The 1979 Ice Hockey World Championships took place at the Palace of Sports of the Central Lenin Stadium in Moscow, Soviet Union from 14 to 27 April. Eight teams took part, with the first round split into two groups of four, and the best two from each group advancing to the final group. The four best teams then played each other twice in the final round. This was the 46th World Championship and at the same time, the 57th European Championship. In the May 1978 congress many rules were aligned with NHL practices and archaic rules (like changing ends half way the third period) were finally officially abandoned. The games were very well attended, setting a record by averaging over eleven thousand spectators per game.
1979 Ice Hockey World Championships
Soviet stamp sheet dedicated to the 1979 World Ice Hockey Championships
Tournament details
Host country
Soviet Union
Venues
2 (in 1 host city)
Dates
14–27 April
Teams
8
Final positions
Champions
Soviet Union (16th title)
Runners-up
Czechoslovakia
Third place
Sweden
Fourth place
Canada
Tournament statistics
Games played
32
Goals scored
263 (8.22 per game)
Attendance
354,500 (11,078 per game)
Scoring leader
Vladimir Petrov 15 points
← 1978
1981 →
The Soviets wished the tournament to be finished before the May Day celebrations began, so the schedule was moved up one week allowing for less NHL players being eligible. The hosts won all seven games they played capturing their 16th title, the only game that was even close was their early match with West Germany, which they won three to two. The competition for the bronze (at least) was tight with Sweden edging out the Canadians. After the tournament NHL star Marcel Dionne praised the level of play and offered the following criticism of North American play, "only the media can change things here. Tell them how the European teams play with so much talent. Tell them that they play without a fight. Let them realize that if a kid does not know how to skate and shoot, but just to fight, he should not be allowed to be a hockey player. There are so many idiots who run hockey, so stupid, so stupid. Tell them."
Promotion and relegation was effective for 1981 as the IIHF ceased running a championship in Olympic years. Nations that did not participate in the Lake Placid Olympics were invited to compete in the inaugural Thayer Tutt Trophy.
World Championship Group A (Soviet Union)
First round
Results between countries that moved on to the same group in the second round were carried forward.
Group 1
Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Soviet Union
3
3
0
0
19
5
+14
6
2
Sweden
3
2
0
1
16
17
−1
4
3
West Germany
3
0
1
2
8
13
−5
1
4
Poland
3
0
1
2
8
16
−8
1
Source: [citation needed]
14 April
Soviet Union
7-0
Poland
14 April
Sweden
7-3
West Germany
15 April
Sweden
6-5
Poland
15 April
Soviet Union
3-2
West Germany
17 April
West Germany
3-3
Poland
17 April
Soviet Union
9-3
Sweden
Group 2
Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Czechoslovakia
3
2
1
0
11
3
+8
5
2
Canada
3
2
0
1
12
11
+1
4
3
United States
3
0
2
1
6
9
−3
2
4
Finland
3
0
1
2
5
11
−6
1
Source: [citation needed]
14 April
Canada
6-3
United States
14 April
Czechoslovakia
5-0
Finland
15 April
Czechoslovakia
4-1
Canada
15 April
United States
1-1
Finland
17 April
Canada
5-4
Finland
17 April
Czechoslovakia
2-2
United States
Final round
Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Soviet Union
6
6
0
0
51
12
+39
12
2
Czechoslovakia
6
3
1
2
25
30
−5
7
3
Sweden
6
1
1
4
20
38
−18
3
4
Canada
6
1
0
5
20
36
−16
2
Source: [citation needed]
19 April
Soviet Union
5-2
Canada
19 April
Czechoslovakia
3-3
Sweden
21 April
Sweden
5-3
Canada
21 April
Soviet Union
11-1
Czechoslovakia
23 April
Czechoslovakia
10-6
Canada
23 April
Soviet Union
11-3
Sweden
25 April
Soviet Union
9-2
Canada
25 April
Czechoslovakia
6-3
Sweden
27 April
Canada
6-3
Sweden
27 April
Soviet Union
6-1
Czechoslovakia
Consolation round
Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
5
Finland
6
4
1
1
23
17
+6
9
6
West Germany
6
3
1
2
27
21
+6
7
7
United States
6
2
2
2
22
20
+2
6
8
Poland
6
0
2
4
15
29
−14
2
Source: [citation needed]
18 April
Poland
5-5
United States
18 April
Finland
5-2
West Germany
20 April
Poland
3-4
Finland
20 April
West Germany
6-3
United States
22 April
United States
6-2
Finland
22 April
West Germany
8-1
Poland
24 April
United States
5-1
Poland
24 April
Finland
7-3
West Germany
26 April
Finland
4-2
Poland
26 April
West Germany
5-2
United States
World Championship Group B (Romania)
Played in Galați March 16–24. This year's tournament was expanded to ten teams to try to avoid hostilities between China and South Korea, and to address a complaint by the Danes that Austria had used an ineligible player in achieving promotion in 1978. China and Denmark were both elevated with the consequence that four teams would be relegated.
First round
The ten teams were split into groups of five, the top two of each battled for promotion to Group A, the next two played in a group to decide fifth through eighth, and both bottom place teams were simply relegated without playing further. Additionally, the top two in each group joined all Group A teams at the Lake Placid Olympics.
Group 1
Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
East Germany
4
4
0
0
30
6
+24
8
2
Romania
4
2
1
1
22
16
+6
5
3
Austria
4
2
1
1
15
20
−5
5
4
Denmark
4
1
0
3
8
18
−10
2
5
Hungary
4
0
0
4
10
25
−15
0
Source: [citation needed]
Hungary was relegated to Group C.
16 March
Hungary
2-10
East Germany
16 March
Romania
7-7
Austria
17 March
Austria
4-3
Hungary
17 March
Denmark
1-9
East Germany
18 March
Romania
4-1
Denmark
19 March
Romania
8-4
Hungary
19 March
Austria
0-7
East Germany
20 March
Hungary
1-3
Denmark
21 March
Austria
4-3
Denmark
21 March
Romania
3-4
East Germany
Group 2
Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Netherlands
4
4
0
0
29
8
+21
8
2
Norway
4
3
0
1
16
13
+3
6
3
Switzerland
4
2
0
2
13
17
−4
4
4
Japan
4
1
0
3
20
17
+3
2
5
China
4
0
0
4
8
31
−23
0
Source: [citation needed]
China was relegated to Group C.
16 March
Norway
5-1
Switzerland
16 March
Japan
5-6
Netherlands
17 March
Netherlands
8-1
Norway
17 March
China
4-6
Switzerland
18 March
Japan
9-3
China
19 March
Japan
3-4
Norway
19 March
Netherlands
5-2
Switzerland
20 March
Norway
6-1
China
21 March
Netherlands
10-0
China
21 March
Japan
3-4
Switzerland
Final round
Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
9
Netherlands
3
3
0
0
15
6
+9
6
10
East Germany
3
2
0
1
16
9
+7
4
11
Romania
3
1
0
2
8
9
−1
2
12
Norway
3
0
0
3
5
20
−15
0
Source: [citation needed]
The Netherlands were promoted to Group A.
23 March
East Germany
9-2
Norway
23 March
Romania
2-3
Netherlands
24 March
East Germany
3-4
Netherlands
24 March
Romania
3-2
Norway
Consolation round
Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
13
Switzerland
3
3
0
0
14
6
+8
6
14
Japan
3
2
0
1
17
10
+7
4
15
Austria
3
1
0
2
8
13
−5
2
16
Denmark
3
0
0
3
8
18
−10
0
Source: [citation needed]
Both Austria and Denmark were relegated to Group C.
23 March
Denmark
1-3
Switzerland
23 March
Austria
2-3
Japan
24 March
Denmark
4-11
Japan
24 March
Austria
2-7
Switzerland
World Championship Group C (Spain)
Played in Barcelona March 16–25. This tournament was supposed to be played in China but the Chinese said that they would deny entrance to the South Korean team. To avoid political issues with the two playing each other, both China and Denmark (last year's 3rd and 4th place teams) were elevated to Group B and two extra nations were allowed to participate in Group C.
Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
19
Yugoslavia
7
7
0
0
83
10
+73
14
20
Italy
7
6
0
1
64
17
+47
12
21
France
7
5
0
2
59
27
+32
10
22
Bulgaria
7
4
0
3
35
28
+7
8
23
Great Britain
7
2
0
5
23
68
−45
4
24
Spain
7
2
0
5
25
48
−23
4
25
South Korea
7
1
1
5
16
67
−51
3
26
Australia
7
0
1
6
13
53
−40
1
Source: [citation needed]
Both Yugoslavia and Italy were promoted to Group B.
16 March
Spain
7-1
South Korea
16 March
Bulgaria
0-3
France
16 March
Great Britain
0-12
Italy
16 March
Australia
0-10
Yugoslavia
17 March
Australia
4-12
Italy
17 March
France
5-7
Yugoslavia
18 March
South Korea
9-6
Great Britain
18 March
Bulgaria
5-4
Spain
19 March
France
9-3
Australia
19 March
Great Britain
2-4
Bulgaria
19 March
Yugoslavia
18-0
South Korea
19 March
Spain
1-10
Italy
20 March
Australia
3-5
Great Britain
20 March
Italy
11-0
South Korea
21 March
Bulgaria
1-7
Yugoslavia
21 March
France
8-2
Spain
22 March
South Korea
0-0
Australia
22 March
Italy
8-4
Bulgaria
22 March
Great Britain
3-15
France
22 March
Yugoslavia
16-1
Spain
24 March
Spain
4-6
Great Britain
24 March
Yugoslavia
4-2
Italy
24 March
South Korea
3-15
France
24 March
Australia
1-11
Bulgaria
25 March
Great Britain
1-21
Yugoslavia
25 March
France
4-9
Italy
25 March
South Korea
3-10
Bulgaria
25 March
Spain
6-2
Australia
Ranking and statistics
1979 IIHF World Championship winners
Soviet Union 16th title
Tournament Awards
Best players selected by the directorate:
Best Goaltender: Vladislav Tretiak
Best Defenceman: Valeri Vasiliev
Best Forward: Wilf Paiement
Media All-Star Team:
Goaltender: Vladislav Tretiak
Defence: Jiří Bubla, Valeri Vasiliev
Forwards: Sergei Makarov, Boris Mikhailov, Vladimir Petrov
Final standings
The final standings of the tournament according to IIHF:
Soviet Union
Czechoslovakia
Sweden
4
Canada
5
Finland
6
West Germany
7
United States
8
Poland
European championships final standings
The final standings of the European championships according to IIHF:
Soviet Union
Czechoslovakia
Sweden
4
Finland
5
West Germany
6
Poland
Citations
Duplacey, James (1998). Total Hockey: The official encyclopedia of the National Hockey League. Total Sports. p. 506. ISBN 0-8362-7114-9.
Marcel Dionne's quote (translated from French). passionhockey.com
Summary of conflict. passionhockey.com
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