World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
Encyclopedia
The International Ice Hockey Federation World Under 20 Championship (colloquially known as the World Junior Hockey Championship, usually abbreviated WJHC) 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 the beginning of January.
The main tournament features the top ten ranked hockey nations in the world, comprising the 'Top Division', from which a world champion is crowned. There are also three lower pools—divisions I, II and III—that each play separate tournaments playing for the right to be promoted
to a higher pool, or face relegation
to a lower pool.
The 2011 championship
took place in Buffalo, New York
, United States
with Russia beating Canada in the gold medal match. In 2012
, the tournament will take place in Calgary
and Edmonton
, Alberta
in Canada
and in Ufa
, Russia
in 2013.
, where the tournament ranks as one of the most important events on the sports calendar.
Canada typically hosted the tournament every three to four years, consistently selling out Team Canada
games, offering large profit guarantees to Hockey Canada
. Canada is expected to host the tournament every second year starting in 2015 due to the significantly greater following the tournament has in Canada compared to other participating countries.
Originally, Switzerland was selected to host the WJHC in 2010, but withdrew.
Buffalo, New York
, USA hosted the tournament in 2011.
The tournament has been dominated by the teams from Russia
/Soviet Union
/CIS
and Canada
, together accounting for 27 of the 33 overall gold medals awarded. The USSR won the first four official tournaments, while the Canadians put together five straight championships between 1993 and 1997
, and another five straight from 2005
to 2009
. Canada leads the all-time gold medal count with 15, while USSR/Russia lead the all-time overall medal count with 28. Head-to-head matches between these two countries are always much anticipated.
The tournament offers one of the most prestigious stages for young hockey players, able to significantly boost a player's value for upcoming NHL Entry Draft
s.
, Czechoslovakia
, where a bench-clearing brawl
occurred between Canada
and the Soviet Union
. It began when the Soviet Union's Pavel Kostichkin took a two-handed slash at Canadian player Theoren Fleury
. The Soviet Union's Evgeny Davydov
then came off the bench, eventually leading to both benches emptying. The officials
, unable to break up the fight, left the ice and eventually tried shutting off the arena lights, but the brawl lasted for 20 minutes before the IIHF declared the game null and void. A 35-minute emergency meeting was held, resulting in the delegates voting 7–1 (the sole dissenter was Canadian Dennis McDonald) to eject both teams from the tournament. The Canadian team chose to leave rather than stay for the end-of-tournament dinner, from which the Soviet team were banned.
While the Soviets were out of medal contention, Canada was playing for the gold medal, and were leading 4–2 at the time of the brawl. The gold medal ultimately went to Finland, hosts Czechoslovakia took the silver and Sweden, who had previously been eliminated from medal contention, was awarded the bronze.
in 1988. USSR/CIS/Russia, Czechoslovakia/Czech-Republic, and the United States have mainly participated at the top level. When Czechoslovakia peacefully split in 1993
, the Czech Republic remained in Pool A but Slovakia (Slovak Republic) was placed in Pool C (now Division II). In 1995, Slovakia became a main participant of the World Junior Hockey Championships and won bronze in 1999. Starting with the 1996 tournament, competition was increased from an 8 round robin to the current 10 team format. Since then, Switzerland has been a main participant. West Germany competed frequently from 1977 and since the reunification in 1990
the united Germany has continued that trend. Before the format change in 1996, Austria, Japan, Norway, Poland and Switzerland made brief appearances. After regaining their independence in the early 1990s, Latvia has made several appearances, along with Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. These teams had to start from the bottom division in the early 1990s. France and Denmark have so far made one appearance each at the World Junior Hockey Championships.
TSN (Canada) is the IIHF's main broadcast partner for this tournament. The online broadcasts on TSN.ca are available worldwide, except in Finland, Russia, Sweden and the United States. TSN.ca carries all Canada, select preliminary round, and all medal round games live, as well as most games on demand after their completion.
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 70 members...
(IIHF) for national under-20 ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
teams from around the world. It is traditionally held in late December, ending in the beginning of January.
The main tournament features the top ten ranked hockey nations in the world, comprising the 'Top Division', from which a world champion is crowned. There are also three lower pools—divisions I, II and III—that each play separate tournaments playing for the right to be promoted
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
to a higher pool, or face relegation
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
to a lower pool.
The 2011 championship
2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The 2011 IIHF World U20 Championship, commonly referred to as the 2011 World Junior Hockey Championships , was the 2011 edition of the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and was hosted by the United States. The games were played in Western New York, at HSBC Arena in Buffalo and Niagara...
took place in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with Russia beating Canada in the gold medal match. In 2012
2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
- Group B :All round robin games held in Edmonton, Alberta at Rexall Place.All times local - Relegation round :All times local - Final round :-Quarterfinals:-Semifinals:-Fifth place game:-Bronze medal game:...
, the tournament will take place in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
and Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and in Ufa
Ufa
-Demographics:Nationally, dominated by Russian , Bashkirs and Tatars . In addition, numerous are Ukrainians , Chuvash , Mari , Belarusians , Mordovians , Armenian , Germans , Jews , Azeris .-Government and administration:Local...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in 2013.
Future tournaments
These tournaments have been announced.| Year | Host city (cities) | Host country |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships - Group B :All round robin games held in Edmonton, Alberta at Rexall Place.All times local - Relegation round :All times local - Final round :-Quarterfinals:-Semifinals:-Fifth place game:-Bronze medal game:... |
Calgary Calgary Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies... and Edmonton Edmonton Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census... |
|
| 2013 | Ufa Ufa -Demographics:Nationally, dominated by Russian , Bashkirs and Tatars . In addition, numerous are Ukrainians , Chuvash , Mari , Belarusians , Mordovians , Armenian , Germans , Jews , Azeris .-Government and administration:Local... |
|
| 2014 | Malmö Malmö Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County... |
|
| 2015 | ||
| 2016 | ||
| 2017 | ||
| 2018 | ||
| 2019 | ||
| 2020 | ||
| 2021 |
History
First held in 1977 (1974–1976 were not official tournaments) as a relatively obscure tournament, the WJHC has grown in prestige, particularly in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where the tournament ranks as one of the most important events on the sports calendar.
Canada typically hosted the tournament every three to four years, consistently selling out Team Canada
Canada national junior hockey team
The Canadian men's national under 20 ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team in Canada. The team represents Canada at the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Junior Hockey Championship, held annually every December and January...
games, offering large profit guarantees to Hockey Canada
Hockey Canada
Hockey Canada, formally known as the Canadian Hockey Association, is the national governing body of ice hockey in Canada and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Hockey Canada controls a vast majority of ice hockey in Canada, with a few exceptions...
. Canada is expected to host the tournament every second year starting in 2015 due to the significantly greater following the tournament has in Canada compared to other participating countries.
Originally, Switzerland was selected to host the WJHC in 2010, but withdrew.
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, USA hosted the tournament in 2011.
The tournament has been dominated by the teams from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
/Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
/CIS
CIS
CIS usually refers to the Commonwealth of Independent States, a modern political entity consisting of eleven former Soviet Union republics.The acronym CIS may also refer to:-Organizations:...
and Canada
Canada national junior hockey team
The Canadian men's national under 20 ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team in Canada. The team represents Canada at the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Junior Hockey Championship, held annually every December and January...
, together accounting for 27 of the 33 overall gold medals awarded. The USSR won the first four official tournaments, while the Canadians put together five straight championships between 1993 and 1997
1997 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
-Quarterfinals:-Semifinals:-5th place game:-Bronze Medal Game:-Gold Medal Game:-Final standings: was relegated for the 1998 World Juniors-Scoring leaders:-Goaltending leaders:-Pool B:...
, and another five straight from 2005
2005 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The 2005 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was held between December 25, 2004, and January 4, 2005, at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, United States...
to 2009
2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
- Group B :ScheduleAll times local - Relegation round :The results from matches between teams from the same group in the preliminary round are carried forward to this round.-Schedule:...
. Canada leads the all-time gold medal count with 15, while USSR/Russia lead the all-time overall medal count with 28. Head-to-head matches between these two countries are always much anticipated.
The tournament offers one of the most prestigious stages for young hockey players, able to significantly boost a player's value for upcoming NHL Entry Draft
NHL Entry Draft
The NHL Entry Draft is an annual meeting in which every franchise of the National Hockey League systematically select the rights to available amateur ice hockey players who meet draft eligibility requirements...
s.
Punch-up in Piestany
One of the most infamous incidents in WJHC history occurred in 1987 in PiestanyPieštany
Piešťany is a town in Slovakia. It is located in the western part of the country within the Trnava Region and is the seat of its own district. It is the biggest and best known spa town in Slovakia and has around 30,000 inhabitants.-History:...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, where a bench-clearing brawl
Fighting in ice hockey
Fighting in ice hockey is an established tradition of the sport in North America, with a long history involving many levels of amateur and professional play and including some notable individual fights. Although a definite source of criticism, it is a considerable draw for the sport, and some fans...
occurred between Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. It began when the Soviet Union's Pavel Kostichkin took a two-handed slash at Canadian player Theoren Fleury
Theoren Fleury
Theoren Wallace "Theo" Fleury is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player for the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League , Tappara of Finland's SM-liiga, and the Belfast Giants of the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League...
. The Soviet Union's Evgeny Davydov
Evgeny Davydov
Evgeny Vitalievich Davydov is a Russian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League for the Winnipeg Jets, Florida Panthers and the Ottawa Senators.-Playing career:...
then came off the bench, eventually leading to both benches emptying. The officials
Official (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, an official is a person who has some responsibility in enforcing the rules and maintaining the order of the game. There are two categories of officials, on-ice officials, who are the referees and linesmen that enforce the rules during game play, and off-ice officials, who have an...
, unable to break up the fight, left the ice and eventually tried shutting off the arena lights, but the brawl lasted for 20 minutes before the IIHF declared the game null and void. A 35-minute emergency meeting was held, resulting in the delegates voting 7–1 (the sole dissenter was Canadian Dennis McDonald) to eject both teams from the tournament. The Canadian team chose to leave rather than stay for the end-of-tournament dinner, from which the Soviet team were banned.
While the Soviets were out of medal contention, Canada was playing for the gold medal, and were leading 4–2 at the time of the brawl. The gold medal ultimately went to Finland, hosts Czechoslovakia took the silver and Sweden, who had previously been eliminated from medal contention, was awarded the bronze.
Participating Countries
Sweden, Finland and Canada have participated in all 34 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships as well as the 3 unofficial World Junior Hockey Championships although Canada and Soviet Union nearly were relegated to Pool B (now Division I) as punishment for the Punch-up in PiestanyPunch-up in Piestany
The Punch-up in Piestany was an infamous bench-clearing brawl between Canada and the Soviet Union during the final game of the 1987 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Piešťany, Czechoslovakia on January 4, 1987...
in 1988. USSR/CIS/Russia, Czechoslovakia/Czech-Republic, and the United States have mainly participated at the top level. When Czechoslovakia peacefully split in 1993
Dissolution of Czechoslovakia
The dissolution of Czechoslovakia, which took effect on 1 January 1993, was an event that saw the self-determined separation of the federal state of Czechoslovakia. The Czech Republic and Slovakia, entities which had arisen in 1969 within the framework of Czechoslovak federalisation, became...
, the Czech Republic remained in Pool A but Slovakia (Slovak Republic) was placed in Pool C (now Division II). In 1995, Slovakia became a main participant of the World Junior Hockey Championships and won bronze in 1999. Starting with the 1996 tournament, competition was increased from an 8 round robin to the current 10 team format. Since then, Switzerland has been a main participant. West Germany competed frequently from 1977 and since the reunification in 1990
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
the united Germany has continued that trend. Before the format change in 1996, Austria, Japan, Norway, Poland and Switzerland made brief appearances. After regaining their independence in the early 1990s, Latvia has made several appearances, along with Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. These teams had to start from the bottom division in the early 1990s. France and Denmark have so far made one appearance each at the World Junior Hockey Championships.
Tournament awards
At the conclusion of each tournament, the Directorate of the IIHF presents awards to the Top Goalie, Forward and Defenceman of the tournament. The media attending the event select an All-Star team separately from this.Broadcast coverage
The following television networks and websites broadcast World U20 Championship games on television or online.| Country | Broadcaster(s) |
|---|---|
| Canada | The Sports Network The Sports Network The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels... (English), Réseau des sports Réseau des sports Réseau des sports , is a Canadian French language Category C specialty channel showing sports and sport-related shows. It is available in 2.5 million homes, and is owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc.... (French) |
| United States | NHL Network, FastHockey.com |
| Czech Republic | Česká televize Ceská televize Česká televize is the public television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, broadcasting four channels.- Czechoslovak Television :Television in Czechoslovakia started to take its first steps before World War II. However, before visible results could be achieved, all activities were interrupted by... |
| Finland | MTV3 MTV3 MTV3 is a Finnish commercial television station owned by Bonnier. It had the biggest audience share of all Finnish TV channels until Finnish Broadcasting Company’s YLE1 took the lead. The letters MTV stand for Mainos-TV , due to the channel getting its revenue from running commercials... |
| Russia | NTV Plus NTV Plus NTV Plus is the brand name for the Russian digital satellite television service from NTV, transmitted from Eutelsat's W4 satellite at 36.0°E & from Bonum 1 at 56.0°E... |
| Slovakia | Slovenská televízia |
| Sweden | SVT |
| Europe | Eurosport Eurosport Eurosport is a pan-European television sport network operated by French broadcaster TF1 Group. The network of channels are available in 59 countries, in 20 different languages providing viewers with European and international sporting events... |
TSN (Canada) is the IIHF's main broadcast partner for this tournament. The online broadcasts on TSN.ca are available worldwide, except in Finland, Russia, Sweden and the United States. TSN.ca carries all Canada, select preliminary round, and all medal round games live, as well as most games on demand after their completion.
See also
- Ice Hockey World ChampionshipsIce Hockey World ChampionshipsThe Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...
- IIHF World U18 ChampionshipsIIHF World U18 ChampionshipsThe IIHF World U18 Championship is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation for national under-18 ice hockey teams from around the world. The tournament is usually played in April and is organized according to a system similar to Ice Hockey World Championships and World...
- IIHF World RankingIIHF World RankingThe IIHF World Ranking is a ranking of the national teams of member countries of the International Ice Hockey Federation.The system was approved by the IIHF congress in September 2003...
- World Junior A ChallengeWorld Junior A ChallengeThe World Junior A Challenge is an annual under-20 international ice hockey tournament sponsored by Hockey Canada, the Canadian Junior Hockey League , and the International Ice Hockey Federation . The tournament showcases Junior A level players and is modeled after the IIHF World U20...
- World U-17 hockey challengeWorld U-17 Hockey ChallengeThe World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, originally known as the Quebec Esso Cup, is an international ice hockey tournament held annually in Canada. The tournament does not operate during years in which the Canada Winter Games are held. As such, the World Under-17 Challenge is held three out of every...
- 2007 Super Series2007 Super SeriesThe 2007 Super Series was an eight-game Under-20 ice hockey challenge between Russia and Canada. The series was won by Canada, who shocked the Russians with seven wins and one tie . Over the course of the eight games, Canada outscored Russia 39-13. The Series was held from August 27 to September 9...
External links
- www.worldjuniors2008.com - 2008 IIHF World U20 Championship - Pardubice, Liberec, Czech republic
- Result archive - Full results for men's, women's and junior championships since 1999 and medalists for all tournaments.
- Complete archive -Complete results for all IIHF tournaments in french at passionhockey.com.