1957 Ice Hockey World Championships
Last natural-ice Worlds; Sweden upset USSR amid Cold War boycotts.
The 1957 Ice Hockey World Championships took place from 24 February to 5 March at the Palace of Sports of the Central Lenin Stadium in Moscow, USSR. These were the last world championships played on natural ice and the first ever held in the Soviet Union. The event is chiefly remembered for the political context: Hungary had recently been occupied by the Soviet Army following the suppression of the 1956 revolution. In protest, the United States, Canada, Norway, West Germany, Italy, and Switzerland boycotted the tournament. East Germany participated at the top level for the first time.
With so many teams absent, the host USSR was heavily favored, but Sweden pulled off an upset. In their third game, Sweden beat Czechoslovakia 2–0, a victory preserved when Leksands IF defenseman Vilgot Larsson headed the puck away from the Swedish net—before helmets were mandatory—earning several stitches. In the deciding final game, Sweden scored two early goals, but the Soviets answered with four. Trailing by two in the third period, Sweden tied the match on goals by Eilert Määttä and Erling Lindström, backed by goaltender Thord Flodqvist and forward Sven "Tumba" Johansson. Since the USSR had only tied Czechoslovakia earlier, a draw gave Sweden the gold.
Karel Straka of Czechoslovakia was named best goaltender, Nikolaï Sologubov of the USSR best defenceman, and Sven "Tumba" Johansson best forward. Konstantin Loktev of the USSR led all scorers with 18 points (11 goals, 7 assists), followed by Sweden’s Nils Nilsson and Ronald Pettersson with 16 each. Vsevolod Bobrov of the USSR led in goals with 13. Japan competed for the first time since 1930 and finished last with one point.
At the gold medal ceremony, the Soviets had not prepared the Swedish national anthem. The Swedish players decided to sing it over the stadium’s PA system, but few knew the lyrics, so they instead sang the drinking song "Helan Går." Swedish captain Lasse Björn later recalled that Soviet Defence Minister Marshal Zhukov stood at attention for the tune.
The final game—USSR versus Sweden—was played on the football field of the Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Stadium.
Quick Facts
- Year
- 1957
- Country
- Soviet Union
- Country-Flagvar
- 1955
- Dates
- 24 February – 5 March
- Num Teams
- 8
- Venues
- Luzhniki Palace of Sports
- Winners
- Sweden
- Count
- 2
- Second
- USSR
- Third
- Czechoslovakia
- Fourth
- Finland
- Games
- 28
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The 1957 tournament was marked by a boycott from the United States, Canada, Norway, West Germany, Italy, and Switzerland in protest of the Soviet occupation of Hungary following the 1956 revolution. East Germany participated at the top level for the first time. With the boycott, the home team USSR was heavily favored, but Sweden pulled off an upset. In their third game, Sweden beat Czechoslovakia 2–0, saved by Vilgot Larsson heading the puck away from the net, receiving several stitches for his heroics. In the final game, Sweden trailed 4–2 in the third period but tied the USSR 4–4, with goals by Eilert Määttä and Erling Lindström, and goaltending by Thord Flodqvist. The USSR had only tied Czechoslovakia earlier, so Sweden needed just a tie for gold.
Reader's Guide
The 1957 Ice Hockey World Championships are significant as the last tournament played on natural ice and the first held in the Soviet Union. The political context—the Soviet crackdown in Hungary—led to a major boycott by Western nations, including the United States and Canada. Despite the absence of these teams, the tournament produced a memorable upset: Sweden defeated the heavily favored Soviet team, winning gold with a tie in the final game. The attendance record for the final, played on the football field of the Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Stadium, was over 50,000 (or 55,000) fans, the most ever for an international hockey game at the time, standing until 2001. The gold medal ceremony was notable because the Soviets did not have the Swedish national anthem ready; the Swedish players instead sang the drinking song 'Helan Går', which Soviet Defense Minister Marshal Zhukov stood to attention for. Japan competed for the first time since 1930 and finished last.
Did You Know?
- The 1957 tournament was the last World Championships played on natural ice.
- Sweden won gold by tying the USSR 4–4 in the final game, needing only a draw for the championship.
- Swedish players sang the drinking song 'Helan Går' at the gold medal ceremony because the Soviet hosts lacked the Swedish national anthem.
- The final game drew over 50,000 (or 55,000) spectators, a world record for an international hockey game at the time.
More in International and Olympic Ice Hockey, Part 3 1-24
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