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IIHF World Rankings

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Hubie said:
The rankings are based entirely on national team results. Every country in there has a national team that takes part in the World Championship. There are other countries in the IIHF (like Thailand or Liechtenstain or whoever) which currently or in the last 4 years haven't had a national team competing.
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They compete, but not in the World Championship structure.

If anyone is interested I keep a ranking including IIHF sanctioned or endorsed tournaments that run beneath the World Championship structure. In the last 4 years these include:
IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013;
Asian Winter Games: 2011;
Gulf Cup: 2010, 2012;

It affects the bottom end of the rankings as follows:

40 Turkey
41 South Africa
42 North Korea
43 Ireland
44 Luxembourg
45 Greece
46 United Arab Emirates
47 Mongolia
48 Chinese Taipei
49 Thailand
50 Kuwait
51 Malaysia
52 Hong Kong
53 Georgia
54 Macau
55 India
56 Kyrgyzstan
57 Bahrain
58 Singapore
59 Oman
60 Saudi Arabia

In early March a Pan-American tournament will be added to this as well played in Mexico.

Also for sure Argentina, Qatar & Bosnia have played exhibition games over that period as a national team as well.
 
To these people who keep saying Canada should win the WCs because we praise our depth. We usually send young inexperienced guys trying to give them a taste of international hockey for the events that actually matter like the Olympics (which seems to be working BTW). There is often talent on the team but they lack that veteran presence and the intangibles you need to win.

I don't know who has been winning the WCs lately but I'd like to ask them how many of those they would trade for the Olympics? You guys are using the WCs has a smokescreen....I'd like to truly know how important this tournament is to you guys. So let's hear your answer, how many WCs for Olympic gold?
 
Jackson14 said:
To these people who keep saying Canada should win the WCs because we praise our depth. We usually send young inexperienced guys trying to give them a taste of international hockey
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Well, that's your problem. Don't blame the IIHF.
 
Ok, whatever. Rankings aside would you rather win 5 WCs or 1 Olympic gold? Love to hear the answer from Europeans, especially the true hockey powers.
 
Namejs said:
It's always great to see Canadians whining about the rankings.

Guys, deal with it, you're not the best team in the world. The IIHF is not to blame for the fact that you're not sending your best players to the World Championship.

You have the most talent, but if you're not sending your best players, your team isn't going to be ranked #1. That's pretty simple and straightforward.

If you don't like it, send your best team to IHWC.

Also, no one cares about the World Cup. I didn't even know such a thing existed. I haven't seen a single game of it, even though I'm a hardcore fan of international hockey.
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W.....T.....F..???

Not sure what's funnier, those trying to knockdown Crosby or Canada.
 
NuxFan09 said:
Canada wins whenever their best players are available.

That being said, there is no excuse for their lack of success at the World Championships and that is why we're ranked lower than #1. The same Canadian fans who brag that our B team could beat any other nation's best team are the same people who cite our best players still playing in the NHL playoffs as an excuse for losing at the WC's.

Canada still fields a good enough team to win there without Crosby, Toews, Doughty etc. No excuses. We deserve the #3 spot we have until we start to learn to win outside of the Olympics.
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Very well said. :handclap:
 
Namejs said:
2010 Cologne / Mannheim 7th place
2011 Bratislava / Košice, Slovakia 5th place
2012 Helsinki, Finland / Stockholm, Sweden 5th place
2013 Stockholm, Sweden / Helsinki, Finland 5th place
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I had to think for a few seconds to even know what this was.

Keep grasping at straws to try to discredit the country that wins the majority of best on best tournaments.
 
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I'm interested in these standings to see where the weaker countries are. I'd love to see a soccer style tournament were teams in the 20s/30s are in a tournament with the top tier teams. Obviously a team like Korea or Israel would never have a chance of beating any of the olympic tier countries, but I think it would do a lot to build up hockey in countries where it's not the most popular sport around. If we keep separating any country ranked lower than say 15, you're gonna see the same 10 countries excelling, with a team or two from the pool of Germany-france-norway-latvia-Denmark-Austria keep popping up.
 
Also, Canadians whine about rankings because we get steamrolled in soccer, baseball, basketball, football.We have our one important sport that we're good at, let us have our cake.
 
Namejs said:
It's always great to see Canadians whining about the rankings.

Guys, deal with it, you're not the best team in the world. The IIHF is not to blame for the fact that you're not sending your best players to the World Championship.

You have the most talent, but if you're not sending your best players, your team isn't going to be ranked #1. That's pretty simple and straightforward.

If you don't like it, send your best team to IHWC.

Also, no one cares about the World Cup. I didn't even know such a thing existed. I haven't seen a single game of it, even though I'm a hardcore fan of international hockey.
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Only according to the IIHF, which is by no means the be-all-end-all standard of judging which countries are better than others. Their rankings are far from absolute, and many people disregard them entirely.

aLus said:
This wasn't a best on best tournament. Both Sweden and Finland were missing their top 3-4 centers.
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And Canada was missing Tavares and Stamkos.
 
InglewoodJack said:
I'm interested in these standings to see where the weaker countries are. I'd love to see a soccer style tournament were teams in the 20s/30s are in a tournament with the top tier teams. Obviously a team like Korea or Israel would never have a chance of beating any of the olympic tier countries, but I think it would do a lot to build up hockey in countries where it's not the most popular sport around. If we keep separating any country ranked lower than say 15, you're gonna see the same 10 countries excelling, with a team or two from the pool of Germany-france-norway-latvia-Denmark-Austria keep popping up.
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There is too much of a divide between teams for this to happen. Having Canada play, for example, Mexico does not help anybody.

The world championships being held every year with the promotion/relegation system is integral to developing countries outside of the core ones. People who want this removed don't think about this.

Although I'd love to see the IIHF establish more 'Challenge Cups' like they have with Asia in Europe, America & Africa with the winners getting a chance to move up into the World Championship pools.

Edit: Also why I never want to see the Olympics replaced with the 'World Cup', because the World Cup has no qualifying procedure. Any country associated with the IIHF right now can attempt to qualify for the Olympics in any given cycle if they so desire.
 
Just picked this Gem off of The IIHF Facebook. Couldnt say I agree more TBH

"Jenn Obreque When Canada took the Ice today they put on one of the most dominating scenes ever witnessed in the modern era of ice hockey. To use silly Eurocentric competitions as a counterweight to Canada being #1 in the world is petty. It shows the utter lack of respect the IIHF has for Canada as a nation who have taken a liking to the sport of hockey not seen anywhere on this earth.

Moreover to have the "IIHF" anywhere but the Mecca of hockey that is Canada is a complete travesty. Canada ; North America as a whole has done more for hockey than the Eurocentric IIHF will ever do.

Nowhere on this earth are there remotely close to as many youth hockey players than in Canada (almost as much as the rest of the world combined.). Nowhere on this earth are there as many indoor and outdoor rinks (3,000+) & (10,000+)

Canada develops a vast majority of all the worlds players. Even those who will eventually play against Canada for their "home country"

The CHL is bigger than all of Europe's pro leagues combined. In stadium size comparisons, attendance while being the minor juniors.

As for the NHL, well I'm pretty sure they speak for themselves in terms of producing the best players & referees the world has ever seen.

Imagine if when Spain won the world cup they only moved to 3rd in the FIFA rankings?

The Olympics are the ultimate gauge of supremacy in this hockey world. It is despicable and crass to undermine the dominating achievements of Canadian hockey over the last decade with sham, eurocentric rankings.

A slap in the face to all Canadians who support and embrace the best sport in the world. Also to the Men who so wholly dominated their honorable opponents earlier today.

Shame on you IIHF. Having the guile to proclaim Sweden #1 after what we all witnessed today. Shame on you."
 
aLus said:
This wasn't a best on best tournament. Both Sweden and Finland were missing their top 3-4 centers.
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It must really suck to get destroyed so i won't comment on how ridiculous your statement is.
 
Using that Swedish guys logic there has never been a best on best tournament in the history of hockey because someone always has an injury. Cool to know!
 
aLus said:
I havent been destroyed. So please comment :)



Exactly. Not best on best.
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Using that logic no tournament is a best on best if a key player is injured. Case in point 2006 in Turino was not best on best as Canada was missing its best dman in Scott Niedermeyer. Therefore Sweden's gold medal is tainted. Right ?
 
fan75 said:
There is too much of a divide between teams for this to happen. Having Canada play, for example, Mexico does not help anybody.

The world championships being held every year with the promotion/relegation system is integral to developing countries outside of the core ones. People who want this removed don't think about this.

Although I'd love to see the IIHF establish more 'Challenge Cups' like they have with Asia in Europe, America & Africa with the winners getting a chance to move up into the World Championship pools.

Edit: Also why I never want to see the Olympics replaced with the 'World Cup', because the World Cup has no qualifying procedure. Any country associated with the IIHF right now can attempt to qualify for the Olympics in any given cycle if they so desire.
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Nah, of course not. But say, having a couple different divisions set up to make it *possible* to have someone like Mexico play someone like Canada is interesting. Yeah, I know that the way the qualifying tournaments are set up it technically is possible to have a team ranked as low as 35 or so play for gold in the olympics (there are like 3 tiers of pre-oly tournaments where a team like spain or north korea could win 3 different rounds, get put in the olympics, and compete), but no one cares about a pre-olympic tournament hosted in Croatia or Japan in fall 2012, a full 18 months before the olympics. The home country doesn't care, the world stage doesn't care, hell, the only people that care are on the ice, and they know win or lose they're going nowhere.

Now something like the world cup in soccer has a team from an obscure western african nation playing against Brazil or Spain, or what have you. They get put on a national stage, they get recognition, and it inspires people to take up the sport. There's definitely not as many hockey nations as there is soccer nations, but I'd love to see all these prelim hockey rounds happen at the same time as the olympics. Make the brackets bigger, whereas a team like Canada or Finland can compete against say Denmark or Ukraine (low teens), and have a mid-range hockey power like Austria or Slovenia have countries like GB and Japan in their brackets (D2 teams). Eventually you're gonna have some upsets, and while the winners are always gonna be the top 5-6 teams in the world, you're getting more countries, more people, more players involved, and you're giving a shot to countries to at least have a reason to promote hockey, and to play for something real, rather than winning a division 2 championship in an empty arena in australia or something.
 
FanHabtic said:
Using that logic no tournament is a best on best if a key player is injured. Case in point 2006 in Turino was not best on best as Canada was missing its best dman in Scott Niedermeyer. Therefore Sweden's gold medal is tainted. Right ?
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I'm just saying you can't discredit the worlds, because the best on best is also missing some of the best players who could've made all the difference.
 
aLus said:
I'm just saying you can't discredit the worlds, because the best on best is also missing some of the best players who could've made all the difference.
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Canada treats the worlds as a tournament for its young hopefuls. Its pretty much an under 24 tourny for Canada with a few vets sprinkled. Itsnot taken seriously as it is not a best on best in the true sense. The only best on best tournaments that matter are World Cups and Olympics.

Even when Canada wins a world championship it is meaningless.
 
FanHabtic said:
Even when Canada wins a world championship it is meaningless.
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This is a good point too. Its not like when win the WC it now becomes an important event. Quite literally no one cares. Its that weird tournament that happens every year while the Stanley Cup is going on. This is the way Hockey Canada seems to treat it too. Give the young guys a taste of international hockey for when the real events come around. A win is nice but not the end goal.
 
Northfront said:
Just picked this Gem off of The IIHF Facebook. Couldnt say I agree more TBH

"Jenn Obreque When Canada took the Ice today they put on one of the most dominating scenes ever witnessed in the modern era of ice hockey. To use silly Eurocentric competitions as a counterweight to Canada being #1 in the world is petty. It shows the utter lack of respect the IIHF has for Canada as a nation who have taken a liking to the sport of hockey not seen anywhere on this earth.

Moreover to have the "IIHF" anywhere but the Mecca of hockey that is Canada is a complete travesty. Canada ; North America as a whole has done more for hockey than the Eurocentric IIHF will ever do.

Nowhere on this earth are there remotely close to as many youth hockey players than in Canada (almost as much as the rest of the world combined.). Nowhere on this earth are there as many indoor and outdoor rinks (3,000+) & (10,000+)

Canada develops a vast majority of all the worlds players. Even those who will eventually play against Canada for their "home country"

The CHL is bigger than all of Europe's pro leagues combined. In stadium size comparisons, attendance while being the minor juniors.

As for the NHL, well I'm pretty sure they speak for themselves in terms of producing the best players & referees the world has ever seen.

Imagine if when Spain won the world cup they only moved to 3rd in the FIFA rankings?

The Olympics are the ultimate gauge of supremacy in this hockey world. It is despicable and crass to undermine the dominating achievements of Canadian hockey over the last decade with sham, eurocentric rankings.

A slap in the face to all Canadians who support and embrace the best sport in the world. Also to the Men who so wholly dominated their honorable opponents earlier today.

Shame on you IIHF. Having the guile to proclaim Sweden #1 after what we all witnessed today. Shame on you."
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Canadians sure get salty after winning at the Olympics :P
 
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