Sporting News and Events

The Ice Hockey World Championship, organised by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), is the annual highlight of the ice hockey calendar. This year the championships will be held in Germany, from 7–23 May. Take note of the following so you don’t miss a single slice of the action.

The opening game

The opening game of this year’s 74^th IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship will take place in Gelsenkirchen at Veltins-Arena, with a capacity for a potentially world breaking 76,152-strong audience. On 7 May Germany and the United states will take to the ice for an ice hockey extravaganza.

Groups and venues

The competitors have been divided into four groups. Group A consists of Russia, Belarus, Slovakia, and Kazakhstan, who will play in Cologne along with Group D. Group B is made up of Canada, Switzerland, Latvia and Italy, and Group C’s teams include Sweden, Czech Republic, Norway and France. Group B and C matches will take place in Mannheim. Finally, Group D comprises Finland, the USA, Germany, and Denmark.

Rounds

The preliminary round will see Ice Hockey World Championship groups compete against each other in a round-robin. The group’s three best-placed teams will move on to the qualifying round, where the twelve teams, split into two groups, will hit the ice. Following the qualifying round, the four best teams will compete, with the two last-placed teams dropping out.

Then it’s onto the semi-finals for the winners of the quarter finals. The two losers of the semi-finals will play for the coveted bronze medal, while the winners of the semi-finals will compete for gold – the ultimate ice hockey achievement.

A full game schedule can be downloaded on the IHHF website.

Get into the ice hockey fever

Why just sit at home and watch the games? Get on the ice yourself and you will fully be able to appreciate the skill that goes into the Ice Hockey World Championship. All you need is some ice to play on, a helmet and some protective gear (stay safe!), a hockey stick and some friends to join in the fun. If you’re more into watching sport than playing it, support your team with a hockey shirt.

The 2010 IIHF Championship is set to be one to remember, so be sure to follow your team all the way to gold this year.