It’s that special time of year when the Stanley Cup playoff action gets hot and the ice hockey world can also watch their countries go for gold.
After the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the IIHF Men’s World Championship is back in 2021. 16 teams will take part in the 17-day tournament that is set to take place in Latvia.
Typically, the 2021 tournament is an opportunity for NHL players who are not out of the postseason to continue their trading. It’s packed with young people trying to prove their NHL worth, including a series of prospects to be elaborated in July. The hopefuls of the first round include the American Matty Beniers (who won gold in the juniors in 2021) and the Canadian Owen Power. There are also current top draft picks like Canada’s Cole Perfetti (Jets) and Braden Schneider (Rangers).
USA Hockey is aiming for its third gold medal (1933 and 1960) while Hockey Canada is aiming for the No. 26 gold medal and the first since 2016. If Canada takes the gold, it will bind Russia / the Soviet Union the most in tournament history.
Everything you need to know about the 2021 Ice Hockey World Cup is here, including the ability to watch games on TV and stream them online, as well as the full schedule, results and leaderboard.
When is the Men’s World Cup 2021?
16 teams, divided into two groups, will compete against each other in the preliminary round. Each team will compete against the other seven teams in their group for the first 12 days of the competition, which ends on June 1st.
The four best teams in each group after the preliminary rounds will reach the quarter-finals on June 3rd. After the semi-finals on June 5th, the bronze and gold medal games will take place on Sunday, June 6th.
Where is the men’s World Cup 2021?
The 2021 edition will take place in Riga, Latvia, on two ice rinks: the Arena Riga and the Olympic Sports Center. It’s been 15 years since Riga hosted the tournament. Sweden won the gold there in 2006.
This year’s tournament was originally supposed to be organized jointly by Belarus (Minsk) and Latvia. However, the International Ice Hockey Federation postponed it in February due to political unrest and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Which channel will the Men’s World Cup 2021 be broadcast on?
- TV station (USA): NHL network
- Live Steam (Canada): FuboTV, Sling TV
- TV channels (Canada): TSN
- Live Stream (Canada): TSN approx.
In the US, every American game is shown on the NHL Network along with selected games from other countries. NHL Network can be streamed on fuboTV and Sling TV. In Canada, TSN will broadcast every game in the 2021 tournament, with selected games also appearing exclusively on TSN.ca or the TSN app.
Which teams will take part in the Men’s World Cup 2021?
16 teams, divided into two groups of eight, take part.
| Group A | Group B. |
| ROC | Canada |
| Sweden | Finland |
| Czech Republic | United States |
| Switzerland | Germany |
| Slovakia | Latvia |
| Denmark | Norway |
| Belarus | Italy |
| Great Britain | Kazakhstan |
Why is Russia listed as the “Republic of China”?
Last December, the World Anti-Doping Agency excluded Russia from international competition for four years. The ban includes Olympic Games and World Championships, and the flag or name of Russia cannot be used. However, athletes are not excluded from the competition, but can only do so under a neutral flag.
ROC stands for Russian Olympic Committee, and Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 is played instead of the national anthem.
When is Canada against USA?
There will be a battle for North America in this tournament as the two teams are in the same group. The teams will meet on Sunday, May 23 at 1:15 p.m. ET.
2021 Men’s World Championship
GROUP A
| team | Wins | losses | OTL | Points |
| 1. Russia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6th |
| 2. Switzerland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 3. Slovakia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 4. Denmark | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 5. Sweden | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 6. Belarus | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 7. Great Britain | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 8. Czech Republic | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
GROUP B.
| team | Wins | losses | OTL | Points |
| 1. Germany | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6th |
| 2. Latvia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4th |
| 3. Finland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 4. Kazakhstan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5. USA | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 6. Canada | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 7. Norway | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 8. Italy | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Wins in regulation = 3 points
Overtime gain = 2 points
Loss of overtime = 1 point
Full schedule for the Men’s World Cup 2021
The participating teams are guaranteed seven games in the group stage. Teams that advance to the last day of competition (bronze or gold medal game) play a total of 10 competitions.
(All times east)
| FRIDAY, MAY 21st | ||
| Russia 4, Czech Republic 3 | 9:15 a.m. | TSN1, NHLN |
| Germany 9, Italy 4 | 9:15 a.m. | TSN2 |
| Belarus 2, Slovakia 5 | 1:15 p.m. | TSN.ca/TSN App |
| Canada 0, Latvia 2 | 1:15 p.m. | TSN1 / 3, NHLN |
| SATURDAY, MAY 22nd | ||
| Denmark 4, Sweden 3 | 5:15 a.m. | TSN1, NHLN |
| Norway 1, Germany 5 | 5:15 a.m. | TSN3 |
| Great Britain 1, Russia 7 | 9:15 a.m. | TSN1 |
| Finland 2, USA 1 | 9:15 a.m. | TSN3, NHLN |
| Czech Republic 2, Switzerland 5 | 1:15 p.m. | TSN1, NHLN |
| Latvia 2, Kazakhstan 3 (SO) | 1:15 p.m. | TSN3 |
| SUNDAY 23 MAY | ||
| Great Britain versus Slovakia | 5:15 a.m. | TSN4, NHLN |
| Norway versus Italy | 5:15 a.m. | TSN1 |
| Sweden versus Belarus | 9:15 a.m. | TSN2 |
| Kazakhstan versus Finland | 9:15 a.m. | TSN1, NHLN |
| Denmark versus Switzerland | 1:15 p.m. | TSN2 |
| Canada versus USA | 1:15 p.m. | TSN1 / 3, NHLN |
| Monday May 24th | ||
| Slovakia versus Russia | 9:15 a.m. | TSN1 / 4 |
| Latvia versus Italy | 9:15 a.m. | TSN3 |
| Czech Republic versus Belarus | 1:15 p.m. | TSN2 |
| Germany versus Canada | 1:15 p.m. | TSN1 / 3/4 |
| TUESDAY, MAY 25th | ||
| Great Britain versus Denmark | 9:15 a.m. | TSN3 |
| USA versus Kazakhstan | 9:15 a.m. | TSN1 / 4, NHLN |
| Switzerland versus Sweden | 1:15 p.m. | TSN1 / 4 |
| Finland versus Norway | 1:15 p.m. | TSN3 |
| WEDNESDAY, MAY 26th | ||
| Russia versus Denmark | 9:15 a.m. | TSN1 / 4 |
| Kazakhstan versus Germany | 9:15 a.m. | TSN3 |
| Belarus versus Great Britain | 1:15 p.m. | TSN2 |
| Canada versus Norway | 1:15 p.m. | TSN1 / 3/4 |
| THURSDAY, MAY 27th | ||
| Switzerland versus Slovakia | 9:15 a.m. | TSN1 |
| USA versus Latvia | 9:15 a.m. | TSN4, NHLN |
| Sweden versus Czech Republic | 1:15 p.m. | TSN1 / 4 |
| Finland versus Italy | 1:15 p.m. | TSN3 |
| FRIDAY, MAY 28th | ||
| Sweden versus Great Britain | 9:15 a.m. | TSN1 / 4 |
| Kazakhstan versus Canada | 9:15 a.m. | TSN3 |
| Denmark versus Belarus | 1:15 p.m. | TSN1 |
| Latvia versus Norway | 1:15 a.m. | TSN3 |
| SATURDAY, MAY 29th | ||
| Czech Republic versus Great Britain | 5:15 a.m. | TSN1 / 4 |
| Italy versus Kazakhstan | 5:15 a.m. | TSN3 |
| Switzerland versus Russia | 9:15 a.m. | TSN1 / 4 |
| Norway versus USA | 9:15 a.m. | TSN3, NHLN |
| Slovakia versus Denmark | 1:15 p.m. | TSN1 |
| Germany versus Finland | 1:15 p.m. | TSN3 |
| SUNDAY, MAY 30th | ||
| Belarus versus Switzerland | 9:15 a.m. | TSN.ca/TSN App |
| Italy versus Canada | 9:15 a.m. | TSN1 / 4 |
| Sweden versus Slovakia | 1:15 p.m. | TSN1 |
| Finland versus Latvia | 1:15 p.m. | TSN3 |
| Monday 31st May | ||
| Czech Republic versus Denmark | 9:15 a.m. | TSN1 |
| USA versus Germany | 9:15 a.m. | TSN4, NHLN |
| Russia versus Sweden | 1:15 p.m. | TSN4 |
| Norway versus Kazakhstan | 1:15 p.m. | TSN5 |
| TUESDAY JUNE 1st | ||
| Switzerland versus Great Britain | 5:15 a.m. | TSN2 |
| Canada versus Finland | 5:15 a.m. | TSN1 / 4 |
| Slovakia versus Czech Republic | 9:15 a.m. | TSN1 |
| Italy versus USA | 9:15 a.m. | TSN4, NHLN |
| Russia versus Belarus | 1:15 p.m. | TSN1 |
| Germany versus Latvia | 1:15 p.m. | TSN4 |
| THURSDAY 3TH JUNE | ||
| Quarter finals | 9:15 a.m. | TSN3 |
| Quarter finals | 9:15 a.m. | TSN4 |
| Quarter finals | 1:15 p.m. | TSN3 |
| Quarter finals | 1:15 p.m. | TSN4 |
| SATURDAY 5TH JUNE | ||
| Semifinals | 7:15 a.m. | TSN1 / 5 |
| Semifinals | 11:15 a.m. | TSN1 / 5 |
| SUNDAY 6TH JUNE | ||
| Bronze medal | 8:15 o’clock | TSN4 / 5 |
| gold medal | 1:15 p.m. | TSN4 / 5 |
Who won the 2020 Men’s World Championship?
The 2020 tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.
Finland won the 2019 edition, beating Canada 3-1 in the gold medal game in Slovakia. Notable names from Canada’s squad included Shea Theodore, Mark Stone, Anthony Cirelli, Darnell Nurse and Jonathan Marchessault. The final game saw Senators Matt Murray and Blackhawks Kevin Lankinen between the pipes. An uncovered Kaapo Kakko was on the Finnish championship team.
MORE: Canada settles for silver as Finland wins its first gold at the World Cup since 2011
Who has won the IIHF Men’s World Championship in the last 10 years?
| year | winner | Host country |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | None | – – |
| 2019 | Finland | Slovakia |
| 2018 | Sweden | Denmark |
| 2017 | Sweden | Germany / France |
| 2016 | Canada | Russia |
| 2015 | Canada | Czech Republic |
| 2014 | Russia | Belarus |
| 2013 | Sweden | Sweden / Finland |
| 2012 | Russia | Finland / Sweden |
| 2011 | Finland | Slovakia |
Which countries won the most medals at the IIHF Men’s World Championship?
| country | gold | silver | bronze | total |
| Canada | 26th | fifteen | 9 | 50 |
| Russia* | 27 | 10 | 10 | 47 |
| Sweden | 11 | 19th | 17th | 47 |
| Czech Republic ^ | 12th | 13th | 21 | 46 |
| United States | 2 | 9 | 8th | 19th |
| Finland | 3 | 8th | 3 | 14th |
| Switzerland | 0 | 3 | 8th | 11 |
* Includes the Soviet Union
^ Includes Czechoslovakia
