Ice hockey at the 1924 Winter Olympics

The 1924 Winter Olympics men's ice hockey tournament in Chamonix was both the second Olympic championship and the second World Championship. Canada, playing as the Toronto Granites, repeated as gold medalists after winning in 1920. The United States earned silver, and Great Britain took bronze. Other teams included Czechoslovakia, France, and Sweden.

The tournament abandoned the Bergvall system used in 1920 for a two-stage round-robin. Qualifying teams first competed in opening-round pools; the top two from each pool advanced to a final round, where medal standings were determined by final-round records. This format lasted until the 1992 Olympics, when a single-elimination medal round replaced it.

The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association selected the Toronto Granites, winners of the 1923 Allan Cup, as Canada’s representative. W. A. Hewitt managed the team’s finances and could name replacement players. When four Granites could not travel, he added Harold McMunn and Cyril Slater. Hewitt wrote in the Toronto Daily Star that the team would face unfamiliar conditions: outdoor games on natural ice in the morning or afternoon, a larger rink, and no boards, which he predicted would emphasize stickhandling over physical play.

Austria, excluded in 1920, was eligible but withdrew just before the tournament because three international players were ruled ineligible.

Eighty-two players from eight nations participated: Belgium (10), Canada (9), Czechoslovakia (11), France (12), Great Britain (10), Sweden (10), Switzerland (11), and the United States (9). Only players who appeared in at least one game are counted; some reserves are unknown.

The first round had two groups. In the final round, results from Canada vs. Sweden and the United States vs. Great Britain carried over from the previous round.

When organizers planned to pick referees by drawing names from a hat, Hewitt and U.S. Amateur Hockey Association president William S. Haddock agreed to a coin toss for the Canada–U.S. game. Hewitt, fearing an inexperienced referee, suggested LIHG president Paul Loicq officiate; the coin toss confirmed this. Canada won 6–1 and went undefeated in six games to take gold.

Average age

The oldest team was Czechoslovakia (average age 31 years, 5 months); the youngest was Belgium (24 years, 1 month). Canada’s average was 25 years, 2 months; the tournament average was 27 years, 11 months.