Host country Finland Teams 6 Runner-up Czechoslovakia | Dates 5–20 April Venue(s) 1 (in 1 host city) | |
Champions Soviet Union (13th title) | ||
The 1974 Ice Hockey World Championships were the 41st Ice Hockey World Championships and the 52nd European Championships in ice hockey. The tournament took place in Finland from 5 April to 20 April and the games were played in the capital, Helsinki. Six teams took part in the main tournament, all playing each other twice. The Soviet Union won the world championships for the 13th time, and also won their 16th European title. For the first time in ice hockey World Championship history, two players were suspended for doping. They were the Swede Ulf Nilsson and the Finn Stig Wetzell who tested positive for the forbidden substance ephedrine. Both players were suspended for the rest of the tournament. Nilsson tested positive after Sweden's game against Poland, which Sweden won 4-1. The game was awarded to Poland as a 5-0 walkover. The Finn, Wetzell, tested positive after Finland's match against Czechoslovakia, which Finland won 5-2, which was also awarded to Czechoslovakia as a 5-0 walkover. The Finns were able to defeat the Czechs again on the last day, which would have earned them their first medal in history, if not for the positive drug test.
Contents
World Championship Group A (Finland)
East Germany were very unlucky to be relegated to Group B, as Poland's only win was the awarded default for a doping violation against Sweden.
World Championship Group B (Yugoslavia)
Played in Hala Tivoli, Ljubljana, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia March 21–30.
The USA was promoted to Group A, and both Norway and Austria were relegated to Group C.
World Championship Group C (France)
Played in Grenoble, Gap and Lyon, 8–17 March. This was North Korea's first World Championship.
Switzerland and Italy were promoted to Group B.
Final standings
The final standings of the tournament according to IIHF:
European championships final standings
The final standings of the European championships according to IIHF: