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* Teams are listed by final ranking. W-L-T-PTS are calculated from all games
   played including preliminary, medal and consolation rounds. Often teams
   with superior W-L-T marks finish with inferior rankings due to early
   tournament losses that seed them in a lower bracket.
 
 
 

          WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL STANDINGS - 1970 to 2000
 
 
 

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1970        Stockholm, Sweden

                  GP      W       L       T       GF      GA      PTS
1  Soviet Union   10      9       1       0       68      11      18
2  Sweden         10      7       2       1       45      21      15
3  Czechoslovakia 10      5       4       1       47      30      11
4  Finland        10      5       5       0       31      40      10
5  East Germany   10      2       7       1       20      50      5
6  Poland         10      0       9       1       11      70      1

* -Canada was to host their first World Championship, with games set
   for Montreal and Winnipeg. Canadian officials however were convinced
   that their top amateurs could not compete with the other National teams.
   The IIHF agreed to have Canada select 9 professionals to play.
   However, meetings later in Geneva produced so many reciprocal claims
   that Canada was forbidden to allow professionals at all.
   With so many players playing from the NHL, AHL, IHL, Western Hockey League,
   Central Hockey League and Eastern Hockey League, Canada was losing close to
   their top 600 players.
   Meanwhile, all other countries routinely sent their best players, while
   still calling them amateurs.
   The result, Canada withdrew from WC competition until 1977. The tournament
   was quickly moved to Stockholm.

  Soviet Union vs Czechoslovakia

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1971        Berne, Switzerland

                  GP      W       L       T       GF      GA      PTS
1  Soviet Union   10      8       1       1       77      24      17
2  Czechoslovakia 10      7       2       1       44      20      15
3  Sweden         10      5       4       1       29      33      11
4  Finland        10      4       5       1       31      42      9
5  Germany        10      2       8       0       22      62      4
6  USA            10      2       8       0       31      53      4

* -World and European chamionships were counted seperately. Games involving
   North American teams did not count for European title. USSR won WC, but
   Czechoslovakia won European title after games involving USA were removed.

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1972        Prague, Czechoslovakia

                  GP      W       L       T       GF      GA      PTS
1  Czechoslovakia 10      9       0       1       72      16      19
2  Soviet Union   10      7       1       2       78      17      16
3  Sweden         10      5       4       1       49      33      11
4  Finland        10      4       6       0       47      48      8
5  Germany        10      2       8       0       21      76      4
6  Switzerland    10      1       9       0       19      96      2

* -First time World and European chamionship was played seperately
   from Olympics. This was a first step in bringing Canada back to the
   WC's, since separation from the Olympics made it possible to allow
   participation by professionals.

  -It was this tournament in Prague that the final arrangements were made
   for the Summit Series between USSR and Canada. Canadians long believed
   NHL players would easily beat the Soviets.
   The NHL pros scored 2 fast goals in the first game of the 8 game series,
   but lost 7-3 and were shocked.
   Canada regrouped, and had to win the last 3 games in Moscow to win the series
   4-3-1.

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1973        Moscow, USSR

                  GP      W       L       T       GF      GA      PTS
1  Soviet Union   10      10      0       0       100     18      20
2  Sweden         10      7       2       1       53      23      15
3  Czechoslovakia 10      6       3       1       48      20      13
4  Finland        10      3       6       1       24      39      7
5  Poland         10      1       8       1       14      76      3
6  Germany        10      1       9       0       19      82      2

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1974        Helsinki, Finland

                  GP      W       L       T       GF      GA      PTS
1  Soviet Union   10      9       1       0       64      18      18
2  Czechoslovakia 10      7       3       0       57      20      14
3  Sweden         10      5       4       1       38      24      11
4  Finland        10      4       4       2       34      39      10
5  Poland         10      1       7       2       22      64      4
6  East Germany   10      1       8       1       21      71      3

* -Drug testing was introduced by the IIHF in 1969, but made it's first
   headlines in the 1974 WC's.
   Ulf Nilsson from Sweden was tested positive for ephedrine, which was
   on the IOC's banned substance list. Sweden's 4-1 win over Poland was
   changed to a 5-0 loss, thus keeping Poland in Pool A for 1975.
   Finland goalie Stig Wetzell also tested postive for ephedrine, and again,
   a 5-2 win over Czechoslovakia was changed to a 5-0 loss.

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1975       Germany

                  GP      W       L       T       GF      GA      PTS
1  Soviet Union   10      10      0       0       90      23      20
2  Czechoslovakia 10      8       2       0       55      19      16
3  Sweden         10      5       5       0       51      34      10
4  Finland        10      5       5       0       36      34      10
5  Poland         10      2       8       0       18      78      4
6  USA            10      0       10      0       22      84      0

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1976        Katowice, Poland

                  GP      W       L       T       GF      GA      PTS
1  Czechoslovakia 10      9       0       1       67      14      19
2  Soviet Union   10      6       3       1       50      23      13
3  Sweden        10      6       4       0       36      29      12
4  USA            10      3       6       1       24      42      7
5  Finland        10      2       4       4       35      41      8
6  Germany        10      3       5       2       26      41      8
7  Poland         10      3       5       2       32      47      8
8  East Germany   10      2       7       1       19      52      5

* -Dr.Gunther Sabetski was apointed president of the IIHF, and declared
   that professional players would be allowed to play in the WC's in 1976.
   This was to allow Canada back in, which they did the following year.

  -With 8 teams in Pool A, a new format was introduced splitting the
   nations in 2 groups of 4. The top 2 nations of each division would
   then continue to the medal round.
   The USA used the new rules by getting 7 players from the NHL and WHA,
   and after going winless the previous year, finished in the top 4 for
   the first time since 1962.

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1977        Vienna, Austria

                  GP      W       L       T       GF      GA      PTS
1  Czechoslovakia 10      7       2       1       54      32      15
2  Sweden         10      7       3       0       43      19      14
3  Soviet Union   10      7       3       0       77      24      14
4  Canada         10      6       3       1       47      35      13
5  Finland        10      5       5       0       45      43      10
6  USA            10      3       6       1       29      43      7
7  Germany        10      2       7       1       23      58      5
8  Romania        10      1       9       0       20      84      2

* -Canada returns to WC's. The players were selected from 6 NHL clubs
   that failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

  -The tournament starts 2 weeks later than other WC's, played in mid-April.

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1978        Prague, Czechoslovakia

                  GP      W       L       T       GF      GA      PTS
1  Soviet Union   10      9       1       0       61      26      18
2  Czechoslovakia 10      9       1       0       54      21      18
3  Canada         10      5       5       0       38      36      10
4  Sweden         10      4       6       0       39      37      8
5  Germany        10      3       4       3       35      43      9
6  USA            10      2       6       2       38      58      6
7  Finland        10      2       6       2       37      44      6
8  East Germany   10      1       6       3       20      57      5

* -The start date was pushed back more, from late April to early May.
   This allowed for more professionals to attend from the NHL. For the
   first time, teamates from NHL clubs were now opponents when they
   joined their respective nation. ie: Minnesota North Stars had 2
   Canadians, 3 played for Sweden, 4 played for USA.
   Previously, this had only happened in soccer's (football) World Cup.

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1979        Moscow, Soviet Union

                  GP      W       L       T       GF      GA      PTS
1  Soviet Union   8       8       0      0       61      14      16
2  Czechoslovakia 8       4       2       2       32      32      10
3  Sweden         8       3       4       1       33      46      7
4  Canada         8       3       5       0       31      43      6
5  Finland        8       4       3       1       27      27      9
6  Germany        8       3       4       1       32      31      7
7  USA            8       2       3       3       27      28      7
8  Poland         8       0       6       2       20      42      2

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1981        Sweden

                  GP      W       L       T       GF      GA      PTS
1  Soviet Union   8       6       0       2       55      14      14
2  Sweden         8       5       2       1       24      30      11
3  Czechoslovakia 8       4       2       2       37      26      10
4  Canada         8       2       5       1       28      34      5
5  USA            8       4       3       1       39      43      9
6  Finland        8       3       3       2       37      32      8
7  Germany        8       3       4       1       44      40      7
8  Holland        8       0       8       0       24      69      0

* -Holland jumped from Pool C to Pool A in just 2 seasons.

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1982        Helsinki, Finland

                  GP      W       L       T       GF      GA      PTS
1  Soviet Union   10      9       0       1       58      20      19
2  Czechoslovakia 10      5       3       2       38      20      12
3  Canada         10      5       3       2       46      30      12
4  Sweden         10      3       4       3       26      35      9
5  Finland        7       3       3       1       21      31      7
6  Germany        7       2       4       1       19      30      5
7  Italy          7       1       5       1       20      44      3
8  USA            7       0       6       1       21      39      1

* -Canada cried foul and rightfully so. The WC turned into a farce as

   Canada needed the Soviet Union to defeat Czechoslovakia to claim
   a Silver medal. The Soviets and Czechoslovakia played to a 0-0 tie with
   both teams getting under 10 shots on net each. Canada settled for the
   Bronze medal.

* -Canada stocked it's team with junior players, and waited for NHL teams
   to be eliminated from Stanley Cup playoffs to get players.
   It gave Canada it's strongest team since rejoining in 1977, although
   they only had one practice before play began.