Greatest IIHF World Championship upsets?
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Bear12Good
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JackSlater
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I think there is one clear upset that takes the cake here...
1976 World Championship
Poland: 6
USSR: 4
Some information: Soviets had won 12 of the past 13 World Championships, and were fresh off winning Olympic gold. At the Olympic hockey tournament earlier that year they had in fact played Poland, and won 16-1. Honestly, for all the talk of the miracle on ice, I consider this to be the biggest upset in international hockey history.
Some good links regarding this upset:
http://wmia2016.iihf.com/en/news/the-miracle-of-katowice/
http://www.iihf.com/iihf-home/the-iihf/100-year-anniversary/100-top-stories/story-39/
1976 World Championship
Poland: 6
USSR: 4
Some information: Soviets had won 12 of the past 13 World Championships, and were fresh off winning Olympic gold. At the Olympic hockey tournament earlier that year they had in fact played Poland, and won 16-1. Honestly, for all the talk of the miracle on ice, I consider this to be the biggest upset in international hockey history.
Some good links regarding this upset:
http://wmia2016.iihf.com/en/news/the-miracle-of-katowice/
http://www.iihf.com/iihf-home/the-iihf/100-year-anniversary/100-top-stories/story-39/
Wow, that's actually really cool. It's a real shame this doesn't get talked about more often.
Probably because the Poles didn't qualify for the next round and the Soviets lost to the Czechs and Swedes. Points carried over so their loss and later tie to the Czechs sealed their fate more than the Polish game.
Conspiracy Theorist
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Plural
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In hindsight, not playing Tretiak from the get go probably cost them that game.
What an unbelievable feeling for the home crowd. That's the equivalent of Finnish football team to beat the Germans.
VMBM
Hansel?!
The full game is on YouTube also:
Arguably, but Poland did manage to score two goals on him too. They were also missing Vladimir Petrov, who apparently was not even injured but had opened his mouth in the wrong place at the wrong time, and so was left off the team as a way of punishment. Maltsev was his replacement on the top line. Still, there are simply no excuses for the loss; such was the difference in quality between the teams. Interestingly, to me it looks like it's Kharlamov rather than Maltsev who is playing at center in the Poland game, or at least he is handling the faceoffs.
USSR's two straight losses to Sweden in the 1977 WHC, by scores of 1-5 and 1-3, are pretty inexplicable too. Sweden did have a pretty good team that year (but obviously no B. Salming, Nilsson & Hedberg etc), and apparently Göran Högosta stood on his head (in the 2nd game, at least). However, overall the Soviets appeared to be much stronger in the 1977 WHC than the year before, and beat Czechoslovakia 6-1 in the first round as well as Canada twice easily (11-1, 8-1). Czechoslovakia managed to beat them 4-3 in the medal round, but as CSSR had some serious problems (in goal etc) in the tournament too, the Soviets only needed a tie in the 2nd game vs Sweden (the last game of the tournament) to win the gold... but no, a 1-3 loss, and they got only the bronze medal. All in all, the 1977 WHC was a weird tournament; for example, even though Canada was twice destroyed by USSR, they managed to beat Czechoslovakia 8-2 and Sweden 7-0 in the medal round.
West Germany beating Czechoslovakia 4-2 in the first round of the 1982 WHC was quite an upset too; CSSR was still the clear 2nd best team in Europe at that point, and West Germany was basically Erich Kühnhackl (plus a few decent players). Czechoslovakia bounced back, though, and ended up having a pretty good tournament.
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2002 QF Czech Republic - Russia 1:3
Czech Republic won last three World Championships and was perfect in the group stage while Russia barely qualified for quarterfinals. Czechs out shot Russia 37:17 but Sokolov pulled his best Hasek impersonation. Russia finished second in the tournament. Slovakia claimed its first and only gold medal.
2010 Final Czech Republic - Russia 2:1
Another recent upset between those two teams happened in 2010 when Czechs ended 27 game long winning streak of Russia at World Championships and claimed gold medal. Russia was close to its full strength with roster featuring many names from Vancouver Olympics held the same year. Czechs had only two NHLers in Jagr and Vokoun and have lost games to Norway and Switzerland.
Czech Republic won last three World Championships and was perfect in the group stage while Russia barely qualified for quarterfinals. Czechs out shot Russia 37:17 but Sokolov pulled his best Hasek impersonation. Russia finished second in the tournament. Slovakia claimed its first and only gold medal.
2010 Final Czech Republic - Russia 2:1
Another recent upset between those two teams happened in 2010 when Czechs ended 27 game long winning streak of Russia at World Championships and claimed gold medal. Russia was close to its full strength with roster featuring many names from Vancouver Olympics held the same year. Czechs had only two NHLers in Jagr and Vokoun and have lost games to Norway and Switzerland.
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I feel like this "upset" is special for many Czechs, we never expected to win, Jagr roasted NHLers for not coming and we got saved multiple times by guys who later died in the Yaroslavl disaster (Rachunek, Marek)
More than silver medal itself suprise is the way Swiss won it, with 9 straight victories (Canada, Sweden, two time Czechs, USA) before losing it in the finals.
Suprise (negative one) - Russian team from 2000. on home ice
Also Czech team from 2002. losing to Russia in quarters.
Last few years : France - Russia 2:1, France - Canada 3:2(so), France - Slovakia 5:2
This is something I don't think any Finn will ever forget.
I don't believe this ever happened. This is something that can only be unlocked at a psychiatrist, with dolls.
Sweden winning that game was no surprise. But how it happened was shocking.
For Finnish a loss to Denmark in 2010 has to be mentioned.
Finland were leading 5:1 in second period, and then step by step, led by Forsberg (who scored beautiful coast to coast goal) Sweden turned the game around and won 6:5.
Wow I mean I don't think that's an upset, but It's a heck of a comeback. And on top of it, wasn't that years worlds in Finland?
Well, i have to say 2010 Final Czech Republic - Russia 2:1. Russians had absolutely stacked team - Ovi, Malkin, Datsyuk, Kovalchuk, Semin, Afinogenov, Mozyakin, Anisimov, Frolov, Gonchar, Kulikov, Varlamov etc. and they were undefeated until then.
Czechs had 3 NHLers (Voracek, Rozsival, Vokoun), Jagr and bunch of Extraliga guys/KHLers. Amazing game with phenomenal Vokoun's performance and heroic Czech effort in the last 2 minutes as they were shorthanded 6-3. Amazing
Czechs had 3 NHLers (Voracek, Rozsival, Vokoun), Jagr and bunch of Extraliga guys/KHLers. Amazing game with phenomenal Vokoun's performance and heroic Czech effort in the last 2 minutes as they were shorthanded 6-3. Amazing
I'd say that Slovakia's silver medal in 2012 is a bigger upset than Switzerland. Slovakia ended up 4th in their group, beating both Canada and the Czech Republic in the playoffs.
Switzerland was good throughout the tournament and was clearly an upset. Even though Sweden won gold, I'd wish that Switzerland clinched it instead. They were worth it, plus that Sweden hosted the tournament so poorly and were a disaster until the Sedins arrived.
Individual games are too many to count, but one that comes to mind is of course Sweden vs Finland back in '03
Switzerland was good throughout the tournament and was clearly an upset. Even though Sweden won gold, I'd wish that Switzerland clinched it instead. They were worth it, plus that Sweden hosted the tournament so poorly and were a disaster until the Sedins arrived.
Individual games are too many to count, but one that comes to mind is of course Sweden vs Finland back in '03
Conspiracy Theorist
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzoeWSx4Osk
finland vs canada in 1990 WCH. finlands leads 4-0 and then happens
. graig adams kicker in 4-1 goal
finland vs canada in 1990 WCH. finlands leads 4-0 and then happens
. graig adams kicker in 4-1 goalLatest posts
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