1933 Ice Hockey World Championships
United States won its first world title, ending Canada's streak.
The 1933 Ice Hockey World Championships took place in Prague, Czechoslovakia, from February 18 to 26. The United States claimed its first world title, ending Canada’s streak of championships. The American squad, the Massachusetts Rangers, consisted largely of university students, with goalie Gerry Cosby and captain Ben Langmaid on defense delivering standout performances. Canada was represented by the Toronto National Sea Fleas, winners of the 1932 Allan Cup, coached by the controversial Harold Ballard. The gold medal game occurred on February 26 at Zimní stadión on Štvanice island. After 45 minutes of regulation, the score was tied 1-1—Sherman Forbes scored for the U.S., and Tim Kerr equalized for Canada. In a dramatic “non-sudden death” overtime, American defenseman John Garrison beat Canadian goalie Ron Geddes at the six-minute mark.
Ten nations competed in three first-round groups, with the top two from each advancing to the second round. Canada and the United States received automatic byes into that round. In the second round, eight teams split into two groups; the top two from each group moved to the semifinals, where the first-place team from one group faced the second-place team from the other. Semifinal winners played for gold, losers for bronze. Fifth and sixth places were decided by a match between the third-place finishers in the second-round groups; seventh and eighth places by a match between the last-place finishers. For the final four positions, two classification matches among the bottom four first-round teams determined seedings for the ninth and eleventh-place games.
In the first round, groups A, B, and C were played. The second round featured groups D and E. Consolation matches saw Romania and Latvia qualify for the 9th/10th place playoff, while Belgium and Italy qualified for the 11th/12th place playoff. In the semifinals, the U.S. and Canada advanced to the gold medal match; Austria and Czechoslovakia progressed to the bronze medal match. For 11th/12th place, Belgium declined to play, so Italy was awarded the win. The 9th/10th, 7th/8th, and 5th/6th place playoffs were held, followed by the bronze and gold medal matches.
The United States’ oldest active college hockey award, the Walter Brown Award, was created in 1953 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of this championship team and its coach, Walter A. Brown.
Quick Facts
- Year
- 1933
- Country
- Czechoslovakia
- Dates
- 18–26 February
- Num Teams
- 12
- Venues
- 1
- Winners
- USA
- Second
- Canada
- Second-Flagvar
- 1921
- Fourth
- Austria
- Games
- 33
- Goals
- 115
- Scoring Leader
- TCH Josef Malecek / 13 points
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The American team, the Massachusetts Rangers, was mostly made up of university students and led by standout performances of Gerry Cosby in goal and team captain Ben Langmaid on defence. Canada was represented by the Toronto National Sea Fleas, winners of the 1932 Allan Cup, and coached by the controversial hockey personality Harold Ballard. The gold medal game took place on February 26 at Zimní stadión on Štvanice island. Tied 1-1 after 45 minutes of regulation time on goals by Sherman Forbes for the United States and an equalizer by Canadian Tim Kerr, defenceman John Garrison beat Canadian goalie Ron Geddes at the 6-minute mark of a dramatic 'non-sudden death' overtime period.
Ten nations played in three groups, with the top two in each group advancing to the second round to join Canada and the United States, who both were automatically qualified through to the next round. In the second round, eight teams played in two groups; the top two teams from each group advancing to the semifinals, where the top qualifier in each group were seeded against the second qualifier in the opposing group. The winners of the semifinal matches played in the gold medal game, while the losers played for third place. Fifth and sixth places were decided by a match between the third-place finishers in the two second round groups; similarly seventh and eighth places were decided between the two last-place finishers in the second round groups. For the final four places, two classification matches were played between the bottom four finishers in the first round, which provided the seedings for the ninth and eleventh-place matches.
Reader's Guide
The 1933 Ice Hockey World Championships marked the first time Canada did not win the world title, a significant shift in international hockey dominance. The United States' victory was achieved by a team composed largely of university students, the Massachusetts Rangers, with key contributions from goaltender Gerry Cosby and defenceman Ben Langmaid. The gold medal game featured a 'non-sudden death' overtime period, a format distinct from sudden death, in which John Garrison scored the winning goal. The tournament also saw the participation of ten nations, with a structured format including automatic qualification for Canada and the United States into the second round. The legacy of this championship includes the creation of the Walter Brown Award in 1953, the oldest active college hockey award in the United States, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the team and its coach, Walter A. Brown. Additionally, a team photograph and a gold medal on loan from the family of Sherman Forbes are currently on display at The Sports Museum in Boston, Massachusetts.
More in International and Olympic Ice Hockey, Part 3 1-24
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