1947 Ice Hockey World Championships

1947 Ice Hockey World Championships

Tournament details
Host country	Czechoslovakia
Dates	15–23 February
Teams	8
Final positions
Champions	Czechoslovakia (1st title)
Runner-up	Sweden
Third place	Austria
Fourth place	Switzerland
Tournament statistics
Matches played	28
Goals scored	337 (12.04 per match)
Scoring leader(s)	Vladimír Zábrodský 29 goals
← 1939 1948 →

The 14th Ice Hockey World Championships and 25th European Championship was the first after the Second World War. It was held from 15 to 23 February 1947 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Eight teams participated, but the competition was notably missing the reigning world champion, Canada. The world champion was decided for the first time by round robin league play. Czechoslovakia won the world championship for the first time and the European championship for the seventh time. King Gustav V had sent a telegram of congratulations to the Swedish team after beating the Czechoslovaks, but they had barely finished celebrating when they were upset by the Austrians, costing them the gold medal.^[1]

History[]

The 1947 congress of the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace (LIHG) was the first meeting or the organization since World War II.^[1] During the war, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) united with the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS) to form the International Ice Hockey Association, and invited the British Ice Hockey Association to join.^[2] The new group was led by CAHA president W. G. Hardy, and was a means of shifting the control of world hockey from Europe to Canada.^[3]

The CAHA severed its ties to the LIHG in 1944, and pledged allegiance to the International Ice Hockey Association instead, and a closer relationship to AHAUS.^[4] The CAHA and AHAUS agreed in 1946 to propose a merger with the LIHG to oversee international ice hockey. The proposal sought for the Ice Hockey World Championships to alternate between Europe and North America, with the Olympic hockey tournaments played under the same rules as the CAHA and the National Hockey League.^[5] The CAHA attended the LIHG meeting during the 1947 championships, and pushed for the definition of amateur to be anyone not actively engaged in professional sport.^[6] The LIHG agreed to a merger where the presidency would alternate between North America and Europe every three years, and recognized AHAUS as the governing body of hockey in the United States instead of the Amateur Athletic Union. The CAHA was permitted to have its own definition of amateur as long as teams at the Olympic games adhered to existing LIHG rules.^[7]

Many notable changes were made to the rules for this championship. The game was standardized to be played in three 20 minute periods, aligning with the Canadian practice. The net size was standardized as well. There would be no more one- and three-minute penalties, and penalty shots were instituted.^[1]

Japan and Germany were barred from participation, but the LIHG was careful to illustrate that it was the politics, not the people, who were at fault, and allies like Austria and Italy were admitted.^[8]

1947 World Ice Hockey Championships (Prague, Czechoslovakia)[]

Game results[]

15. February 1947	Prague	Austria	–	Poland		10:2 (3:1,2:1,5:0)
15. February 1947	Prague	Czechoslovakia	–	Romania		23:1 (4:0,7:1,12:0)
15. February 1947	Prague	Sweden	–	Switzerland		4:4 (2:2,1:0,1:2)
16. February 1947	Prague	Sweden	–	Belgium		24:1 (8:0,7:1,9:0)
16. February 1947	Prague	Poland	–	Romania		6:0 (2:0,1:0,3:0)
16. February 1947	Prague	USA	–	Switzerland		4:3 (0:0,3:2,1:1)
17. February 1947	Prague	Austria	–	Belgium		14:5 (2:0,6:0,6:5)
17. February 1947	Prague	Switzerland	–	Romania		13:3 (7:0,0:2,6:1)
17. February 1947	Prague	Sweden	–	USA		4:1 (1:0,2:0,1:1)
18. February 1947	Prague	Czechoslovakia	–	Austria		13:5 (2:3,6:0,5:2)
18. February 1947	Prague	USA	–	Belgium		13:2 (5:1,5:0,3:1)
18. February 1947	Prague	Sweden	–	Poland		5:3 (0:1,4:1,1:1)
19. February 1947	Prague	Austria	–	USA		6:5 (2:1,2:3,2:1)
19. February 1947	Prague	Sweden	–	Romania		15:3 (6:2,6:0,3:1)
19. February 1947	Prague	Czechoslovakia	–	Poland		12:0 (3:0,2:0,7:0)
19. February 1947	Prague	Switzerland	–	Belgium		12:2 (3:1,7:0,2:1)
20. February 1947	Prague	USA	–	Romania		15:3 (6:0,3:1,6:2)
20. February 1947	Prague	Poland	–	Belgium		11:1 (1:0,6:0,4:1)
20. February 1947	Prague	Czechoslovakia	–	Switzerland		6:1 (2:1,2:0,2:0)
21. February 1947	Prague	Austria	–	Romania		12:1 (2:0,5:0,5:1)
21. February 1947	Prague	USA	–	Poland		3:2 (1:0,1:2,1:0)
21. February 1947	Prague	Czechoslovakia	–	Belgium		24:0 (9:0,5:0,10:0)
22. February 1947	Prague	Romania	–	Belgium		6:4 (2:1,3:0,1:3)
22. February 1947	Prague	Switzerland	–	Austria		5:0 (3:0,0:0,2:0)
22. February 1947	Prague	Czechoslovakia	–	Sweden		1:2 (0:1,0:1,1:0)
23. February 1947	Prague	Switzerland	–	Poland		9:3 (3:1,1:0,5:2)
23. February 1947	Prague	Austria	–	Sweden		2:1 (1:0,0:0,1:1)
23. February 1947	Prague	Czechoslovakia	–	USA		6:1 (2:0,1:1,3:0)

Final standings[]

Team	GP	W	T	L	GF	GA	DIF	PTS
Czechoslovakia	7	6	0	1	85	10	+75	12
Sweden	7	5	1	1	55	15	+40	11
Austria	7	5	0	2	49	32	+17	10
Switzerland	7	4	1	2	47	22	+25	9
United States	7	4	0	3	42	26	+16	8
Poland	7	2	0	5	27	40	–13	4
Romania	7	1	0	6	17	88	–71	2
Belgium	7	0	0	7	15	104	–89	0

World Champion 1947
Czechoslovakia

Team members[]

Final rankings -- European Championship[]

	Czechoslovakia
	Sweden
	Austria
4	Switzerland
5	Poland
6	Romania
7	Belgium

1947 European Champion
Czechoslovakia

Citations[]

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. p. 131.