1961 Ice Hockey World Championships

The 1961 Ice Hockey World Championships was the 28th edition of the Ice Hockey World Championships. The tournament was held in Geneva and Lausanne, Switzerland from 1 to 12 March 1961. The games were played outdoors on a frozen pool. A glare made it hard for players to see well, however photographers were able to get aerial pictures from the diving board. Canada, represented by the Trail Smoke Eaters,[1] won their nineteenth international title. It would be 33 years before Canada won another World Championship.[2] By beating out the Soviets for the Silver, the Czechoslovaks won their tenth European title. The final day was marred by political controversy when Willi Daume, president of West Germany hockey, forbade his team to take the ice against East Germany to avoid the possibility of honouring East Germany's new flag.[3]

1961 Ice Hockey World Championships
Tournament details
Host country  Switzerland
Dates1–12 March
Teams8
Final positions
Champions  Canada (19th title)
Runner-up  Czechoslovakia
Third place  Soviet Union
Fourth place Sweden
Tournament statistics
Games played28
Goals scored236 (8.43 per game)
Attendance141,300 (5,046 per game)
Scoring leader(s)Soviet Union Boris Mayorov (17 points)
← 1960
1962 →

A record twenty nations participated in three groups, with South Africa appearing for the first time.[4] Teams were divided into the three tiers, roughly following the 1959 championships, and using qualification games, to establish an eight-team group A, a six-team group B, and a six-team group C. The South African team did not have the minimum number of players so forty-five-year-old federation president Tom Durling played despite not actually being a citizen of the country.[5] Promotion and relegation did not begin yet, but it was a big step towards formulating the process.

Qualification matches for Group A and B

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The nations who finished 1st through 6th in 1959 played in Group A. The nation ranked 7th played the hosts, and 8th played 9th to qualify the final two entries.

1 MarchSwitzerland  5–6 OT  West Germany
1 MarchEast Germany  6–1  Norway

World Championship Group A (Switzerland)

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Final Round

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1   Canada 7 6 1 0 45 11 +34 13
2   Czechoslovakia 7 6 1 0 33 9 +24 13
3   Soviet Union 7 5 0 2 51 20 +31 10
4   Sweden 7 4 0 3 33 27 +6 8
5   East Germany 7 2 0 5 21 33 −12 4
6   United States 7 1 1 5 24 43 −19 3
7   Finland 7 1 1 5 19 43 −24 3
8   West Germany 7 0 2 5 10 50 −40 2
Source: [citation needed]
2 MarchCanada  6–1  Sweden
2 MarchCzechoslovakia  6–0  Finland
2 MarchSoviet Union  13–2  United States
4 MarchCzechoslovakia  4–1  United States
4 MarchFinland  6–4  East Germany
4 MarchCanada  9–1  West Germany
4 MarchSoviet Union  6–2  Sweden
5 MarchCanada  7–4  United States
5 MarchCzechoslovakia  6–0  West Germany
5 MarchSweden  3–2  East Germany
5 MarchSoviet Union  7–3  Finland
7 MarchSweden  6–4  Finland
7 MarchCzechoslovakia  6–4  Soviet Union
7 MarchUnited States  4–4  West Germany
7 MarchCanada  5–2  East Germany
8 MarchSweden  12–1  West Germany
8 MarchEast Germany  6–5  United States
9 MarchSoviet Union  9–1  East Germany
9 MarchFinland  3–3  West Germany
9 MarchCanada  1–1  Czechoslovakia
11 MarchCzechoslovakia  5–1  East Germany
11 MarchSweden  7–3  United States
11 MarchSoviet Union  11–1  West Germany
11 MarchCanada  12–1  Finland
12 MarchCanada  5–1  Soviet Union
12 MarchCzechoslovakia  5–2  Sweden
12 MarchUnited States  5–2  Finland
12 MarchEast Germany  5–0  West Germany

Qualification matches for Group B and C

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The losers of the Group A qualifiers (Switzerland and Norway), were joined by the nations who finished 10th and 11th (Italy and Poland) in 1959. Remaining countries that wished to play at this level played qualification games.

2 MarchAustria  6–5  Romania
2 MarchGreat Britain  18–1  Belgium

World Championship Group B (Switzerland)

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Final Round

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
9   Norway 5 4 0 1 27 9 +18 8
10   Great Britain 5 3 2 0 21 11 +10 8
11    Switzerland 5 2 1 2 17 15 +2 5
12   Italy 5 2 1 2 19 20 −1 5
13   Poland 5 1 0 4 13 17 −4 2
14   Austria 5 1 0 4 10 35 −25 2
Source: [citation needed]
3 MarchSwitzerland  0–6  Norway
3 MarchGreat Britain  10–2  Austria
3 MarchItaly  5–3  Poland
5 MarchItaly  7–2  Austria
6 MarchNorway  5–3  Poland
6 MarchItaly  3–3  Great Britain
6 MarchSwitzerland  9–1  Austria
7 MarchSwitzerland  1–3  Poland
9 MarchGreat Britain  3–2  Poland
9 MarchNorway  7–2  Austria
10 MarchAustria  3–2  Poland
10 MarchNorway  7–1  Italy
10 MarchSwitzerland  2–2  Great Britain
11 MarchSwitzerland  5–3  Italy
12 MarchGreat Britain  3–2  Norway

World Championship Group C (Switzerland)

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Nederlands vs Yugoslavia match. Yugoslavia won 9–2.

Final Round

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
15   Romania 5 5 0 0 69 5 +64 10
16   France 5 4 0 1 34 16 +18 8
17   Yugoslavia 5 3 0 2 34 22 +12 6
18   Netherlands 5 2 0 3 18 36 −18 4
19   South Africa 5 1 0 4 18 47 −29 2
20   Belgium 5 0 0 5 9 56 −47 0
Source: [citation needed]
3 MarchFrance  7–3  Netherlands
3 MarchRomania  22–1  Belgium
3 MarchYugoslavia  12–3  South Africa
4 MarchYugoslavia  9–2  Netherlands
5 MarchRomania  14–0  South Africa
6 MarchNetherlands  8–4  South Africa
6 MarchFrance  10–0  Belgium
6 MarchRomania  12–1  Yugoslavia
7 MarchFrance  11–2  South Africa
8 MarchYugoslavia  10–2  Belgium
8 MarchRomania  12–0  Netherlands
9 MarchFrance  3–2  Yugoslavia
10 MarchRomania  9–3  France
10 MarchNetherlands  5–4  Belgium
11 MarchSouth Africa  9–2  Belgium

Ranking and statistics

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 1961 IIHF World Championship winners 
 
Canada

Tournament Awards

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Final standings

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The final standings of the tournament according to IIHF:

    Canada
    Czechoslovakia
    Soviet Union
4   Sweden
5   East Germany
6   United States
7   Finland
8   West Germany

European championships final standings

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The final standings of the European championships according to IIHF:

    Czechoslovakia
    Soviet Union
    Sweden
4   East Germany
5   Finland
6   West Germany

Notes

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  1. ^ Story #66. Iihf.com (12 March 1961). Retrieved on 2018-02-27.
  2. ^ Szemberg & Podnieks 2007, p. 199
  3. ^ "When flags stopped games". 2 November 2013. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  4. ^ Duplacey p. 504
  5. ^ "Championnats du monde 1961 de hockey sur glace". www.hockeyarchives.info. Retrieved 4 September 2024.

References

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