The 1961 Ice Hockey World Championships was the 28th edition of the Ice Hockey World Championships. The tournament was held in Geneva and Lausanne, Switzerland from 1 to 12 March 1961. The games were played outdoors on a frozen pool. A glare made it hard for players to see well, however photographers were able to get aerial pictures from the diving board. Canada, represented by the Trail Smoke Eaters,Story #66. Iihf.com (12 March 1961). Retrieved on 2018-02-27. won their nineteenth international title. It would be 33 years before Canada won another World Championship. By beating out the Soviets for the Silver, the Czechoslovaks won their tenth European title. The final day was marred by political controversy when Willi Daume, president of West Germany hockey, forbade his team to take the ice against East Germany to avoid the possibility of honouring East Germany's new flag.
A record twenty nations participated in three groups, with South Africa appearing for the first time.Duplacey p. 504 Teams were divided into the three tiers, roughly following the 1959 championships, and using qualification games, to establish an eight-team group A, a six-team group B, and a six-team group C. The South African team did not have the minimum number of players so forty-five-year-old federation president Tom Durling played despite not actually being a citizen of the country. Promotion and relegation did not begin yet, but it was a big step towards formulating the process.
Qualification matches for Group A and B The nations who finished 1st through 6th in 1959 played in Group A. The nation ranked 7th played the hosts, and 8th played 9th to qualify the final two entries.
World Championship Group A (Switzerland)
Final Round
Qualification matches for Group B and C The losers of the Group A qualifiers (Switzerland and Norway), were joined by the nations who finished 10th and 11th (Italy and Poland) in 1959. Remaining countries that wished to play at this level played qualification games.
World Championship Group B (Switzerland)
Final Round
World Championship Group C (Switzerland)
Final Round
Ranking and statistics
Tournament Awards Best players selected by the directorate: Best Goaltender: Seth Martin Best Defenceman: Ivan Tregubov Best Forward: Vlastimil Bubník Media All-Star Team: Goaltender: Seth Martin Defence: Darryl Sly, Harry Smith Forwards: Michel Legacé, Boris Mayorov, Miroslav Vlach
Final standings The final standings of the tournament according to IIHF: 4 5 6 7 8
European championships final standings The final standings of the European championships according to IIHF: 4 5 6
Notes
References
Championnat du monde 1961
Ottawa Citizen - 3 Feb 1961 The Montreal Gazette - 6 Feb 1961 The Hartford Courant, 6 Feb 1961, page 15 New York Times, 12 February 1961, Page S6 The Montreal Gazette - 13 Feb 1961 The Pittsburgh Press - 17 Feb 1961 Ottawa Citizen - 1 Mar 1961 Tri City Herald - 8 Mar 1961 The Montreal Gazette - 9 Mar 1961 The Montreal Gazette - 11 Mar 1961