1972 Ice Hockey World Championships

1972 edition of the World Ice Hockey Championships

1972 Ice Hockey World ChampionshipsTournament details

Host country|  Czechoslovakia
Venue(s)| 1 (in 1 host city)
Dates| 7–22 April
Teams| 6
Final positions
Champions |  Czechoslovakia (3rd title)
Runner-up |  Soviet Union
Third place |  Sweden
Fourth place|  Finland
Tournament statistics
Games played| 30
Goals scored| 288 (9.6 per game)
Attendance| 285,564 (9,519 per game)
Scoring leader(s)|  Alexander Maltsev 22 points

<- 1971

1973 ->

The 1972 Ice Hockey World Championships was the 39th edition of the Ice Hockey World Championships. The tournament was held in Prague, Czechoslovakia from 7 to 22 April 1972, and the Czechoslovakia national team won the tournament, the third time they had done so and first since 1949, ending the Soviet Union's streak of nine consecutive titles.[1] In addition it was the Czechoslovaks' 12th European title.

For the first time, a separate tournament is held for both the World Championships and the Winter Olympics. Previously, the Olympic tournament was held in lieu of a world championships, with the winner being declared world champion for that year.[1] It also marked the first time in international ice hockey that all goaltenders were required to wear face masks.[1]

The American team, who had won the silver medal earlier in the year at the Olympics, failed to win the 'B' pool, losing to Poland in their final game.

## World Championship Group A (Czechoslovakia)

[edit]

Finland–Soviet Union game in Prague. Alexander Maltsev (left side), Valeri Vasiliev (right side) and Lauri Mononen (middle) are pictured. Pos | Team  | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | Pts

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1  |  Czechoslovakia | 10  | 9  | 0  | 1  | 72  | 16  | +56  | 19
2  |  Soviet Union | 10  | 7  | 1  | 2  | 78  | 17  | +61  | 16
3  |  Sweden | 10  | 5  | 4  | 1  | 49  | 33  | +16  | 11
4  |  Finland | 10  | 4  | 6  | 0  | 47  | 48  | −1  | 8
5  |  West Germany | 10  | 2  | 8  | 0  | 21  | 76  | −55  | 4
6  |  Switzerland | 10  | 1  | 9  | 0  | 19  | 96  | −77  | 2

Source: [citation needed]

7 April| Czechoslovakia | 19–1|  Switzerland|

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7 April| Soviet Union | 11–0|  West Germany|

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8 April| Switzerland | 1–12|  Sweden|

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8 April| West Germany | 5–8|  Finland|

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9 April| Czechoslovakia | 4–1|  Sweden|

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9 April| Finland | 2–10|  Soviet Union|

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10 April| Czechoslovakia | 8–1|  West Germany|

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10 April| Soviet Union | 10–2|  Switzerland|

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11 April| West Germany | 0–10|  Sweden|

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11 April| Switzerland | 3–2|  Finland|

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12 April| Finland | 1–2|  Sweden|

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12 April| Czechoslovakia | 3–3|  Soviet Union|

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13 April| Switzerland | 3–6|  West Germany|

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14 April| Sweden | 2–11|  Soviet Union|

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14 April| Czechoslovakia | 5–3|  Finland|

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15 April| Czechoslovakia | 12–2|  Switzerland|

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15 April| West Germany | 0–7|  Soviet Union|

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16 April| Sweden | 8–5|  Switzerland|

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16 April| Finland | 13–3|  West Germany|

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17 April| Soviet Union | 7–2|  Finland|

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17 April| Czechoslovakia | 2–0|  Sweden|

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18 April| Czechoslovakia | 8–1|  West Germany|

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18 April| Switzerland | 0–14|  Soviet Union|

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19 April| Sweden | 7–1|  West Germany|

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19 April| Finland | 9–1|  Switzerland|

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20 April| Sweden | 4–5|  Finland|

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20 April| Czechoslovakia | 3–2|  Soviet Union|

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21 April| West Germany | 4–1|  Switzerland|

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22 April| Czechoslovakia | 8–2|  Finland|

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22 April| Soviet Union | 3–3|  Sweden|

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## World Championship Group B (Romania)

[edit]

Played in Bucharest from 24 March to 2 April.

Pos | Team  | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | Pts

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7  |  Poland | 6  | 6  | 0  | 0  | 41  | 12  | +29  | 12
8  |  United States | 6  | 5  | 1  | 0  | 39  | 22  | +17  | 10
9  |  East Germany | 6  | 4  | 2  | 0  | 31  | 18  | +13  | 8
10  |  Romania | 6  | 3  | 3  | 0  | 25  | 26  | −1  | 6
11  |  Japan | 6  | 1  | 4  | 1  | 20  | 49  | −29  | 3
12  |  Yugoslavia | 6  | 1  | 5  | 0  | 25  | 28  | −3  | 2
13  |  Norway | 6  | 0  | 5  | 1  | 15  | 41  | −26  | 1

Source: [citation needed]

Poland was promoted to Group A, both Norway and France were relegated to Group C. The French team boycotted the tournament in a protest over their federation's failure to finance the team's participation in the Sapporo Olympics[2][3]

24 March| United States | 5–3|  Yugoslavia|

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24 March| Poland | 9–1|  Norway|

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24 March| East Germany | 7–1|  Japan|

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25 March| Romania | 3–2|  Yugoslavia|

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26 March| East Germany | 5–2|  Norway|

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26 March| United States | 14–5|  Japan|

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27 March| Romania | 7–2|  Norway|

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27 March| Poland | 11–1|  Japan|

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27 March| East Germany | 4–3|  Yugoslavia|

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29 March| United States | 6–5|  East Germany|

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29 March| Japan | 4–4|  Norway|

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29 March| Romania | 0–7|  Poland|

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30 March| Romania | 3–8|  East Germany|

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30 March| United States | 5–1|  Norway|

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30 March| Poland | 5–3|  Yugoslavia|

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1 April| Romania | 10–3|  Japan|

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1 April| Yugoslavia | 11–5|  Norway|

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1 April| Poland | 6–5|  United States|

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2 April| Japan | 6–3|  Yugoslavia|

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2 April| Romania | 2–4|  United States|

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2 April| Poland | 3–2|  East Germany|

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## World Championship Group C (Romania)

[edit]

Played in Miercurea-Ciuc from 3 March to the 12th. The Chinese won their first game ever played in a World Championship.[4]

Pos | Team  | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | Pts

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14  |  Austria | 6  | 5  | 0  | 1  | 21  | 12  | +9  | 11
15  |  Italy | 6  | 4  | 1  | 1  | 31  | 13  | +18  | 9
16  |  China | 6  | 2  | 2  | 2  | 19  | 20  | −1  | 6
17  |  Bulgaria | 6  | 3  | 3  | 0  | 20  | 19  | +1  | 6
18  |  Hungary | 6  | 2  | 2  | 2  | 31  | 24  | +7  | 6
19  |  Denmark | 6  | 1  | 5  | 0  | 13  | 25  | −12  | 2
20  |  Netherlands | 6  | 1  | 5  | 0  | 11  | 33  | −22  | 2

Source: [citation needed]

Both Austria and Italy were promoted to Group B.

3 March| China | 4–3|  Bulgaria|

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3 March| Hungary | 11–4|  Denmark|

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4 March| Italy | 3–1|  Netherlands|

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4 March| Austria | 4–2|  Denmark|

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5 March| Italy | 6–2|  Bulgaria|

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5 March| Netherlands | 4–3|  China|

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6 March| Bulgaria | 6–2|  Hungary|

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6 March| China | 6–1|  Denmark|

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6 March| Austria | 4–2|  Netherlands|

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8 March| Italy | 7–1|  China|

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8 March| Austria | 4–3|  Hungary|

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8 March| Bulgaria | 5–3|  Netherlands|

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9 March| Italy | 8–0|  Denmark|

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9 March| Austria | 4–2|  Bulgaria|

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9 March| Hungary | 6–1|  Netherlands|

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11 March| China | 2–2|  Austria|

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11 March| Denmark | 4–2|  Netherlands|

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11 March| Hungary | 6–6|  Italy|

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12 March| Bulgaria | 2–0|  Denmark|

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12 March| Hungary | 3–3|  China|

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12 March| Austria | 3–1|  Italy|

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## Ranking and statistics

[edit]

1972 IIHF World Championship winners

Czechoslovakia
3rd title

### Tournament Awards

[edit]

* Best players selected by the directorate:
* Best Goaltender: Jorma Valtonen
* Best Defenceman: František Pospíšil
* Best Forward: Alexander Maltsev
* Media All-Star Team:
* Goaltender: Jiří Holeček
* Defence: Oldřich Machač,  František Pospíšil
* Forwards: Valeri Kharlamov,  Alexander Maltsev,  Vladimir Vikulov

### Final standings

[edit]

The final standings of the tournament according to IIHF:

|  Czechoslovakia

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|  Soviet Union
|  Sweden
4 |  Finland
5 |  West Germany
6 |  Switzerland

### European championships final standings

[edit]

The final standings of the European championships according to IIHF:

|  Czechoslovakia

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|  Soviet Union
|  Sweden
4 |  Finland
5 |  West Germany
6 |  Switzerland

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Szemberg & Podnieks 2007, p. 199
2. ^ France Boycotts
3. ^ Explanation of Olympic controversy (in french)
4. ^ Group C

## References

[edit]

* 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. 142–3.
* Szemberg, Szymon; Podnieks, Andrew, eds. (2007), World of Hockey: Celebrating a Century of the IIHF, Bolton, Ontario: Fenn Publishing, ISBN 978-1-55168-307-2
* Complete results at Passionhockey.com

* v
* t
* e

Ice Hockey World Championships

Current champions (2024):  Czech Republic

2024 Championship
teams|

* Austria
* Canada
* Czechia
* Denmark
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Great Britain
* Kazakhstan
* Latvia
* Norway
* Poland
* Slovakia
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* United States

Tournaments|

* 1920
* 1924
* 1928
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* ~~2020~~
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Championships
(Top Division)|

| Editions|

* Switzerland 1998
* Norway 1999
* Russia 2000
* Germany 2001
* Sweden 2002
* Finland 2003
* Czech Republic 2004
* Austria 2005
* Latvia 2006
* Russia 2007
* Canada 2008
* Switzerland 2009
* Germany 2010
* Slovakia 2011
* Finland / Sweden 2012
* Sweden / Finland 2013
* Belarus 2014
* Czech Republic 2015
* Russia 2016
* Germany / France 2017
* Denmark 2018
* Slovakia 2019
* ~~Switzerland 2020~~
* Latvia 2021
* Finland 2022
* Finland / Latvia 2023
* Czechia 2024
* Sweden / Denmark 2025
* Switzerland 2026
* Germany 2027
* France 2028

|

Finals|

* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* ~~2020~~
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

Rosters|

* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* ~~2020~~
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

Division I|

* 1998(B)/(C)
* 1999(B)/(C)
* 2000(B)/(C)
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* ~~2020~~
* ~~2021~~
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Division II|

* 1998(D)
* 1999(D)
* 2000(D)
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* ~~2020~~
* ~~2021~~
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Division III|

* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* ~~2020~~
* ~~2021~~
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Division IV|

* ~~2020~~
* ~~2021~~
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

* Team appearances
* Medalists
* Attendance
* Awards winners

* v
* t
* e

IIHF Ice Hockey European Championships

* 1910
* 1911
* ~~1912~~
* 1913
* 1914
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991

* Medals were awarded to the best European participants of the World Championships or Olympic Games (marked in italics).

*[Pos]: Position
*[Pld]: Played
*[W]: Won
*[L]: Lost
*[D]: Drawn
*[GF]: Goals for
*[GA]: Goals against
*[GD]: Goal difference
*[Pts]: Points
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template