How to Watch: 2019 IIHF World Championships
Nearly everything you need to know about this year’s Worlds tournament
After a year off due to the Olympics, the IIHF World Championships are back. We’ve got all the good stuff for you right here, including the schedule, how to watch, previews, and more.
This year is especially important because for the first time 10 teams will be competing.
How to watch
Where: Espoo, Finland
When: April 4 - 14
If you live on the eastern half of North America, you’re in luck! The time difference isn’t terrible — at least compared to the Olympics. The first game of the day is typically at 5:30 a.m. et (4:30 a.m. ct.). The last game of the day is typically at 12:30 p.m. et (11:30 a.m. ct).
Broadcast: We’ll update as we get more information on how to watch in each country.
- US: NHL Network will be showing every Team USA game plus the semifinals, quarterfinals, and medal rounds. They will also show both Group A games on April 4, the first day.
- Canada: TSN will have all of the Team Canada games plus the semifinals, quarterfinals, and medal rounds. Like NHL Network, they’ll also have both Group A games on the first day. It also looks like their schedule has various replays.
- Finland: YLE is showing the Finnish matches and highlights that may include others./
Format
The 10 teams are split into two groups of five teams. They play a round-robin preliminary round. Every team from Group A advances while only the top three teams from Group B move on to the quarterfinals. The bottom two Group B teams are automatically relegated to Division 1 Group A.
In the quarterfinals, the top team from Group A plays the third place Group B team. The second places team from each group plays each other while the third place Group A team plays the first place Group B team. The fourth and fifth place Group A teams play each other. The winner of each game moves on to the semifinals and then either the Bronze Medal game or the Gold Medal game.
Group A
Group B
Schedule
All times are in eastern daylight. Winners of each game will be in italics.
Preliminary Round
Thursday, April 4
- 5:30 a.m. - Sweden v Germany
- 9 a.m - Canada v Switzerland
- 11 a.m. - Japan v France
- 12:30 p.m. - United States v Finland/
Related
Friday, April 5
- 9 a.m - France v Czech Republic
- 12:30 p.m. - Switzerland v Russia/
Related
Saturday, April 6
- 5:30 a.m. - Czech Republic v Sweden
- 9 a.m - Finland v Russia
- 11 a.m. - Germany v Japan
- 12:30 p.m. - Canada v United States/
Related
Sunday, April 7
- 9 a.m - Sweden v France
- 12:30 p.m. - United States v Switzerland/
Related
Monday, April 8
- 5:30 a.m. - Czech Republic v Japan
- 9 a.m - Switzerland v Finland
- 11 a.m. - France v Germany
- 12:30 p.m. - Russia v Canada/
Related
Tuesday, April 9
- 5:30 a.m. - Japan v Sweden
- 9 a.m - Russia v United States
- 11 a.m. - Germany v Czech Republic
- 12:30 p.m. - Finland v Canada/
Related
Playoffs
Thursday, April 11 - Quarterfinals
- 5:30 a.m. - USA (A1) v Japan (B3)
- 7 a.m - Sweden (B4) v France (B5) ninth place game
- 9 a.m. - Canada (A2) v Germany (B2)
- 11 a.m. - Russia (A4) v Switzerland (A5)
- 12:30 p.m. - Finland (A3) v Czech Republic (B1)/
Related
2019 Worlds: Quarterfinals recap
Saturday, April 13 - Semifinals
- 9 a.m. - Canada v Finland
- 1 p.m. - USA v Russia/
Sunday, April 14 - Medals
- Bronze - 9 a.m.
- Gold - 1 p.m./
History
In 18 years of Worlds, no country other than Canada nor the United States has won gold or silver. Canada has won gold 10 teams while the United States has won eight, including the last four. Canada also holds the streak for longest consecutive gold medal wins, from 1990 through 2004. Finland has, by far and away, the most silver medals at 12.
Past winners
| Year | Location | Gold | Bronze | Silver | Fourth place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Canada, Ottawa | Canada | United States | Finland | Sweden |
| 1992 | Finland, Tampere | Canada | United States | Finland | Sweden |
| 1994 | USA, Lake Placid | Canada | United States | Finland | China |
| 1997 | Canada, Kitchener | Canada | United States | Finland | China |
| 1999 | Finland, Espoo/Vantaa | Canada | United States | Finland | Sweden |
| 2000 | Canada, Mississauga | Canada | United States | Finland | Sweden |
| 2001 | USA, Minneapolis | Canada | United States | Russia | Finland |
| 2004 | Canada, Halifax/Dartmouth | Canada | United States | Finland | Sweden |
| 2005 | Sweden, Linköping/Norrköping | United States | Canada | Sweden | Finland |
| 2007 | Canada, Winnipeg/Selkirk | Canada | United States | Sweden | Finland |
| 2008 | China, Harbin | United States | Canada | Finland | Switzerland |
| 2009 | Finland, Hämeenlinna | United States | Canada | Finland | Sweden |
| 2011 | Switzerland, Zürich/Winterthur | United States | Canada | Finland | Russia |
| 2012 | USA, Burlington | Canada | United States | Switzerland | Finland |
| 2013 | Canada, Ottawa | United States | Canada | Russia | Finland |
| 2015 | Sweden, Malmö | United States | Canada | Finland | Russia |
| 2016 | Canada, Kamloops | United States | Canada | Russia | Finland |
| 2017 | USA, Plymouth | United States | Canada | Finland | Germany |
The tournament was not held in 2003 due to a SARS outbreak nor 2014 or 2018 due to the Olympics.
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