Ice hockey at the 1952 Winter Olympics
|
Jersey of Canada's 1952 Olympic Gold Medal team, the Edmonton Mercurys | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |
 Norway |
| Dates | 15–25 February |
| Teams | 9 |
| Venue(s) | Jordal Amfi Arena, Dælenenga, Kadettangen, Marienlyst and Lillestrøm |
| Final positions | |
Champions  |
 Canada (6th title) |
Runner-up  |
 United States |
Third place  |
 Sweden |
| Fourth place |
 Czechoslovakia |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 37 |
| Goals scored | 335 (9.05 per match) |
| Scoring leader(s) |
Billy Gibson 19 points |
The men's ice hockey tournament (women's was added in 1998) at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway, was the 7th Olympic Championship, also serving as the 19th World Championships and the 30th European Championships. The tournament was mainly played at the Jordal Amfi Arena, as well as the stadiums at Dælenenga (in Oslo), Kadettangen (Sandvika), Marienlyst (Drammen) and Lillestrøm (Lillestrøm). Canada, represented by the Edmonton Mercurys, won its sixth Olympic gold medal and 15th World Championship. Highest finishing European team Sweden won the bronze medal and its sixth European Championship.
The tournament was nearly not played at all. In 1951 it was decided to drop hockey from the olympic program because of the controversies surrounding the 1948 games. However, at the IOC congress in Romania the same year, it was reinstated.[1][2]
Teams from Germany and Czechoslovakia rejoined the top level of international hockey this year. Nine nations played a round-robin with the top three nations receiving medals at the end. Canada won their fifth Olympic title, and fifteenth World title. The USA tied their final game against Canada to finish one point ahead of both Sweden and Czechoslovakia, clinching the silver medal. Czechoslovakia and Sweden both finished with six wins and two losses, additionally, they had an equal goal differential of +29. The Czechs had defeated the Swedes four to nothing on the final day, and believed that they had won the Olympic bronze, and the European Championship. However, organizers decided that they should play a final tie-breaking game, in which the Swedes overcame a three-goal deficit to win five to three.[1][2]
This would be Canada's last gold medal in men's Olympic ice hockey until the 2002 Winter Olympics when they would again play the United States, 50 years to the day (also a Sunday).
Medalists
World Championships Group A (Norway)
- February 15
- Norway 2-3 USA
- Sweden 9-2 Finland
- Czechoslovakia 8-2 Poland
- Canada 15-1 Germany
- February 16
- Switzerland 12-0 Finland
- USA 8-2 Germany
- Norway 0-6 Czechoslovakia
- Sweden 17-1 Poland
- February 17
- Norway 2-4 Sweden
- Czechoslovakia 6-1 Germany
- Canada 13-3 Finland
- Switzerland 6-3 Poland
- February 18
- USA 8-2 Finland
- Sweden 7-3 Germany
- Canada 11-0 Poland
- Norway 2-7 Switzerland
- February 19
- USA 8-2 Switzerland
- Canada 4-1 Czechoslovakia
- February 20
- Norway 2-5 Finland
- Poland 4-4 Germany
- February 21
- Sweden 4-2 USA
- Norway 2-6 Germany
- Canada 11-2 Switzerland
- Czechoslovakia 11-2 Finland
- February 22
- USA 5-3 Poland
- Finland 5-1 Germany
- Canada 3-2 Sweden
- Czechoslovakia 8-3 Switzerland
- February 23
- USA 6-3 Czechoslovakia
- Poland 4-2 Finland
- Norway 2-11 Canada
- Sweden 5-2 Switzerland
- February 24
- Czechoslovakia 4-0 Sweden
- Canada 3-3 USA
- Norway 3-4 Poland
- Switzerland 6-3 Germany
PLAYOFF
- February 25 *
- Sweden 5-3 Czechoslovakia
* Sweden and Czechoslovakia were tied with identical record and goal differentials, so a tie breaker game was played.
Final round
| Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada |
8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 71 | 14 | 15 |
| United States |
8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 43 | 21 | 13 |
| Sweden |
8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 19 | 12 |
| Czechoslovakia |
8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 18 | 12 |
 Switzerland |
8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 40 | 40 | 8 |
 Poland |
8 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 21 | 56 | 5 |
 Finland |
8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 21 | 60 | 4 |
 Germany |
8 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 21 | 53 | 3 |
| Norway |
8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 15 | 46 | 0 |
World Championships Group B (Belgium)
Played in Liege 15–22 March 1952. British manager Johnny Murray won with a roster composed entirely with English players, no Scots, no Canadians.[1]
| Date | Matches B World Championships 1952 | Result | Period. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 March |  France -  Netherlands |
7 - 3 | 1-0,3-1,3-2 |
| 16 March | .svg.png){kind=small} Belgium -  Italy |
1 - 3 | 1-0,0-0,0-3 |
| 16 March |  Austria - Netherlands |
5 - 5 | 1-2,4-1,0-2 |
| 17 March | Belgium -  Great Britain |
5 - 1 | 4-1,0-0,1-0 |
| 17 March | Austria - Italy |
5 - 1 | 1-1,0-0,4-0 |
| 18 March | Great Britain - Netherlands |
8 - 1 | 3-0,3-0,2-1 |
| 18 March | Belgium - France |
3 - 3 | 0-2,2-0,1-1 |
| 19 March | Italy - Netherlands |
5 - 3 | 1-2,1-0,3-1 |
| 20 March | Great Britain - France |
10 - 0 | 4-0,5-0,1-0 |
| 20 March | Belgium - Austria |
7 - 10 | 2-2,2-6,3-2 |
| 21 March | Italy - France |
14 - 5 | 4-1,5-1,5-3 |
| 21 March | Great Britain - Austria |
2 - 1 | 0-0,2-1,0-0 |
| 22 March | Austria - France |
11 - 4 | 3-0,0-4,8-0 |
| 22 March | Great Britain - Italy |
7 - 3 | 2-1,1-1,3-1 |
| 22 March | Belgium - Netherlands |
1 - 7 | 1-3,0-3,0-1 |
Table
| Place | Team | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Great Britain | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 28 - 10 | 8 |
| 11 | Austria | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 32 - 19 | 7 |
| 12 | Italy | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 26 - 21 | 6 |
| 13 | Netherlands | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 19 - 26 | 3 |
| 14 | Belgium | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 17 - 24 | 3 |
| 15 | France | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 19 - 41 | 3 |
Top scorers
| Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billy Gibson |
8 | 12 | 7 | 19 |
European Championship medal table
 | Sweden |
 | Czechoslovakia |
 | Switzerland |
| 4 | Poland |
| 5 | Finland |
| 6 | West Germany |
| 7 | Norway |
Citations
References
- 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. 107.
- Jeux Olympiques d'Oslo 1952
- Ishockey VM OS 1947-1954
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