Canada men's national ice hockey team

The Canadian national men's ice hockey team (popularly known as Team Canada) is the ice hockey team representing Canada internationally. The team is overseen by Hockey Canada, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. From 1920 until 1963, Canada's international representation was by senior amateur club teams. Canada's national men's team was founded in 1963 by Father David Bauer as a part of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, playing out of the University of British Columbia.Hockey Canada
The nickname "Team Canada" was first used for the 1972 Summit Series and has been frequently used to refer to the Canadian national team ever since.
Canada has been one of the leading national ice hockey teams in international play, winners of the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union, four of five Canada Cups dating back to 1976, nine Olympic gold medals (the most in the world), including three of the last four: Salt Lake City 2002, Vancouver 2010, and Sochi 2014. They are 25-time IIHF World Champions and winner of the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. Canada is a member of the so-called "Big Six", the unofficial group of the six strongest men's ice hockey nations, along with the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden and the United States.
==History==
From 1920 until 1963, the senior amateur club teams representing Canada, were usually the most recent Allan Cup champions. The last amateur club team from Canada to win a gold medal at the World Championship was the Trail Smoke Eaters in 1961. Following the 1963 World Championships, Father David Bauer founded the national team as a permanent institution. The new permanent national team first competed at the 1964 Winter Olympics.
Before the Soviet Union began international competition in 1954, Canada dominated international hockey, winning six out of seven golds at the Olympics and 10 World Championship gold medals. Canada then went 50 years without winning the Winter Olympic gold medal and from 1962 to 1993, didn't win any World Championships. This was in part because Canada's best professional players were unable to attend these events as they had commitments with their National Hockey League teams.
Canada withdrew from official IIHF events in 1970 and the National Team programme was suspended after they were refused permission to use semi-professional players at the World Championship. Canada returned to the IIHF in 1977 after a series of negotiations between IIHF President Dr. Sabetzki and top officials of professional ice hockey in Canada and the United States. As a result, professionals are allowed to compete at the World Championship and the tournament is scheduled later in the year to ensure more players are available from among the NHL teams eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs. In return, a competition for the "Canada Cup" was to be played every four years on North American territory with the participation of Canada, the United States, and the four strongest European national teams, including professionals.
In 1983, Hockey Canada began the "Program of Excellence", whose purpose was to prepare a team for the Winter Olympics every four years. This new National Team played a full season together all over the world against both national and club teams, and often attracted top NHL prospects. In 1986, the International Olympic Committee voted to allow professional athletes to compete in Olympic Games, starting in 1988. Veteran pros with NHL experience and, in a few cases, current NHLers who were holding out in contract disputes joined the team. This program was discontinued in 1998, when the NHL began shutting down to allow its players to compete.
After not winning a gold medal for 33 years, Canada won the 1994 World Championship in Italy. Since that time, they have won in 1997, 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2015. Canada captured its first Olympic gold medal in 50 years at Salt Lake City 2002. At Vancouver 2010, Canada won the gold medal with a 3–2 win against the United States in the final. Sidney Crosby's overtime goal secured Canada the final gold medal awarded at the Games. At the 2012 World Championship in Finland and Sweden, Ryan Murray became the first draft eligible prospect to represent Canada at the Ice Hockey World Championship.
Canada successfully defended gold at Sochi 2014, becoming the first men's team to do so since the Soviet Union in 1988 and the first to finish the tournament undefeated since 1984. Their relentless offensive pressure and stifling defence has earned the 2014 squad praise as perhaps the best, most complete Team Canada ever assembled.[5] Drew Doughty and Shea Weber led the team in scoring, while Jonathan Toews scored the gold medal-winning goal in the first period of a 3–0 win over Sweden in the final. The architect behind the 2010 and 2014 teams, Steve Yzerman, immediately stepped down as general manager following the win.
Led by general manager Jim Nill, head coach Todd McLellan, and the late addition of captain Sidney Crosby, Canada won the 2015 IIHF World Championship in dominating fashion over Russia, their first win at the worlds since 2007. By going undefeated, their hockey federation captured a 1 million Swiss franc bonus prize in the first year of its existence. Canada scored 66 goals in their 10 games and had the top three scorers of the tournament: Jason Spezza, Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall. Tyler Seguin also led the championship with nine goals. The win secured Canada’s return to number one on the IIHF world rankings for the first time since 2010.
At the 2021 IIHF World Championship, following a cancelled 2020 tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada returned to the competition with a roster weaker than most years, featuring rare inclusions of draft prospects and other non-NHL prospects. The team lost three games in regulation to start the tournament, the first Canadian team in Worlds history to do so, and needed 10 points over the final four round robin games to make the playoff round. Winning the tiebreaker over Kazakhstan, Canada qualified for the playoff round as the lowest seed and managed wins over Russia and the United States before playing Finland for a rematch of the 2019 final in the gold medal game. Nick Paul's goal won the game for Canada in overtime, despite the Finns having either led or been tied the entire game, capping off a most unlikely Canadian IIHF men's gold. 
===List of teams representing Canada from 1912 to 1963===
Event 	Team 	Hometown
1912 World Championships 	Oxford Canadians 	Oxford, United Kingdom
1920 Summer Olympics 	Winnipeg Falcons 	Winnipeg, Manitoba
1924 Winter Olympics 	Toronto Granites 	Toronto, Ontario
1928 Winter Olympics 	University of Toronto Grads 	Toronto, Ontario
1930 World Championships 	Toronto CCMs 	Toronto
1931 World Championships 	University of Manitoba 	Winnipeg, Manitoba
1932 Winter Olympics 	Winnipeg Hockey Club 	Winnipeg, Manitoba
1933 World Championships 	Toronto National Sea Fleas 	Toronto, Ontario
1934 World Championships 	Saskatoon Quakers 	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
1935 World Championships 	Winnipeg Monarchs 	Winnipeg, Manitoba
1936 Winter Olympics 	Port Arthur Bearcats 	Port Arthur, Ontario
1937 World Championships 	Kimberley Dynamiters 	Kimberley, British Columbia
1938 World Championships 	Sudbury Wolves 	Sudbury, Ontario
1939 World Championships 	Trail Smoke Eaters 	Trail, British Columbia
World Championships not held from 1940–1946 during World War II.	World Championships not held from 1940–1946 during World War II.	World Championships not held from 1940–1946 during World War II.
1947 World Championships 	Did not participate 	Did not participate
1948 Winter Olympics 	Ottawa RCAF Flyers 	RCAF Station Trenton, Ontario
1949 World Championships 	Sudbury Wolves 	Sudbury, Ontario
1950 World Championships 	Edmonton Mercurys 	Edmonton, Alberta
1951 World Championships 	Lethbridge Maple Leafs 	Lethbridge, Alberta
1952 Winter Olympics 	Edmonton Mercurys 	Edmonton, Alberta
1953 World Championships 	Did not participate 	Did not participate
1954 World Championships 	East York Lyndhursts 	East York, Ontario
1955 World Championships 	Penticton Vees 	Penticton, British Columbia
1956 Winter Olympics 	Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen 	Kitchener–Waterloo, Ontario
1957 World Championships 	Did not participate 	Did not participate
1958 World Championships 	Whitby Dunlops 	Whitby, Ontario
1959 World Championships 	Belleville McFarlands 	Belleville, Ontario
1960 Winter Olympics 	Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen 	Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario
1961 World Championships 	Trail Smoke Eaters 	Trail, British Columbia
1962 World Championships 	Galt Terriers 	Galt, Ontario
1963 World Championships 	Trail Smoke Eaters 	Trail, British Columbia
==Competition achievements==
===Olympic Games===
All Olympic ice hockey tournaments between 1920 and 1968 also counted as World Championships. They have won a total of 15 Olympic medals.Hockey Canada-IIHF World Men's championship
Games 	Representative 	GP	W	L	T	GF 	GA	Finish	Ref.
1920 Antwerp 	Winnipeg Falcons 	3 	3	0	0	21 	1 	 	
1924 Chamonix 	Toronto Granites 	5 	5	0	0	110	3 	 	
1928 St. Moritz 	University of Toronto Grads	3 	3	0	0	38 	0 	 	
1932 Lake Placid 	Winnipeg Hockey Club 	6 	5	0	1	32 	4 	 	
1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen	Port Arthur Bearcats 	8 	7	1	0	54 	7 	 	
1948 St. Moritz 	Ottawa RCAF Flyers 	8 	7	0	1	69 	5 	 	
1952 Oslo 	Edmonton Mercurys 	8 	7	0	1	71 	14	 	
1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo 	Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen	8 	6	2	0	53 	12	 	
1960 Squaw Valley 	Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen	7 	6	1	0	55 	15	 	
1964 Innsbruck 	— 	7 	5	2	0	32 	17	4th 	
1968 Grenoble 	— 	7 	5	2	0	28 	15	 	
1980 Lake Placid 	— 	6 	3	3	0	29 	18	6th 	
1984 Sarajevo 	— 	7 	4	3	0	24 	16	4th 	
1988 Calgary 	— 	8 	9	2	1	31 	21	4th 	
1992 Albertville 	— 	8 	6	2	0	37 	17	 	
1994 Lillehammer 	— 	8 	5	2	1	27 	19	 	
1998 Nagano 	— 	6 	4	2	0	19 	8 	4th 	
2002 Salt Lake City 	— 	6 	4	1	1	22 	14	 	
2006 Turin 	— 	6 	3	3	0	15 	11	7th 	
2010 Vancouver 	— 	7 	6	1	—	32 	14	 	
2014 Sochi 	— 	6 	6	0	—	17 	3 	 	
2018 Pyeongchang 	National team program 	6 	4	2	—	21 	12	 	
2022 Beijing 	National team program 	5 	3	2	—	19 	9 	6th 	
===World Championships===
All Olympic ice hockey tournaments between 1920 and 1968 also counted as World Championships. The 1920 Olympics were the first world championship. IIHF World Championships were not held during the Winter Olympic years of 1980, 1984 or 1988. The 2020 tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Year 	Location 	Result
1912 	Brussels, Belgium 	Silver (Oxford Canadians)
1920 	Antwerp, Belgium 	Gold
1924 	Chamonix, France 	Gold
1928 	St. Moritz, Switzerland 	Gold
1930 	Chamonix, France; Berlin, Germany; Vienna, Austria 	Gold
1931 	Krynica, Poland 	Gold
1932 	Lake Placid, US 	Gold
1933 	Prague, Czechoslovakia 	Silver
1934 	Milan, Italy 	Gold
1935 	Davos, Switzerland 	Gold
1936 	Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany 	Silver
1937 	London, Great Britain 	Gold
1938 	Prague, Czechoslovakia 	Gold
1939 	Zürich / Basel, Switzerland 	Gold
World Championships not held from 1940–1946 during World War II.	World Championships not held from 1940–1946 during World War II.	World Championships not held from 1940–1946 during World War II.
1948 	St. Moritz, Switzerland 	Gold
1949 	Stockholm, Sweden 	Silver
1950 	London, Great Britain 	Gold
1951 	Paris, France 	Gold
1952 	Oslo, Norway 	Gold
1954 	Stockholm, Sweden 	Silver
1955 	Krefeld / Dortmund / Cologne, West Germany 	Gold
1956 	Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy 	Bronze
1958 	Oslo, Norway 	Gold
1959 	Prague / Bratislava, Czechoslovakia 	Gold
1960 	Squaw Valley, US 	Silver
1961 	Geneva / Lausanne, Switzerland 	Gold
1962 	Colorado Springs / Denver, US 	Silver
1963 	Stockholm, Sweden 	4th place
1964 	Innsbruck, Austria 	4th place
1965 	Tampere, Finland 	4th place
1966 	Ljubljana, Yugoslavia 	Bronze
1967 	Vienna, Austria 	Bronze
1968 	Grenoble, France 	Bronze
1969 	Stockholm, Sweden 	4th place
Canada did not participate in IIHF events from 1970–1976. 	Canada did not participate in IIHF events from 1970–1976. 	Canada did not participate in IIHF events from 1970–1976.
1977 	Vienna, Austria 	4th place
1978 	Prague, Czechoslovakia 	Bronze
1979 	Moscow, Soviet Union 	4th place
1981 	Gothenburg / Stockholm, Sweden 	4th place
1982 	Helsinki / Tampere, Finland 	Bronze
1983 	Düsseldorf / Dortmund / Munich, West Germany 	Bronze
1985 	Prague, Czechoslovakia 	Silver
1986 	Moscow, Soviet Union 	Bronze
1987 	Vienna, Austria 	4th place
1989 	Stockholm / Södertälje, Sweden 	Silver
1990 	Bern / Fribourg, Switzerland 	4th place
1991 	Turku / Helsinki / Tampere, Finland 	Silver
1992 	Prague / Bratislava, Czechoslovakia 	8th place
1993 	Dortmund / Munich, Germany 	4th place
1994 	Bolzano / Canazei / Milan, Italy 	Gold
1995 	Stockholm / Gävle, Sweden 	Bronze
1996 	Vienna, Austria 	Silver
1997 	Helsinki / Turku / Tampere, Finland 	Gold
1998 	Zürich / Basel, Switzerland 	6th place
1999 	Oslo / Lillehammer / Hamar, Norway 	4th place
2000 	Saint Petersburg, Russia 	4th place
2001 	Cologne / Hanover / Nuremberg, Germany 	5th place
2002 	Gothenburg / Karlstad / Jönköping, Sweden 	6th place
2003 	Helsinki / Tampere / Turku, Finland 	Gold
2004 	Prague / Ostrava, Czech Republic 	Gold
2005 	Innsbruck / Vienna, Austria 	Silver
2006 	Riga, Latvia 	4th place
2007 	Moscow / Mytishchi, Russia 	Gold
2008 	Quebec City / Halifax, Canada 	Silver
2009 	Bern / Kloten, Switzerland 	Silver
2010 	Cologne / Mannheim / Gelsenkirchen, Germany 	7th place
2011 	Bratislava / Košice, Slovakia 	5th place
2012 	Helsinki, Finland / Stockholm, Sweden 	5th place
2013 	Stockholm, Sweden / Helsinki, Finland 	5th place
2014 	Minsk, Belarus 	5th place
2015 	Prague / Ostrava, Czech Republic 	Gold
2016 	Moscow / Saint Petersburg, Russia 	Gold
2017 	Cologne, Germany / Paris, France 	Silver
2018 	Copenhagen / Herning, Denmark 	4th place
2019 	Bratislava / Košice, Slovakia 	Silver
2021 	Riga, Latvia 	Gold
2022 	Tampere / Helsinki, Finland 	Silver
2023 	Tampere, Finland / Riga, Latvia 	Gold
2024 	Prague / Ostrava, Czech Republic 	4th place
===Summit Series===
* 1972 – Won
* 1974 – Lost
===Canada Cup===
* 1976 – Champions
* 1981 – Runners-up
* 1984 – Champions
* 1987 – Champions
* 1991 – Champions
===World Cup of Hockey===
* 1996 – Runners-up
* 2004 – Champions
* 2016 – Champions
===Spengler Cup===
In the Spengler Cup, Team Canada competes against European club teams, such as HC Davos who host the tournament every year in Eisstadion Davos. Canada used to be represented by the standing national team at this event, but is now usually made up of Canadians playing in European leagues or the American Hockey League. In 2019, Team Canada won its 16th Spengler Cup, passing the host team HC Davos (last win in 2011) for the most titles.
Results 	Years
Winners 	1984, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019
Runners-up 	1985, 1988, 1990, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2018
Third place	1989, 1991, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009
==References==
*
*
* Meltzer, Bill NHL.com article on 2007 IIHF World Championship gold medal. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
==External links==
*Official website
*IIHF profile
Category:National ice hockey teams