2024 IIHF MEN’S
WORLD HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
“AN EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME!”
Published June 27, 2024
2024 IIHF Tournament Logo
Prague Castle, St: Vitus Cathedral & Charles Bridge Evening View
The 87th edition of the IIHF tournament took place in the beautiful city of Prague, & Ostrava, Czechia this Spring.
Join us at the “heart of the game” in Central Europe (Czechia) was the tournament promotional theme slogan. Fans gathered from all over the world especially Europe for this exciting hockey tourney.
The organizing committee did not disappoint. They truly delivered and did a supreme job. Yes, Czechia set the bar once again for the world hockey championships! They organized a world class event and, in the process, set a new attendance record!
Personally, I had my first live taste of the world hockey championships back in 2015. Canada beat Russia 6 to1 in the final game. It was special time seeing Captain Sidney Crosby and Team Canada win the gold medal.
So, 9 years later, I really looked forward to attending again. This time sharing the experience with members of my Czech family. Especially with our 12-year-old hockey player grandson David. It was an opportunity too good to pass up. Live What You Love!
I expected going into the tournament an exciting time. But I did not realize how special; it turned out to share with my Czech family! My wife Marcela, sister-in-law Alena, daughter Sarka & partner Petr, son Jara, granddaughter Klara and especially grandson David.
So many wonderful memories, too many to cover within this article but I will mention the following that stand out for me.
Going into the tournament I was hoping for a Canada vs Czechia gold medal game.
Team Canada Played Really Well But ….
Canada finished top of Group A Pool after the 7-game round robin in Prague and appeared to be one of the favorites to win the gold medal; along with Sweden who won the Group B Pool in Ostrava.
During the round robin portion Team Canada played Switzerland.
Pro Swiss fans packed the O2 arena. The rink announcer said.
“Are you ready to cheer for Switzerland?! The place went wild!
Then. “Are you ready to cheer on Team Canada?!”
Grandson David and I wearing our Team Canada jerseys happened to show up on the big video screen. The Swiss / Czech dominant crowd loudly booed us! 17,000+ strong. Very amusing and humbling experience indeed! Lol
The Swiss fans were so enthusiastic from start to the finish for this game. Canada was victorious 3 to 2. Even after the lost the Swiss fans outside the building after the game were enthusiastic with their chants! Wow!!
The last round robin game between the host team Czechs and Canada was off the charts. So much emotion and tension from a packed house. 17,300 partisan Czech Fans. Their team down 3 to 1. The Czechs came back to tie it 3 to 3. Only to lose in OT. Dylan Cozens scored the winner for Team Canada! The wind went out of the enthusiastic crowd like a punctured ballon! Czechs are proud people and very enthusiastic / proud of their hockey!! It was very disappointing for all the local supporters!
After going undefeated in the round robin, Canada played Slovakia in the quarter final and won 6 to 3. Next up in the semi final was Switzerland who add NHLers Kevin Fiala, Roman Josi, Nico Hischier and Nino Niederreiter on their skilled roster. I attended the semi final game with my wife Marcela. After the 3-2 shootout loss to Switzerland Marcela looked at me and said “Rex, you look pissed!” It was not from drinking too many Czech beers (pivo) but the disappointment of not having Canada play against the Czechs for a gold medal. It was a major let down! Canada had a flat first period and fell behind 2 – 0. They came back to tie but finally lost the game in a dramatic shootout. Team Canada underachieved playing not to lose rather than playing to win. Yes, too cautious a game from this coach’s perspective!
Next game up Canada played Sweden for the bronze medal. Again, they had an uninspiring game. I attended this game with my grandson David.
After our 4 – 2 lost our spirits were quite low especially grandson David. However, David got talking to a Czech family during the game. I did not know, they invited us to a near by hotel restaurant for beverages before the next contest i.e. gold medal game. David’s spirits began to improve. I asked him where we were going? He said, “To meet Jagr!” Yes, David had his picture taken later with Czech Legend Jaromir Jagr & also the President of the Czech Ice Hockey Federation, Alois Hadamczik. It surely lifted his spirits! A truly kind gesture on behalf of the Czech family; sitting in the next row of the O2 arena to invite us along for this special photo opportunity.
Also, during this game a unique Czech fan, an older gentleman sat next to David. He had attended the last 40 WHC contest or so. They were having a good chat about hockey and the Czech team. So many unique fans with unique stories and colourful outfits at world hockey championship events!
Older Czech Gentleman (Die Hard WHC Fan / Attendee of 40 years) & Grandson David
The WHC is about loyal fans cheering their country on loudly but also within a friendly & sportsmanship like atmosphere. Another example was when I was leaving the O2 Arena after the quarter final games. On a packed tram with Czechs, Swiss, Fins and Swedes; I think I may have been the only Canadian! When a Swedish fan began to exit the tram, I overheard a Czech fan say to him in broken English “You will have no good game on Saturday! “He said this with a lighthearted chuckle. Czechs scheduled to play the Swedes on Saturday. He was right! The Czechs were a team of destiny. They had defeated the USA earlier that day in a close quarter final match, and two days later the Swedes in the semi finals against the Swedes. In the Semi Finals they won 6 – 3 and set themselves up for the gold medal game against the Swiss who had previously defeated Team Canada.
Czechs Strike Gold on Home Ice:
The O2 Arena was shaking with thunderous pro Czech chants, horns, drums, and nonstop enthusiastic clapping! An impressive atmosphere! The two teams set a furious pace. I witnessed the best skill and competitive level during the tournament. Note: The Swiss had 7 NHLers and the Czechs 11 NHLers playing in the final game. While so many Canadian NHLers are reluctant to travel abroad after a long grinding season, so many Europeans especially the Czechs were eager to play for their home country this year.
David Pastrnak (Gold Medal Game Winning Scorer)
It was a close and intense game. Finally…. dreams did come true for the Czechs. Boston Bruin Forward David Pastrnak scored in the third period. The game winner at 9:13 as the Czechs eventually blanked Switzerland 2 – 0. It was a wild atmosphere at the O2 Arena! There was so much emotion, joy, and love by the fans for their home team. Yes, the emotions were off the charts with the 17,413-capacity dominant Czech crowd. Czech fans will never forget this game. My Grandson David attended the game with me, and we shared hugs and tears of joy! It was an incredible moment to experience together. Hockey memories for a lifetime for this hockey guy, even if Team Canada was not a part of the success story this time round! It was the next best thing for me!!
2024 IIHF World Champions – Team Czechia
The Czechs last golden generation was the stunning gold medal at the first “NHL Olympics” in Nagano Japan in 1998. Lead by legends Dominik Hasek and Jaromir Jagr. That paved the way for World Championship gold medals in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005 & 2010. Will this event excite and inspire another generation to take Czech hockey to another level? Only time will tell! But it certainly should help the cause.
My grandson David said to me during the gold medal ceremonies “I’d like to play for the Czech National Team some day!” My reply “Yes, that would be awesome…but you will have to improve your work ethic and keep working on your skating!” So many other young Czechs will be drawing inspiration from this fantastic event. It will be a hockey moment not forgotten especially in the City of Prague and the country of Czechia. Another golden moment in Czech hockey!
In closing, the game of hockey unites a country, a city, a neighbourhood, a workplace, a team, a family and even brings strangers together in celebration of the sport!
For grandson David and Coach Rex, we “Lived What We Love”!
Priceless times – shared together!
Cherished memories for our lifetime! Feeling truly blessed here!
Coach Rex & Grandson David
Fun Tournament Facts & Info:
New Attendance Record:
Fan Interest & Enthusiasm:
- Czechia is truly a top-level hockey country.
- Eighty-two percent of all TVs in Czechia had the gold medal game on!
- 17,500 in the 02 Arena
- 7,000 in the fan zone outside next to the 02 Arena.
- Unknown thousands packed the Old Town Square to watch & cheer the Czechs from the big screen!
Prague Old Town Square (Jam Packed Crowd for gold medal game)
- Businesses closed early and employees given the evening off to watch the gold medal game. Downtown Prague was electric.
- WHC in Prague was “Like NHL Playoffs Atmosphere on Steroids “! Wow! Tremendous mutual love between the Czech team and their loyal fans.
- Those fans cheering with all their hearts!
- Note: The average NHL playoff game as 2.62 million viewers. Czechia alone (population of 10.5 million) made it past three million viewers for the gold medal game.
- Two hundred million people watched the men’s world hockey championship on TV worldwide.
Tournament Medal Winners:
- Gold Medal – Czechia
- Silver Medal – Switzerland
- Bronze Medal – Sweden
- 4th Place – Canada
Notes:
- Last time Czechia won the tournament was 2010 in Cologne, Germany.
- Czech captain Roman Cervenka, who lead his team this year with eleven points, is the only remaining player from the Czech 2010 gold medal team.
- Only Sweden (2013) & Finland (2022) have earned home ice gold in the 21st century.
- So, the 2024 Czechs are in very exclusive company.
IIHF Media All-Star Team:
- G: Lukas Dostal – Czechia
- D: Roman Josi – Switzerland
- D: Erik Karlsson – Sweden
- F: Kevin Fiala – Switzerland
- F: Roman Cervenka – Czechia
- F: Dylan Cozens – Canada
IIHF Directorate Awards
- Lukas Dostal – Top Goalie
- Roman Josi – Top Defenseman
- Kevin Fiala – Top Forward
Canada’s Top Tournament Point Getters:
- Dylan Cozens nine goals & two assists for eleven points
- John Tavares two goals & nine assists for eleven points
The 2024 IIHF Hockey Season Winners.
- U-18 World Women’s Championship: USA
- U-18 World Men’s Championship: Canada
- U-20 World Junior Championship: USA
- Women’s World Championship: Canada
- Men’s World Championship: Czechia
Next WHC Tournaments Scheduled:
The IIHF Congress has decided on the WHC schedule for the next 4 years.
- 2025 Stockholm Sweden / Herning Denmark
- 2026 Zurich / Fribourg Switzerland
- 2027 Dusseldorf / Mannheim Germany
- 2028 Paris / Lyon France
2025 Men’s World Hockey Championship Groups:
- Group A: Stockholm, Sweden
Austria, Canada, Finland, France, Lativa, Slovakia, Slovenia, & Sweden
- Group B: Herning, Denmark
Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Hungry, Kazakhstan, Norway, Switzerland & USA
Written by Rex Tucker
Layout & Proofing by Candace DiGiacomo