As the Stanley Cup Playoffs roll on, another high-profile hockey event is about to get underway: the 2023 men's IIHF World Championship. This international tournament will see 16 countries vie for the gold medal.
Here's everything fans need to know before the e vent kicks off.
IIHF World Championship 2023 Format
The men's IIHF World Championship once again features 16 teams that are split into two groups (A and B). Play begins in a round-robin format, with every team playing each member of its group once. The top four teams after these initial contests move on to the quarterfinals.
Adding to the stakes is the threat of relegation. The bottom two performers in each group will be demoted from the Championship level to Division 1a for next year's World Championships.
The quarterfinals then fea ture cross-group matchups. The first-placed team from one group will play the fourth-placed team from the other group, and the same goes for the second- and third-placed squads.
There is one exception, though. If hosts Finland and Latvia both qualify and are slated to play each other, then quarterfinal matchups will take place within groups (i.e. Group A's first-placed team would play its fourth-placed team, instead of Group B's).
Teams are then re-seeded for the semifinals based on how they performed in the group stage. The finals of the World Championship include a bronze- and a gold-medal game, with the loser of the latter receiving the silver.
IIHF World Championship 2023 Schedule by Day
- 9:20 a.m. ET: FIN v USA, SVK v CZE
- 1:20 p.m. ET: SWE v GER, LAT v CAN
- 5:20 a.m. ET: FRA v AUT, SUI v SLO
- 9:20 a.m. ET: HUN v DEN, NOR v KAZ
- 1:20 p.m. ET: GER v FIN, SVK v LAT
- 5:20 a.m. ET: USA v HUN, SLO v CAN
- 9:20 a.m. ET: FRA v DEN, NOR v SUI
- 1:20 p.m. ET: SWE v AUT, CZE v KAZ
- 9:20 a.m. ET: GER v USA, SVK v CAN
- 1:20 p.m. ET: FIN v SWE, CZE v LAT
- 9:20 a.m. ET: DEN v AUT, SLO v NOR
- 1:20 p.m. ET: FRA v HUN, SUI v KAZ
- 9:20 a.m. ET: USA v AUT, LAT v NOR
- 1:20 p.m. ET: FIN v FRA, CAN v KAZ
- 9:20 a.m. ET: HUN v SWE, CZE v SLO
- 1:20 p.m. ET: DEN v GER, SUI v SVK
- 9:2 0 a.m. ET: HUN v FIN, LAT v SLO
- 1:20 p.m. ET: AUT v GER, KAZ v SVK
- 5:20 a.m. ET: USA v DEN, NOR v CZE
- 9:20 a.m. ET: AUT v FIN, CAN v SUI
- 1:20 p.m. ET: SWE v FRA, KAZ v LAT
- 9:20 a.m. ET: GER v HUN, SLO v SVK
- 1:20 p.m. ET: USA v FRA, CZE v SUI
- 9:20 a.m. ET: DEN v SWE, CAN v NOR
- 1:20 p.m. ET: AUT v HUN, KAZ v SLO
- 5:20 a.m. ET: GER v FRA, SVK v NOR
- 9:20 a.m. ET: SWE v USA, CAN v CZE
- 1:20 p.m. ET: FIN v DEN, SUI v LAT
- Off Day
- Quarterfinal Games (4)
- Off Day
- Semifinal Games (2)
- Gold and Bronze Medal Games
Canada leads in IIHF World Championship gold medals with 27 all-time. The country's most recent win was in 2021 after taking down Finland. Following Canada on the leaderboard is Sweden with 11. The former Soviet Union won 22 gold medals but now competes as Russia, which has won six gold medals.
Canada also leads all countries with a total of 52 medals all-time at the IIHF World Championship. Along with 27 gold medals, they've taken home 16 silver and nine bronze. Sweden trails slightly with 47 medals in its history, the most of which are silver (19).
Sweden's served as host or co-host of the IIHF World Championships 11 times, which is the most in history. The country 's most recent stint was in 2013 alongside Finland. The Swedes are scheduled to co-host again in 2025.
The men's 2023 IIHF World Championship will be co-hosted by Finland and Latvia. The action will be split across two cities, with Tampere, Finland, and Riga, Latvia serving as hosts.
Vladislav Tretiak of the former Soviet Union holds the most IIHF World Championship medals all-time with 13 total. His 10 gold medals are tied with fellow Soviet Union player Alexander Ragulin for tops in history.
Yes, NHL players can participate in the IIHF World Championship. There are no limits on how many pros can be sent, but since the event usually takes place d uring the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, this often limits the pool.