List Of World Junior Hockey Champions
The sport of hockey is widely popular across the world, and with its popularity comes a thriving international hockey community. One of the most exciting events in this community is the annual IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, which is held every year in a different country. The tournament features some of the best young hockey players from around the world, competing to be crowned the World Junior Hockey Champions. In this article, we'll take a look at the history of the tournament and the countries that have had the honor of being crowned champions.
The History Of The World Junior Hockey Championship
The World Junior Hockey Championship was first held in 1977, and it has been an annual event ever since. The tournament was created to showcase the top young hockey players in the world and to give them the opportunity to compete on an international stage. The tournament is organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and is usually held in late December and early January.
The tournament consists of ten teams, which are divided into two groups of five. Each team plays four games in the group stage, and the top four teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals. The tournament continues in a knockout format until a champion is crowned in the final.
The List Of World Junior Hockey Champions
Since the first tournament in 1977, there have been eighteen different countries that have competed for the title of World Junior Hockey Champions. Below is a list of the countries that have won the tournament, along with the year of their victory.
- Soviet Union – 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989
- Canada – 1982, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2018, 2020
- Sweden – 1981, 1984, 1987, 1992, 1998, 2006, 2007, 2012
- Finland – 1987, 1998, 2014, 2016
- Czech Republic – 2000, 2001, 2002, 2008
- United States – 2004, 2010, 2013, 2017
- Russia – 1999, 2002, 2003, 2011, 2021
As we can see from the list, the Soviet Union and Canada have been the most successful teams in the history of the tournament, winning a combined total of 28 championships. The United States and Russia have also had success in the tournament, with four championships each. Sweden and Finland have also had their fair share of success, winning a total of eight championships between them. The Czech Republic has won the tournament four times, all within the first ten years of the tournament's existence.
Conclusion
The World Junior Hockey Championship is an exciting event that brings together some of the best young hockey players from around the world. The tournament has a rich history, and it's always exciting to see which country will be crowned the World Junior Hockey Champions each year. With the tournament continuing to grow in popularity, we can expect to see even more exciting moments and great hockey players emerge from this event in the years to come.
