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 Sweden men's national ice hockey team is governed by the Swedish Ice Hockey Association. It is 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, Russia and the United States.
The United States men's national ice hockey team is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with its U18 and U17 development program in Plymouth, Michigan. The team is controlled by USA Hockey, the governing body for organized ice hockey in the United States. The U.S. team is currently ranked 4th in the IIHF World Rankings.
The Finnish men's national ice hockey team, nicknamed Leijonat / Lejonen, is governed by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association. Finland is 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 United States, Czechia, Russia, and Sweden.
The German men's national ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team of Germany and is controlled by the German Ice Hockey Federation. It first participated in serious international competition at the 1911 European Hockey Championship. When Germany was split after World War II, a separate East Germany national ice hockey team existed until 1990. By 1991, the West and East German teams and players were merged into the United German team. The team's head coach is Harold Kreis.
The IIHF World Women's Championship, officially the IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship, is the premier international tournament in women's ice hockey. It is governed by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
The Finnish women's national ice hockey team represents Finland at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women's World Championships, the Olympic Games, the Four Nations Cup, and other international-level women's ice hockey competitions. The women's national team is overseen by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association and its general manager is Tuula Puputti. Finland's national women's program is ranked third in the world by the IIHF and had 5,858 active players as of 2019.
The Russian women's national ice hockey team represents Russia at the International Ice Hockey Federation's IIHF World Women's Championships. The women's national team is controlled by the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia. After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the International Ice Hockey Federation suspended Russia from all levels of competition.
The German women's national ice hockey team represents Germany at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women's World Championship and other international ice hockey tournaments. The women's national team was ranked eighth in the IIHF World Ranking in 2020. It is organized under the direct administration of the Deutscher Eishockey-Bund (DEB).
The Chinese women's national ice hockey team represents China at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Women's Championships, the Asian Winter Games, and other international competitions. The women's national team is governed by the Chinese Ice Hockey Association. China's national women's program is ranked twentieth in the world by the IIHF and has 808 active players as of 2020.
The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan, was the 12th Olympic Championship. Games were held at the Makomanai Ice Arena and at the Tsukisamu Indoor Skating Rink. The Soviet Union won its fourth gold medal. The United States won the silver, while Czechoslovakia won the bronze. Canada did not send a team to the event for the first time since ice hockey was first competed at the Olympics in 1920, instead competing with and defeating the Soviets in a competition later that year known as the Summit Series. Canada would not send a men's hockey team to the Olympics until 1980.
The Switzerland men's national ice hockey team is a founding member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and is controlled by the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation.
The Austrian men's national hockey team is the national ice hockey team for Austria. The team is controlled by Österreichischer Eishockeyverband. As of 2022 the Austrian team is ranked 18th in the IIHF World Rankings. Austria has not won a medal in a major tournament since 1947, and has not broken 10th place since 1994. Austria currently has 8,799 registered players.
The Belgium men's national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of Belgium, and has been a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) since 1908. They have played in four Olympic Games, the last in 1936. The team also participated in the European Championships from 1910 to 1932. They have won 2 bronze medals, 1 silver medal (1927), and 1 gold medal (1913).
The Swiss women's national ice hockey team represents Switzerland at the International Ice Hockey Federation's IIHF World Women's Championships. The women's national team is controlled by the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation. Switzerland is currently ranked 4th in the world in women's ice hockey.
The Danish women's national ice hockey team is the women's national ice hockey team of Denmark. The team represents Denmark at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Women's Ice Hockey Championship and other international tournaments. The team is organized by the Danmarks Ishockey Union. Denmark had 702 female players registered with the IIHF in 2020, an increase from 406 players in 2014.
Ice hockey in Sweden has a history going back to at least 1912 and is one of the country's most popular sports. The sport was first organized in the country by the Swedish Football Association (SvFF), which was a member of the IIHF in 1912. The ice hockey department of the SvFF eventually split off to become the Swedish Ice Hockey Association (SIHA) which today is still responsible for organizing Sweden's domestic leagues and its participation in tournaments internationally. The highest tier of men's ice hockey in Sweden, the SHL, brought in 1,974,388 spectators in the 2013–14 season, the highest overall attendance in Swedish sports. The SHL's average of 5,983 spectators per match is bested only by Allsvenskan, the country's top flight of association football.
Sweden competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, from 4 to 20 February 2022.
The 2019 Sweden women's national ice hockey team strike was a months-long strike by the players of the Sweden women's national ice hockey team.
(28 August 2023) [1] 
10–0 
Sweden 
Norway 
15–1 
(2005, 2007)
(1996)
Silver (2006)
Bronze (2002)
