The Biggest Ice Hockey Competitions in the World
One of the top sports in the world is ice hockey. Played by people across the globe, new generations of players are being introduced to this brilliant sport. With fans from almost everywhere tuning in to watch games.
If you’re new to ice hockey or just want a refresher, it’s important to know what some of the top ice hockey competitions are. Read on to find out more.
Winter Olympics
Ice hockey has played a significant role as a sport in the Olympics over the past century. Ice hockey was introduced as part of the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, where Canada won the gold medal with the USA taking silver and Czechoslovakia in the bronze place.
Four years later, ice hockey moved to the winter games, with Canada winning the first four Winter Olympic games and losing their first ice hockey match in 1936. The Canadians have dominated ice hockey at the Winter Olympics over the years, having won 22 medals including 13 gold – making them the most successful at the sport.
Other countries that have seen success at the Olympic games include Finland, the USA, Russia, Sweden and Slovakia. The next Winter Olympics is due to be held in Beijing China in February of 2026, there’s lots of time for new fans to build their ice hockey knowledge and get excited in the lead up.
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is not actually a competition but the trophy that’s awarded every year to the National Hockey League playoff champion. The oldest trophy that can be won by professional athletes across North America, the Stanley Cup was first awarded during the 1892-1893 season. The team that’s won the Stanley Cup the most times is the Montreal Canadiens, who have been awarded the trophy 24 times.
The Stanley Cup is particularly unique as all the players in the winning team have their names inscribed on the trophy. This has meant that over the years that ‘bands’ on the cup have to be replaced as more and more names take up space. Another interesting aspect to the Stanley Cup is that each player gets 24 hours with the cup during the year that they hold ownership of it. This has meant that the trophy has many a story associated with it, having attended events like pool parties and baby christenings, and having had beer dranken out of it. Of course, while players have ownership of the cup in a 24 hour period it is protected by escorts.
The next Stanley Cup will be hosted during the month of June, with the playoffs kicking off from June 8th. Every year, just 16 teams qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs, with many fans enjoying the games and some even checking out the Stanley Cup odds. Last year’s Stanley Cup winners were Colorado Avalanche who beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 2-1 win.
Ice Hockey World Championships
Another one of the top ice hockey tournaments any fan needs to know about are the Ice Hockey World Championships. Organized and run by the International Ice Hockey federation, it was first held as an individual event outside of the Olympics in 1930. As with the Olympics, Canada began as the world’s most dominant team having won the tournament 12 separate times from 1930 to 1952.
The Ice Hockey World Championships often takes place during some of the later stages of the Stanley Cup, which means that many players are unable to play for their country’s teams as their NHL career often takes precedence over it. The team with the top ranking in the IIHF currently is Finland, who have been a member since 1928.
World Cup of Hockey
One of the final ice hockey tournaments that has become well known over the years is the World Cup of Hockey. Organized by the National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players’ Association, it is the successor to the Canada Cup and has been held three times on an irregular basis, with the 2020 edition having been abandoned.
The league however has decided that another edition will be held in 2025, which means that fans have another tournament to look forward to in the next few years. Canada has won the title twice, with the US having won the title once.
