Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Ice hockey at the 1956 Winter Olympics

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Host country
  
Italy

Teams
  
10

Third place
  
Canada

Dates
  
26 January–4 February

Runner-up
  
United States

Ice hockey at the 1956 Winter Olympics

Champions
  
Soviet Union (1st title)

The men's ice hockey tournament (women's was added in 1998) at the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, was the 8th Olympic Championship, also serving as the 23rd World Championships and the 34th European Championships. The tournament was held at the Olympic Ice Stadium and the Apollonio Stadium.

Contents

East and West Germany could not come to an agreement over how to formulate a combined team, so they played a qualification game against each other, which the west won. The east hosted a tournament for non qualified teams, often referred to as World Championships Pool B, between GDR, Norway and Belgium in Berlin.

The Soviets won all their games to claim their first Olympic title, their second World title, and their third European title. Canada, represented by the Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen, won its eighth consecutive Olympic ice hockey medal, though this was its first ever bronze medal.

Qualification

  • November 16, 1955
  • East Germany 3-7 West Germany
  • First round

    Top two teams (shaded ones) from each group earned a right to play for 1st-6th places.

    Group A

  • January 26
  • Canada 4-0 Germany (UTG)
  • Italy 2-2 Austria
  • January 27
  • Italy 2-2 Germany (UTG)
  • Canada 23-0 Austria
  • January 28
  • Germany (UTG) 7-0 Austria
  • Italy 1-3 Canada
  • Group B

  • January 27
  • Czechoslovakia 4-3 USA
  • January 28
  • USA 4-0 Poland
  • January 29
  • Czechoslovakia 8-3 Poland
  • Group C

  • January 27
  • USSR 5-1 Sweden
  • January 28
  • Sweden 6-5 Switzerland
  • January 29
  • USSR 10-3 Switzerland
  • Final round

    First place team wins gold, second silver and third bronze.

  • January 30
  • USA 7-2 Germany (UTG)
  • Canada 6-3 Czechoslovakia
  • USSR 4-1 Sweden
  • January 31
  • USSR 8-0 Germany (UTG)
  • Sweden 5-0 Czechoslovakia
  • USA 4-1 Canada
  • February 1
  • USA 6-1 Sweden
  • February 2
  • Canada 10-0 Germany (UTG)
  • USSR 7-4 Czechoslovakia
  • February 3
  • Czechoslovakia 9-3 Germany (UTG)
  • Canada 6-2 Sweden
  • USSR 4-0 USA
  • February 4
  • USSR 2-0 Canada
  • Germany (UTG) 1-1 Sweden
  • USA 9-4 Czechoslovakia
  • Consolation round

  • January 31
  • Switzerland 7-4 Austria
  • February 1
  • Poland 6-2 Switzerland
  • Italy 8-2 Austria
  • February 2
  • Italy 8-3 Switzerland
  • Poland 4-3 Austria
  • February 3
  • Italy 5-2 Poland
  • Final Round

  • March 8
  • East Germany 4-1 Norway
  • March 9
  • East Germany 14-7 Belgium
  • March 10
  • Norway 7-5 Belgium
  • Tournament awards

  • Best players selected by the directorate:
  • Best Goaltender: Willard Ikola
  • Best Defenceman: Nikolai Sologubov
  • Best Forward: Jack McKenzie
  • Final ranking

    1.  Soviet Union
    2.  United States
    3.  Canada
    4.  Sweden
    5.  Czechoslovakia
    6.  Germany
    7.  Italy
    8.  Poland
    9.   Switzerland
    10.  Austria

    European Championship final ranking

    1.  Soviet Union
    2.  Sweden
    3.  Czechoslovakia
    4.  West Germany
    5.  Italy
    6.  Poland
    7.   Switzerland
    8.  Austria

    References

    Ice hockey at the 1956 Winter Olympics Wikipedia