranking. The team has competed internationally from 1992 until a 2022 ban, and is recognized by the IIHF as the successor to the Soviet Union team and CIS team. Russia has been one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world and a member of the so-called "Big Six," the unofficial group of the six strongest men's ice hockey nations, along with Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. The European nations of the Big Six participate in the Euro Hockey Tour, which Russia won nine times since 2005. Since September 2021, the head coach is Alexei Zhamnov, who took over from Valeri Bragin.
The Soviet national ice hockey team was the national men's ice hockey team of the Soviet Union. From 1954, the team won at least one medal each year at either the Ice Hockey World Championships or the Olympic hockey tournament.
The 1974 Summit Series was the second of two competitions between Soviet and Canadian professional ice hockey players, following the same format as the 1972 Summit Series, with four games across Canada and four in Moscow. The Soviet team won the series 4–1–3, with Canada's lone victory at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. A significant difference from the previous series was that Canada's roster was selected from the World Hockey Association instead of the National Hockey League.
Ice hockey tournaments have been staged at the Olympic Games since 1920. The men's tournament was introduced at the 1920 Summer Olympics and was transferred permanently to the Winter Olympic Games program in 1924, in France. The women's tournament was first held at the 1998 Winter Olympics.
The Triple Gold Club is the group of ice hockey players and coaches who have won an Olympic Games gold medal, a World Championship gold medal, and the Stanley Cup, the championship trophy of the National Hockey League (NHL). The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) considers them to be "the three most important championships available to the sport".
The 1976 Canada Cup was an international ice hockey tournament held September 2 to 15, 1976, in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Quebec City in Canada as well as in Philadelphia, in the United States. It was the first of five Canada Cup tournaments held between 1976 and 1991, organized by Alan Eagleson, and sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), Hockey Canada and the National Hockey League (NHL).
Tim Ramholt is a Swiss former professional ice hockey defenceman who last played under contract for EHC Kloten of the Swiss National League (NL). He began his professional career with the ZSC Lions before moving to North America in the hopes of a National Hockey League (NHL) career. Ramholt was selected by the Calgary Flames in the second round, 39th overall, at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He played one NHL game for the Flames and after spending three years in the American Hockey League (AHL), returned to Switzerland for 2009–10. Internationally, Ramholt represented the Swiss junior team on four occasions. He won a silver medal at the 2001 IIHF World U18 Championships in Finland, then represented the U20 team three times between 2002 and 2004, with his best finish a fourth-place result in 2002.
The Canadian men's national under-20 ice hockey team is the ice hockey team representing Canada internationally in under-20 competition. Their primary participation in this age group comes at the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Junior Championship, held annually every December and January. The team also participates in various exhibition matches and occasional exhibition series, such as the 2007 Super Series against their Russian counterparts, an eight-game exhibition series commemorating the 35th anniversary of the 1972 Summit Series.
The Victoria Cup was series of games played between professional ice hockey teams from Europe and the North American National Hockey League (NHL). The event was held twice, in 2008 and 2009.
William John Devine was a Canadian ice hockey administrator and radio sports commentator. He worked for CJBQ radio in Belleville, Ontario for 40 years as the sports director. He was involved with the local sports scene, and was president of the Ontario Hockey Association from 1967 to 1969. He moved up to the national level in 1969 becoming vice-president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) in 1969, and later served as its president from 1973 to 1975.
Joseph Julius Kryczka was a Canadian ice hockey administrator, coach and referee, and had a legal career as a lawyer and judge, where he was commonly known as "Justice Joe". He graduated from the University of Alberta, and played hockey with the Golden Bears. He practiced law in Calgary for more than 20 years, beginning in 1959 as a lawyer, becoming a judge, and was eventually elevated to a justice on the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta.
Ice hockey in Latvia is the most popular sport in the country. The first hockey match on Latvian soil took place on February 15, 1909, with two teams facing Union and Strēlnieka Dārzs. However, it took another 20 years to supplant the popular sport of Bandy.
Vsevolod Vladimirovich Kukushkin is a Russian journalist, writer and ice hockey administrator. He has written for Komsomolskaya Pravda, TASS, RIA Novosti and Sport Express. He traveled with the Soviet Union national ice hockey team as both a journalist and translator, and reported on ice hockey at the Olympic Games, the Ice Hockey World Championships and Canada Cup tournaments. His other work includes published books and television screenplays. As an ice hockey administrator he sat on International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) committees, and acted as a press secretary for the Russian Superleague and its successor the Kontinental Hockey League. He received the Paul Loicq Award in 2000 from the IIHF for contributions to international ice hockey.