1996 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships

The 1996 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships was the 60th such event sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Teams representing 36 countries participated in several levels of competition, with Slovakia making their first appearance in the top Champions Group A, in their fourth tournament since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia and the formation of the separate Czech Republic and Slovakia men's national ice hockey teams. The competition also served as qualifications for group placements in the 1997 competition.

1996 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships
Tournament details
Host country Austria
Dates21 April – 5 May
Teams12
Venue(s)1 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
Champions  Czech Republic (1st title)
Runner-up  Canada
Third place  United States
Fourth place Russia
Tournament statistics
Games played40
Goals scored249 (6.23 per game)
Attendance186,830 (4,671 per match)
Scoring leader(s)Canada Yanic Perreault 9 points

The top Championship Group A tournament took place in Austria from 21 April to 5 May 1996, with all games played in Vienna. Twelve teams took part, with the first round split into two groups of six, with the first four from each group advancing to the quarter-finals. The Czech Republic beat Canada in the final to become World Champions for the first time. The final game was tied at two apiece before Martin Procházka scored with nineteen seconds left, followed by an empty net goal to seal the victory.[1] In the bronze medal game, Brian Rolston scored at 4:48 of overtime to win the first medal in 34 years for team USA.[2][3] The unfortunate Russians, competing in their fifth tournament since being created after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, did not lose a game in regulation time in the entire tournament, but finished fourth.

World Championship Group A (Austria)

Group 1
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1  Russia 5 5 0 0 23 8 +15 10
2  United States 5 3 0 2 15 14 +1 6
3  Canada 5 2 1 2 17 15 +2 5
4  Germany 5 2 0 3 12 11 +1 4
5  Slovakia 5 1 1 3 13 16 −3 3
6  Austria 5 1 0 4 3 19 −16 2
Source:
21 AprilGermany 1–2 Russia
21 AprilCanada 3–3 Slovakia
22 AprilAustria 1–5 United States
22 AprilRussia 6–2 Slovakia
23 AprilUnited States 4–2 Germany
23 AprilAustria 0–4 Canada
24 AprilGermany 5–1 Canada
25 AprilAustria 2–1 Slovakia
25 AprilUnited States 1–3 Russia
26 AprilAustria 0–3 Germany
26 AprilRussia 6–4 Canada
27 AprilUnited States 4–3 Slovakia
28 AprilAustria 0–6 Russia
28 AprilCanada 5–1 United States
29 AprilSlovakia 4–1 Germany

Group 2
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1  Czech Republic 5 4 1 0 27 12 +15 9
2  Finland 5 2 2 1 23 15 +8 6
3  Sweden 5 2 2 1 14 12 +2 6
4  Italy 5 2 1 2 20 26 −6 5
5  Norway 5 1 2 2 6 11 −5 4
6  France 5 0 0 5 12 26 −14 0
Source:
21 AprilCzech Republic 3–1 Sweden
21 AprilFinland 1–1 Norway
22 AprilFrance 5–6 Italy
23 AprilItaly 4–0 Norway
23 AprilFinland 2–4 Czech Republic
24 AprilSweden 2–1 France
24 AprilNorway 2–2 Czech Republic
25 AprilFrance 3–6 Finland
25 AprilSweden 3–3 Italy
26 AprilItaly 2–9 Finland
27 AprilCzech Republic 9–2 France
27 AprilSweden 3–0 Norway
28 AprilItaly 5–9 Czech Republic
28 AprilFinland 5–5 Sweden
29 AprilNorway 3–1 France

Playoff round
 
QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal
 
          
 
30 April
 
 
 United States3
 
3 May
 
 Sweden2
 
 United States0
 
1 May
 
 Czech Republic5
 
 Czech Republic6
 
5 May
 
 Germany1
 
 Czech Republic4
 
30 April
 
 Canada2
 
 Finland1
 
3 May
 
 Canada3
 
 Canada (GWS)3
 
1 May
 
 Russia2 Third place
 
 Russia5
 
4 May
 
 Italy2
 
 Russia3
 
 
 United States (OT)4
 

Quarterfinals
30 AprilUnited States 3–2 Sweden
30 AprilFinland 1–3 Canada
1 MayRussia 5–2 Italy
1 MayCzech Republic 6–1 Germany

Consolation round 11–12 place
1 MayAustria 3–6 France
2 MayAustria 3–6 France

Austria was relegated to Group B.

Semifinals
3 MayUnited States 0–5 Czech Republic
3 MayCanada 3–2 (GWS) Russia

Match for third place
4 MayRussia 3–4 (OT) United States

Final
5 May
15:00		Czech Republic 4–2
(1–1, 1–1, 2–0)		 CanadaWiener Stadthalle, Wien
Attendance: 9,500
Roman TurekGoaliesCurtis JosephReferee:
Germany Müller
Linesmen:
Finland Rautavuori
Sweden Rönnmark
0–105:29 − Steve Thomas
Robert Lang – 07:491–1
Robert Lang – 26:022–1
2–229:40 − Steve Thomas
Martin Procházka – 59:413–2
Jiří Kučera – 59:544–2

World Championship Group B (Netherlands)

Played 10–20 April in Eindhoven. Latvia won at this level for the first time. In their final game, superb goaltending by Artūrs Irbe kept them in it, and a late tying goal by Oļegs Znaroks sealed the tournament victory.[3] The final game had high drama for the host crowd, the Japanese and Danish teams among them. If the Netherlands were to lose to Poland, they would finish last and be relegated, a tie and Japan would be last, a win and Denmark would be last. A third period goal by Poland sealed Japan's fate.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
13  Latvia 7 6 1 0 41 16 +25 13
14   Switzerland 7 5 1 1 37 13 +24 11
15  Belarus 7 5 0 2 29 18 +11 10
16  Great Britain 7 4 1 2 29 23 +6 9
17  Poland 7 1 2 4 18 27 −9 4
18  Denmark 7 1 1 5 14 32 −18 3[lower-alpha 1]
19  Netherlands 7 1 1 5 12 35 −23 3[lower-alpha 2]
20  Japan 7 0 3 4 14 30 −16 3[lower-alpha 3]
Source:
Notes:
  1. 3 head-to-head points
  2. 2 head-to-head points
  3. 1 head-to-head point

Latvia was promoted to Group A while Japan was relegated to Group C.

10 AprilLatvia 6–5 Great Britain
10 AprilPoland 3–3 Japan
10 AprilNetherlands 0–3 Denmark
10 AprilSwitzerland 2–4 Belarus
11 AprilJapan 1–6 Latvia
11 AprilGreat Britain 2–7  Switzerland
12 AprilDenmark 3–4 Poland
12 AprilNetherlands 2–3 Belarus
13 AprilLatvia 5–3 Denmark
13 AprilSwitzerland 7–2 Japan
13 AprilGreat Britain 4–2 Poland
14 AprilNetherlands 2–6 Great Britain
14 AprilLatvia 4–1 Belarus
15 AprilDenmark 1–10  Switzerland
15 AprilPoland 3–6 Belarus
15 AprilJapan 1–2 Netherlands
16 AprilLatvia 4–2 Poland
16 AprilJapan 3–3 Great Britain
17 AprilBelarus 6–1 Denmark
17 AprilSwitzerland 5–1 Netherlands
18 AprilPoland 2–5  Switzerland
18 AprilNetherlands 3–15 Latvia
19 AprilBelarus 7–2 Japan
19 AprilGreat Britain 5–1 Denmark
20 AprilBelarus 2–4 Great Britain
20 AprilDenmark 2–2 Japan
20 AprilSwitzerland 1–1 Latvia
20 AprilPoland 2–2 Netherlands

World Championship Group C (Slovenia)

Played 22–31 March in Jesenice and Kranj. For the fourth year in row the Kazakhs and Ukrainians met in Group C. For the first time the Kazakhs came out on top, and it was the difference in winning the tournament.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
21  Kazakhstan 7 6 0 1 51 10 +41 12
22  Ukraine 7 6 0 1 40 13 +27 12
23  Slovenia 7 5 0 2 41 19 +22 10
24  Hungary 7 3 1 3 34 25 +9 7
25  Estonia 7 3 1 3 36 29 +7 7
26  Romania 7 3 0 4 32 27 +5 6
27  China 7 1 0 6 17 68 −51 2
28  Croatia 7 0 0 7 11 71 −60 0
Source:

Kazakhstan was promoted to Group B while Croatia was relegated to Group D.

22 MarchRomania 9–2 Croatia
22 MarchEstonia 13–2 China
22 MarchUkraine 4–1 Hungary
22 MarchSlovenia 2–4 Kazakhstan
23 MarchHungary 2–7 Kazakhstan
23 MarchSlovenia 4–1 Romania
23 MarchChina 2–7 Ukraine
23 MarchEstonia 10–2 Croatia
25 MarchSlovenia 6–3 Estonia
25 MarchUkraine 11–1 Croatia
25 MarchRomania 3–5 Hungary
25 MarchKazakhstan 15–0 China
26 MarchChina 3–11 Romania
26 MarchKazakhstan 12–0 Croatia
26 MarchHungary 5–5 Estonia
26 MarchSlovenia 2–4 Ukraine
28 MarchRomania 2–3 Estonia
28 MarchCroatia 4–6 China
28 MarchKazakhstan 3–2 Ukraine
28 MarchSlovenia 4–3 Hungary
29 MarchUkraine 7–2 Romania
29 MarchCroatia 0–10 Hungary
29 MarchEstonia 0–7 Kazakhstan
29 MarchSlovenia 10–2 China
31 MarchUkraine 5–2 Estonia
31 MarchSlovenia 13–2 Croatia
31 MarchRomania 4–3 Kazakhstan
31 MarchChina 2–8 Hungary

World Championship Group D (Lithuania)

Played in Kaunas and Elektrenai 25–31 March. To narrow the field of the bottom tier to eight nations, two regional qualifying tournaments were used.

Group 1 (Australia)

Played 5 and 6 November 1995 in Sydney.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1  Australia 2 2 0 0 12 2 +10 4
2  New Zealand 2 0 0 2 2 12 −10 0
Source:
5 November 1995Australia 6–0 New Zealand
6 November 1995Australia 6–2 New Zealand

Group 2 (Israel)

Played 27–29 January 1996 in Metulla.

The Greek team originally won both their games, but it was later found that they had used ineligible players. Both games were declared 5–0 forfeits in favour of the opposing team.[3]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1  Israel 2 2 0 0 24 0 +24 4
2  Turkey 2 1 0 1 5 19 −14 2
3  Greece 2 0 0 2 0 10 −10 0
Source:
27 January 1996Israel 1–4
5–0 by default		 Greece
28 January 1996Turkey 0–19
5–0 by default		 Greece
29 January 1996Israel 19–0 Turkey

Group 1
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1  FR Yugoslavia 3 3 0 0 14 5 +9 6
2  Spain 3 1 1 1 15 6 +9 3
3  South Korea 3 1 1 1 15 10 +5 3
4  Australia 3 0 0 3 8 31 −23 0
Source:
25 MarchFR Yugoslavia 7–1 Australia
25 MarchSpain 1–1 South Korea
26 MarchSpain 11–1 Australia
26 MarchFR Yugoslavia 3–1 South Korea
27 MarchSouth Korea 13–6 Australia
27 MarchFR Yugoslavia 4–3 Spain

Group 2

The Israeli team, that had qualified for the tournament after the Greek forfeits, had to forfeit its first two games because they used two Russian players who did not have the proper clearance to play.[3]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1  Lithuania 3 3 0 0 19 2 +17 6
2  Belgium 3 2 0 1 10 13 −3 4
3  Bulgaria 3 1 0 2 7 6 +1 2
4  Israel 3 0 0 3 0 15 −15 0
Source:
25 MarchBulgaria 3–3
5–0 by default		 Israel
25 MarchLithuania 11–2 Belgium
26 MarchBelgium 3–2 Bulgaria
26 MarchLithuania 7–2
5–0 by default		 Israel
27 MarchBelgium 5–0 Israel
27 MarchLithuania 3–0 Bulgaria

Final Round 29–32 Place
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
29  Lithuania 3 3 0 0 25 4 +21 6
30  FR Yugoslavia 3 2 0 1 10 8 +2 4
31  Spain 3 1 0 2 10 16 −6 2
32  Belgium 3 0 0 3 5 22 −17 0
Source:

Host Lithuania won all five games to earn promotion to Group C.

29 MarchFR Yugoslavia 5–2 Belgium
29 MarchLithuania 11–1 Spain
31 MarchSpain 6–1 Belgium
31 MarchLithuania 3–1 FR Yugoslavia

Consolation round 33–36 place
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
33  South Korea 3 2 1 0 22 13 +9 5
34  Bulgaria 3 2 0 1 14 10 +4 4
35  Israel 3 1 1 1 10 10 0 3
36  Australia 3 0 0 3 12 25 −13 0
Source:
28 MarchBulgaria 5–4 Australia
28 MarchIsrael 3–3 South Korea
30 MarchIsrael 7–2 Australia
30 MarchSouth Korea 6–4 Bulgaria

Ranking and statistics


 1996 IIHF World Championship winners 

Czech Republic
1st title

Tournament awards

Final standings

The final standings of the tournament according to IIHF:

1st place, gold medalist(s) Czech Republic
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Canada
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) United States
4 Russia
5 Finland
6 Sweden
7 Italy
8 Germany
9 Norway
10 Slovakia
11 France
12 Austria

Scoring leaders

List shows the top skaters sorted by points, then goals.

Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM POS
Canada Yanic Perreault8639+40F
Czech Republic Robert Lang8549+72F
Russia Sergei Berezin8459+22F
Russia Alexei Yashin8459+44F
Canada Travis Green8538+28F
Finland Teemu Selänne8538+70F
Italy Bruno Zarrillo6448+44F
Russia Dmitri Kvartalnov844804F
Czech Republic Robert Reichel8448+80F
Czech Republic Pavel Patera8358+12F

Source:

Leading goaltenders

Only the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played 40% of their team's minutes are included in this list.

Player MIP GA GAA SVS% SO
Norway Rob Schistad24061.50.9710
Russia Andrei Trefilov31061.16.9560
Czech Republic Roman Turek480151.88.9521
Sweden Boo Ahl300102.00.9421
Germany Klaus Merk299163.21.9381

Source:

Citations
  1. Duplacey page 508
  2. Podnieks page 160
  3. Summary at Passionhockey.com

See also

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. 159–60.
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