1938 Ice Hockey World Championships

Lore & Background

The tournament began with three preliminary round groups: two groups of five and one group of four. The top three teams from each group advanced to the second round, where they were divided into three groups of three. The three group winners and the best second-place team moved to the semifinals. Canada defeated Great Britain 3-1 in the final, securing their tenth World Championship title. Great Britain earned their fourth European Championship title, their third in a row. In the bronze-medal game, Czechoslovakia beat Germany 3-0, and Sweden defeated Switzerland 2-0 in the fifth-place match. The Swiss were unhappy with the IIHF's decision to select Germany as the fourth semifinalist after Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden finished the second round in an absolute tie. The decision was made to advance Germany because they had lost to Canada, so they were the best European nation in their group. Germany, Switzerland and Sweden ended with identical records. The Organizing Committee awarded the semifinal position to Germany because it had to play Canada.

Reader's Guide

The 1938 World Championships are notable for being held on the 30th anniversary of the IIHF, with a special celebration and a yearbook that documented hockey infrastructure across member nations. The tournament's structure involved a preliminary round, a second round, and a semifinal stage, with the semifinal selection causing controversy: Germany advanced over Switzerland and Sweden due to a tie-breaking rule based on having lost to Canada. Canada's victory marked their tenth world title, while Great Britain's European title was their fourth and third consecutive. The bronze-medal game saw Czechoslovakia defeat Germany, and Sweden took fifth place. The event highlighted the growing organizational complexity of international hockey and the importance of tie-breaking criteria, as well as the dominance of Canadian and British teams in the pre-war era.

Did You Know?

• The tournament celebrated the 30th anniversary of the IIHF with a special gathering of famous European hockey players.
• A yearbook produced for the 22 member nations showed Czechoslovakia had 361 hockey clubs, the most of any European country.
• Great Britain had 21 artificial rinks, the most of any European nation according to the yearbook.
• The Swiss were unhappy that Germany was chosen as the fourth semifinalist after a three-way tie with Sweden and Switzerland.