1979 World Ice Hockey Championships

1979 World Ice Hockey Championships
Tournament details
Host country  USSR
Dates 14–27 April
Teams 8
Venue(s) 2 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
Champions   Soviet Union (16th title)
Runner-up   Czechoslovakia
Third place   Sweden
Fourth place  Canada
Tournament statistics
Matches played 32
Goals scored 263 (8.22 per match)
Attendance 354,500 (11,078 per match)
Scoring leader(s) Soviet Union Vladimir Petrov 15 points
← 1978
1981 →

The 1979 Ice Hockey World Championships took place at the Palace of Sports of the Central Lenin Stadium in Moscow, Soviet Union from 14 to 27 April. Eight teams took part, with the first round split into two groups of four, and the best two from each group advancing to the final group. The four best teams then played each other twice in the final round. This was the 46th World Championship and at the same time, the 57th European Championship. In the May 1978 congress many rules were aligned with NHL practices and archaic rules (like changing ends half way the third period) were finally officially abandoned.[1] The games were very well attended, setting a record by averaging over eleven thousand spectators per game.

The Soviets wished the tournament to be finished before the May Day celebrations began, so the schedule was moved up one week allowing for less NHL players being eligible.[1] The hosts won all seven games they played capturing their 16th title, the only game that was even close was their early match with West Germany, which they won three to two. The competition for the bronze (at least) was tight with Sweden edging out the Canadians. After the tournament NHL star Marcel Dionne praised the level of play and offered the following criticism of North American play, "only the media can change things here. Tell them how the European teams play with so much talent. Tell them that they play without a fight. Let them realize that if a kid does not know how to skate and shoot, but just to fight, he should not be allowed to be a hockey player. There are so many idiots who run hockey, so stupid, so stupid. Tell them."[2]

Promotion and relegation was effective for 1981 as the IIHF ceased running a championship in Olympic years. Nations that did not participate in the Lake Placid Olympics were invited to compete in the inaugural Thayer Tutt Trophy.

World Championship Group A (Soviet Union)

First round

Results between countries that moved on to the same group in the second round were carried forward.

Group 1

Team Games Won Drawn Lost Points difference Points
1  Soviet Union 3 3 0 0 19 - 05 6
2  Sweden 3 2 0 1 16 - 17 4
3  West Germany 3 0 1 2 08 - 13 1
4  Poland 3 0 1 2 08 - 16 1
14 April Soviet Union  7-0
  Poland
14 April Sweden  7-3
  West Germany
15 April Sweden  6-5
  Poland
15 April Soviet Union  3-2
  West Germany
17 April West Germany  3-3
  Poland
17 April Soviet Union  9-3
  Sweden

Group 2

Team Games Won Drawn Lost Points difference Points
1  Czechoslovakia 3 2 1 0 11 - 03 5
2  Canada 3 2 0 1 12 - 11 4
3  United States 3 0 2 1 06 - 09 2
4  Finland 3 0 1 2 05 - 11 1
14 April Canada  6-3
  United States
14 April Czechoslovakia  5-0
  Finland
15 April Czechoslovakia  4-1
  Canada
15 April United States  1-1
  Finland
17 April Canada  5-4
  Finland
17 April Czechoslovakia  2-2
  United States

Final round

Team Games Won Drawn Lost Points difference Points
1  Soviet Union 6 6 0 0 51 - 12 12
2  Czechoslovakia 6 3 1 2 25 - 30 7
3  Sweden 6 1 1 4 20 - 38 3
4  Canada 6 1 0 5 20 - 36 2
19 April Soviet Union  5-2
  Canada
19 April Czechoslovakia  3-3
  Sweden
21 April Sweden  5-2
  Canada
21 April Soviet Union  11-1
  Czechoslovakia
23 April Czechoslovakia  10-6
  Canada
23 April Soviet Union  11-3
  Sweden
25 April Soviet Union  9-2
  Canada
25 April Czechoslovakia  6-3
  Sweden
27 April Canada  6-3
  Sweden
27 April Soviet Union  6-1
  Czechoslovakia

Consolation round

Team Games Won Drawn Lost Points difference Points
5  Finland 6 4 1 1 23 - 17 9
6  West Germany 6 3 1 2 27 - 21 7
7  United States 6 2 2 2 22 - 20 6
8  Poland 6 0 2 4 15 - 29 2
18 April Poland  5-5
  United States
18 April Finland  5-2
  West Germany
20 April Poland  3-4
  Finland
20 April West Germany  6-3
  United States
22 April United States  6-2
  Finland
22 April West Germany  8-1
  Poland
24 April United States  5-1
  Poland
24 April Finland  7-3
  West Germany
26 April Finland  4-2
  Poland
26 April West Germany  5-2
  United States

World Championship Group B (Romania)

Played in Galati March 16–24. This year's tournament was expanded to ten teams to try to avoid hostilities between China and South Korea. China and Denmark were both elevated with the consequence that four teams would be relegated.

First round

The ten teams were split into groups of five, the top two of each battled for promotion to Group A, the next two played in a group to decide fifth through eighth, and both bottom place teams were simply relegated without playing further. Additionally, the top two in each group joined all Group A teams at the Lake Placid Olympics.

Group 1

Team Games Won Drawn Lost Points difference Points
1  East Germany 4 4 0 0 30 - 06 8
2  Romania 4 2 1 1 22 - 16 5
3  Austria 4 2 1 1 15 - 20 5
4  Denmark 4 1 0 3 08 - 18 2
5  Hungary 4 0 0 4 10 - 25 0

Hungary was relegated to Group C.

16 March Hungary  2-10
  East Germany
16 March Romania  7-7
  Austria
17 March Austria  4-3
  Hungary
17 March Denmark  1-9
  East Germany
18 March Romania  4-1
  Denmark
19 March Romania  8-4
  Hungary
19 March Austria  0-7
  East Germany
20 March Hungary  1-3
  Denmark
21 March Austria  4-3
  Denmark
21 March Romania  3-4
  East Germany

Group 2

Team Games Won Drawn Lost Points difference Points
1  Netherlands 4 4 0 0 29 - 08 8
2  Norway 4 3 0 1 16 - 13 6
3   Switzerland 4 2 0 2 13 - 17 4
4  Japan 4 1 0 3 20 - 17 2
5  China 4 0 0 4 08 - 31 0

China was relegated to Group C.

16 March Norway  5-1
   Switzerland
16 March Japan  5-6
  Netherlands
17 March Netherlands  8-1
  Norway
17 March China  4-6
   Switzerland
18 March Japan  9-3
  China
19 March Japan  3-4
  Norway
19 March Netherlands  5-2
   Switzerland
20 March Norway  6-1
  China
21 March Netherlands  10-0
  China
21 March Japan  3-4
   Switzerland

Final round

Team Games Won Drawn Lost Points difference Points
9  Netherlands 3 3 0 0 15 - 06 6
10  East Germany 3 2 0 1 16 - 09 4
11  Romania 3 1 0 2 08 - 09 2
12  Norway 3 0 0 3 05 - 20 0

The Netherlands were promoted to Group A.

23 March East Germany  9-2
  Norway
23 March Romania  2-3
  Netherlands
24 March East Germany  3-4
  Netherlands
24 March Romania  3-2
  Norway

Consolation round

Team Games Won Drawn Lost Points difference Points
13   Switzerland 3 3 0 0 14 - 06 6
14  Japan 3 2 0 1 17 - 10 4
15  Austria 3 1 0 2 08 - 13 2
16  Denmark 3 0 0 3 08 - 18 0

Both Austria and Denmark were relegated to Group C.

23 March Denmark  1-3
   Switzerland
23 March Austria  2-3
  Japan
24 March Denmark  4-11
  Japan
24 March Austria  2-7
   Switzerland

World Championship Group C (Spain)

Played in Barcelona March 16–25. This tournament was supposed to be played in China but the Chinese said that they would deny entrance to the South Korean team. To avoid political issues with the two playing each other, both China and Denmark (last year's 3rd and 4th place teams) were elevated to Group B and two extra nations were allowed to participate in Group C.[3]

Team Games Won Drawn Lost Points difference Points
19  Yugoslavia 7 7 0 0 83 - 10 14
20  Italy 7 6 0 1 64 - 17 12
21  France 7 5 0 2 59 - 27 10
22  Bulgaria 7 4 0 3 35 - 28 8
23  Great Britain 7 2 0 5 23 - 68 4
24  Spain 7 2 0 5 25 - 48 4
25  South Korea 7 1 1 5 16 - 67 3
26  Australia 7 0 1 6 13 - 53 1

Both Yugoslavia and Italy were promoted to Group B.

16 March Spain  7-1
  South Korea
16 March Bulgaria  0-3
  France
16 March Great Britain  0-12
  Italy
16 March Australia  0-10
  Yugoslavia
17 March Australia  4-12
  Italy
17 March France  5-7
  Yugoslavia
18 March South Korea  9-6
  Great Britain
18 March Bulgaria  5-4
  Spain
19 March France  9-3
  Australia
19 March Great Britain  2-4
  Bulgaria
19 March Yugoslavia  18-0
  South Korea
19 March Spain  1-10
  Italy
20 March Australia  3-5
  Great Britain
20 March Italy  11-0
  South Korea
21 March Bulgaria  1-7
  Yugoslavia
21 March France  8-2
  Spain
22 March South Korea  0-0
  Australia
22 March Italy  8-4
  Bulgaria
22 March Great Britain  3-15
  France
22 March Yugoslavia  16-1
  Spain
24 March Spain  4-6
  Great Britain
24 March Yugoslavia  4-2
  Italy
24 March South Korea  3-15
  France
24 March Australia  1-11
  Bulgaria
25 March Great Britain  1-21
  Yugoslavia
25 March France  4-9
  Italy
25 March South Korea  3-10
  Bulgaria
25 March Spain  6-2
  Australia

Ranking and statistics

 


 1979 IIHF World Championship Winners 

Soviet Union
16th title

Tournament Awards

Final standings

The final standings of the tournament according to IIHF:

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

European championships final standings

The final standings of the European championships according to IIHF:

 Soviet Union
 Sweden
 Czechoslovakia
4  Finland
5  West Germany
6  Poland

Citations

  1. 1 2 Duplacey 506
  2. ↑ Marcel Dionne's quote (translated from French)
  3. ↑ Summary of conflict

References

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