1953 Ice Hockey World Championships

1953 Ice Hockey World Championships
Tournament details
Host country   Switzerland
Dates 7–15 March
Teams 4
Final positions
Champions   Sweden (1st title)
Runner-up   West Germany
Third place    Switzerland
Fourth place  Italy
Tournament statistics
Matches played 6
Goals scored 64 (10.67 per match)
Attendance 53,000 (8,833 per match)
← 1952
1954 →

The 1953 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships were the 20th World Championships and the 31st European Championships in ice hockey. The tournament took place between March 7 and March 15, 1953, in Basel and Zurich, Switzerland. Sweden won their first World Championship title and their seventh European Championship title.

This was the first world championship tournament with only European teams. On January 12, 1953, Canadian Amateur Hockey Association president W.B. George stated Canada would not be sending a team to the 1953 World Championships. George told the press: "Every year we spend $10,000 to send a Canadian hockey team to Europe to play 40 exhibition games. All these games are played to packed houses that only enrich European hockey coffers. In return we are subjected to constant, unnecessary abuse over our Canadian style of play."[1] Also absent were the Soviets, it was hoped that the USSR would participate but they did not, sending observers, including coach Anatoli Tarasov to scout the tournament. It is believed that an injury to their star player Vsevolod Bobrov was the reason behind the decision.[1]

Czechoslovakia withdrew from the tournament when it became obvious that their President, Klement Gottwald, was going to die from pneumonia he contracted at Stalin's funeral. General František Janda, the Chairman of the State Committee for the Physical Education and Sport ordered the team home, and Gottwald died the next day, March 14, 1953. The team was disqualified, their results annulled and their remaining games cancelled.[1]

World Championships Group A (Switzerland)

Date Matches A World Championships 1953 Result Period.
7 March  Czechoslovakia vs.  West Germany 11–2 (annulled) 4–1, 5–0, 2–1
7 March   Switzerland vs.  Sweden 2–9 1–2, 1–5, 0–2
8 March   Switzerland vs.  Czechoslovakia 4–9 (annulled) 0–4, 1–2, 3–3
8 March  Sweden vs.  West Germany 8–6 4–1, 3–3, 1–2
10 March  Sweden vs.  Czechoslovakia 5–3 (annulled) 5–1, 0–1, 0–1
10 March  West Germany vs.   Switzerland 2–3 0–1, 2–1, 0–1
12 March  Sweden vs.   Switzerland 9–1 5–1, 1–0, 3–0
12 March  West Germany vs.  Czechoslovakia 4–9 (annulled) 2–4, 1–2, 1–3
13 March  Czechoslovakia vs.   Switzerland Cancelled
13 March  West Germany vs.  Sweden 2–12 0–2, 1–5, 1–5
15 March  Czechoslovakia vs.  Sweden Cancelled
15 March   Switzerland vs.  West Germany 3–7 2–4, 0–1, 1–2

Table

PlaceTeamGPWLTGFGAPts
1 Sweden440038–118
2 West Germany413017–262
3  Switzerland41309–272
NC Czechoslovakia0000000

World Championships Group B (Switzerland)

Also participating was a Swiss 'B' team who (if their games counted) would have finished third.[2]

Date Matches B World Championships 1953 Result Period.
7 March  Italy vs.  Austria 9–5 3–1, 4–3, 2–1
7 March   Switzerland B vs.  Great Britain 1–3 1–0, 0–1, 0–2
8 March  Austria vs.  Netherlands 5–3 2–0, 2–3, 1–0
8 March   Switzerland B vs.  France 7–1 4–1, 1–0, 2–0
10 March  Great Britain vs.  Netherlands 8–4 4–2, 1–2, 3–0
10 March   Switzerland B vs.  Italy 1–2 1–0, 0–0, 0–2
11 March  Austria vs.  France 8–1 2–1, 2–0, 4–0
11 March  Italy vs.  Netherlands 7–0 4–0, 1–0, 2–0
12 March  Great Britain vs.  France 8–3 3–0, 3–1, 2–2
13 March  Great Britain vs.  Austria 3–0 1–0, 1–0, 1–0
13 March   Switzerland B vs.  Netherlands 7–5 1–1, 5–2, 1–2
14 March  Italy vs.  France 5–2 2–1, 1–0, 2–1
14 March   Switzerland B vs.  Austria 8–2 2–0, 1–1, 5–1
15 March  Netherlands vs.  France 8–3 4–1, 2–1, 2–1
15 March  Italy vs.  Great Britain 3–2 3–0, 0–0, 0–2

Table

Place Team GP W D L GF GA Pts
4 Italy550026–1010
5 Great Britain540124–118
NC  Switzerland B530224–136
6 Austria520320–244
7 Netherlands510420–302
8 France500510–360

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 Duplacey P. 503
  2. ↑ Summary

References

  • Complete results
  • Duplacey, James (1998). Total Hockey: The official encyclopedia of the National Hockey League. Total Sports. pp. 498–528. ISBN 0-8362-7114-9.
  • Podnieks, Andrew (2010). IIHF Media Guide & Record Book 2011. Moydart Press. pp. 133–4.
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