1978 World Ice Hockey Championships
Encyclopedia
The 1978 Ice Hockey World Championships
took place in Prague
, Czechoslovakia
from 26 April to 14 May. Eight teams took part, with each team playing each other once in the first round, and then the four best teams meeting in a new round. This was the 45th World Championships, and also the 56th ice hockey
European Championships. The USSR won for the fifteenth time, narrowly defeating the incumbent Czechs.
On the final day, there was essentially a gold medal game, and a bronze medal game. The Soviets played the Czechs and needed to win by at least two to win the Championship. They took at three nothing lead, and hung to win by two, capturing gold by being even head to head with the Czechs, but having a cumulative two goal advantage against everyone else. Canada and Sweden came into the final game even, so the winner would claim the bronze. Pat Hickey
scored with a minute left in the game to give Canada
a three to two victory, and the medal.
Because of the allowance of professionals from the NHL into the tournament, a peculiar (and new) situation arose during this years tournament. The Minnesota North Stars
had players representing Canada
(2), Sweden
(3), and the USA (4).
East Germany was relegated to Group B.
March 17-26.
Undefeated Poland
was promoted to Group B, and both Italy
and Yugoslavia
were relegated to Group C.
(Las Palmas) March 10-19.
The Netherlands
and Austria
were both promoted to Group B. China
and Denmark
also ended up being promoted to alleviate a political situation between the Chinese and the Koreans.
Ice Hockey World Championships
The 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...
took place in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, 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...
from 26 April to 14 May. Eight teams took part, with each team playing each other once in the first round, and then the four best teams meeting in a new round. This was the 45th World Championships, and also the 56th 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...
European Championships. The USSR won for the fifteenth time, narrowly defeating the incumbent Czechs.
On the final day, there was essentially a gold medal game, and a bronze medal game. The Soviets played the Czechs and needed to win by at least two to win the Championship. They took at three nothing lead, and hung to win by two, capturing gold by being even head to head with the Czechs, but having a cumulative two goal advantage against everyone else. Canada and Sweden came into the final game even, so the winner would claim the bronze. Pat Hickey
Pat Hickey
Patrick Joseph Hickey is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played 10 seasons in the NHL for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Quebec Nordiques and St. Louis Blues.-Playing career:...
scored with a minute left in the game to give 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...
a three to two victory, and the medal.
Because of the allowance of professionals from the NHL into the tournament, a peculiar (and new) situation arose during this years tournament. The Minnesota North Stars
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
had players representing 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...
(2), Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
(3), and the USA (4).
First round
| Team | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points Difference | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 44 - 15 | 14 | |
| 2 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 46 - 23 | 12 | |
| 3 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 32 - 26 | 8 | |
| 4 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 35 - 21 | 8 | |
| 5 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 23 - 35 | 5 | |
| 6 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 25 - 42 | 3 | |
| 7 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 13 - 45 | 3 | |
| 8 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 23 - 34 | 3 |
Final Round 1-4 place
| Team | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points difference | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 61 - 26 | 18 | |
| 2 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 54 - 21 | 18 | |
| 3 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 38 - 36 | 10 | |
| 4 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 39 - 37 | 8 |
Consolation Round 5-8 place
| Team | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points difference | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 35 - 43 | 9 | |
| 6 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 38 - 58 | 6 | |
| 7 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 37 - 44 | 6 | |
| 8 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 20 - 57 | 5 |
East Germany was relegated to Group B.
World Championship Group B (Yugoslavia)
Played in BelgradeBelgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
March 17-26.
| Team | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points difference | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 51 - 19 | 13 | |
| 10 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 26 - 17 | 11 | |
| 11 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 42 - 32 | 9 | |
| 12 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 41 - 29 | 7 | |
| 13 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 21 - 36 | 6 | |
| 14 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 29 - 34 | 5 | |
| 15 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 32 - 41 | 3 | |
| 16 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 14 - 48 | 2 | |
Undefeated Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
was promoted to Group B, and both Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
were relegated to Group C.
World Championship Group C (Spain)
Played in the Canary IslandsCanary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
(Las Palmas) March 10-19.
| Team | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points difference | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 74 - 17 | 13 | |
| 18 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 65 - 31 | 11 | |
| 19 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 59 - 25 | 9 | |
| 20 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 47 - 30 | 8 | |
| 21 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 27 - 30 | 7 | |
| 22 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 46 - 39 | 6 | |
| 23 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 26 - 84 | 2 | |
| 24 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 - 101 | 0 | |
The Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
were both promoted to Group B. China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
also ended up being promoted to alleviate a political situation between the Chinese and the Koreans.
World championships
| 1978 World Championships | Country |
|---|---|
| Gold | |
| Silver | |
| Bronze | |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| 6 | |
| 7 | |
| 8 |
European Championships Medal Table
| 1978 European Championships | Country |
|---|---|
| Gold | |
| Silver | |
| Bronze | |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| 6 |