I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I IceTimesDecember 2018 / Vol. 22, No. 5

Young stars go west 2019 World Juniors preview U20/Challenge Cup recaps I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 2

IceTimes December 2018 / Vol. 22, No. 5

From the IIHF President started the season as usual with the Under-20 China meanwhile has taken its first major steps lower division World Championships, congra- forward in its preparations for the 2022 Olym- tulations to which won at home in pics in Beijing. The Chinese Asso- Fussen and will move up to play in the 2020 ciation recently opened its new offices, and will Building the future World Juniors! be working with the IIHF on player and coach development. By René Fasel We also kicked off the season with the U20 Challenge Cup of Asia, which is now a two-di- Investing in player development and coaching For ice hockey fans, this is the favourite vision format with ten teams featured. is so important, and I commend the various time of the year. Snow is falling, the rinks initiatives that have been spearheaded by the are cold and it’s time to hit the ice! Both the U20 and U20 Divison I Challenge IIHF’s membership, its committees, and also Cups were hosted by Malaysia, an unlikely its partners such as Infront Sports and Me- We begin our top division World Champions- ice hockey nation that has grown into a regio- dia. The IIHF-Infront Growing the Game Fund hip program as always with the IIHF World Ju- nal leader for the game. The Malaysians were received an increased number of applications nior Championship. This is a personal favouri- kind enough to host both tournaments over this year, and we have selected several we- te for many international ice hockey fans, and the span of two weeks, while also organizing ll-deserving candidates to receive funding for for good reason. The World Juniors brings an Officiating Seminar and hockey camp at their ice hockey development projects. You together ice hockey’s best young stars and the same time and in cooperation with the can read more about each of these Growing puts them in a fast-paced, frenzied tourna- IIHF Office and the Japan Ice Hockey Fede- the Game Fund projects starting on page 6. metn that offers great action. For fans either ration. at the arenas or watching at home during the We also look forward to the new year and plen- holidays, the Juniors are a special treat. This example of inter-association support has ty of exciting tournaments ahead, with the U18 thankfully been repeated often in this early Women’s World Championship being hosted This year we travel to the beautiful western phase of the season, with cooperation agree- for the first time ever in Japan this January, fo- Canadian cities of Vancouver and Victoria. metns being signed by between Russia and llowed later by the Womens’ Worlds in The atmosphere in a World Juniros tourna- Japan and China and , to name and culminating in a return to for the ment hosted in Canada is always incredible, a few. Germany was even gracious enough 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. and I look forward to the games. to host the second-annual Development Cup in Fussen earlier in the fall, which gave teams And so, it’s time to hit the ice! We wish you We are continually seeking to bring more like FYR Macedonia the opportunity to com- lots of enjoyment playing this great game also opportunities for countries to experience in- pete in their first international tournament. a very happy holidays! ternational hockey at the juniors level. We I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 3

IceTimes December 2018 / Vol. 22, No. 5

Kolbenheyer (on right), who attended the IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP This includes assignments of female and male News and Notes ceremony on behalf of the IIHF. Former IIHF on-ice officials for all tournaments except the top- Council member Grupp was the liaison The 2023, 2024, and 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey two men’s senior events. The assignments for person between the IIHF and the Unified World Championships are set to be chosen the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship IIHF Korean Women’s Ice Hockey Team during during the next Annual Congress in Bratislava in Slovakia and the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World the 2018 Olympics and recently published 2019. Championship Division I Group A in Kazakhstan The Peace and Sport organization selected a book on the experiences with the team will be made in February. the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and project. IIHF Council member and IIHF The joint proposal accepted during the IIHf Semi- as one of the winners at the Peace and Sport Women’s Committee chair Kolbenheyer was Annual Congress was tabled by the Ice Hockey The 346 different game officials who will officiate Awards ceremony that took place in October the Chairwoman of the Olympic women’s Federation of Russia, the Czech Ice Hockey in five categories with men, women and junior on the Greek island of Rhodes. ice hockey tournament directorate in Association, and the Swedish Ice Hockey teams at different levels come from 45 different PyeongChang 2018. Association, who so far are the only candidates countries. The United States (25), Canada (22), The awards were given to international and for 2023, 2024, and 2025 respectively. Other Finland (18), Germany (17), the Czech Republic regional organizations for their contribution The 2018 Olympic Winter Games brought nations wishing to submit competing bids will (16), Russia (16) and Switzerland (15) lead the to positive social change through sport. The athletes from north and south of the Korean have until the 15 January 2019 to notify the IIHF way but there are many more officials from IIHF was awarded the Special Jury Prize Peninsula together at the Olympics within a of their plans. these continents as well as from other regions for the achievement of the Unified Korean few weeks and helped pave the way for a of the world such as Africa, Asia, Latin America, Women’s Ice Hockey team participating at the dialogue between the leadership of the two “We are pleased that these three countries were the Middle East and Oceania. PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Koreas and other countries involved after able to come up with a proposal where each meetings at the Olympics including the ice of the potential hosts are satisfied,” said IIHF CLICK HERE FOR ASSIGNMENTS hockey venue where the Unified Korean General Secretary Horst Lichtner. “However, we Women’s Ice Hockey Team played. have to be fair to other nations that might want The IIHF also published the list of international to host a tournament in these years, so we are game officials for the new ice hockey season Athletes from north and south walked together extending the opportunity for other bids to be with IIHF licences of different categories who will at the opening ceremony under the unification submitted. be able to officiate international games including flag but the highlight was that for the first time IIHF-sanctioned tournaments but also other ever athletes from both parts of the Korean OFFICIATING events. In total 1,094 game officials from 52 Peninsula were together on the same team in countries were licensed for the new season. This a Olympic competition thanks to the effort at The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) includes 76 female referees, 389 male referees, the Olympic women’s ice hockey tournament. has assigned the referees and linesmen for 148 female linesmen and 481 male linesmen. Peace and Sport founder Joël Bouzou 28 of its 30 tournaments in the 2019 IIHF Ice (pictured, on left) handed the award to CLICK HERE TO READ MORE Hockey World Championship program. CLICK HERE FOR LICENSEES Beate Grupp (middle) and Zsuzsanna I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 4

IceTimes December 2018 / Vol. 22, No. 5

YOUTH OLYMPICS GERMANY Kunast finished his U20 coaching stint with a For the first time the IIHF will organize 3-on-3 After the sudden departure of gold medal on home ice at the Divison I Group A hockey with men’s and women’s tournaments , who became an World Championship. He will next be in charge at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games. assistant coach for the Los Angeles of the women’s national team with the long-term Kings last month, the German Ice of preparing and qualifying for the 2022 CLICK HERE TO VIEW A VIDEO Hockey Association has named Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. Toni Soderholm as new head The 3-on-3 tournament will be played cross-ice coach of the men’s national team. Kunast was a professional goaltender in the with two games running simultaneously, one German DEL for many years winning one in each end of the rink. The tournaments will Soderholm has most recently been coaching championship with the Munich Barons in 2000 consist of 8 teams per gender category. SC Riessersee and was an assistant coach of and was on the roster of the national team Asia Thomas Wu, IIHF Council Member Franz the German U20 national team for two years several times including at the 2002 Olympic Reindl, and IIHF General Secretary Horst Licht- The teams will be mixed-NOC and therefore earning promotion to the top-level World Juniors Winter Games and the 2001 IIHF Ice Hockey ner – was in Beijing to inaugurate the new CIHA consist of players from numerous countries all last weekend. World Championship. offices, which will serve as the primary center over the world, mixed into teams of 11 skaters for ice hockey development in the world’s most and two goaltenders. These teams play a The 40-year-old Finn played college hockey in Long-time women’s national team populous country. round-robin tournament followed by semi-finals and most of his pro career with player Franziska Busch will serve and medal games. The players will be selected IFK Helsinki. He also played in Switzerland for SC as the new head coach of the “This is a landmark moment in the development through national skills challenge competitions Bern and in Sweden with Frolunda Gothenburg. U18 women’s national team. She of Chinese ice hockey,” said Fasel. “Prior to the and the goaltenders will be selected on a youth In 2011 he won the Finnish championship and joined the coaching staff last year creation of the CIHA ice hockey was under the ranking which is also used for the allocation of the Award for the playoff MVP. For the as assistant coach and replaces stewardship of a general ice sports association, team quote for the 6-team tournaments. Finnish national team he played 62 international Tommy Kettner, who coached but now ice hockey under the guidance of the games including three IIHF Ice Hockey World the team during the past three seasons. CIHA has the potential to grow bigger than ever CHINA Championships, winning silver in Moscow 2007. before.” Busch represented Germany in eight IIHF An IIHF delegation travelled to China in Sep- The German Ice Hockey Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship While actively preparing for the 2022 Beijing tember to attend an opening ceremony held Association also announced that tournaments (six in the top division) and two Winter Olympics, the Chinese Ice Hockey As- to inaugurate the new offices of the Chinese Christian Kunast, currently head Olympic Winter Games before becoming a sociation will aim to develop the sport of ice Ice Hockey Association. coach of the U20 national team, youth coach. During the summer she took hockey in a sustainable and healthy way in Chi- will serve as head coach of the part in the Coach Development Program of the na and in Asia, with assistance and cooperation Fasel – along with President Cao Weidong (pic- German women’s national team as 2018 IIHF Women’s High-Performance Camp in with the IIHF office. tured below) of the CIHA, IIHF Vice-President for of 1 January 2019. Finland. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 5

IceTimes December 2018 / Vol. 22, No. 5

GREAT BRITAIN It’s the first time a Continental Cup Final will be Lacroix follows after German coach Bernd Before ending his career as a player with hosted in the UK which has had one Continental Haake, who has led the team for the past six years Djurgarden in 2001, Garpenlov played 10 The International Ice Hockey Federation has Cup champion, the in winning four consecutive bronze medals in the seasons in the NHL including 609 regular- selected as host of the 2019 IIHF 2017. Division I Group B followed by the tournament season games (114 goals, 197 assists) and 44 Continental Cup Final. win on home ice in Kaunas last spring. post-season games (10 goals, 9 assists) as a LITHUANIA forward. He also played for the Swedish national The final tournament of the Continental Cup SWEDEN team at the Worlds, Olympics and will take place from 11 to 13 January 2019 at Lithuania, which was promoted to and won back-to-back World Championships in the SSE Arena Belfast (pictured) in the capital the second-tier IIHF Ice Hockey The Swedish Ice Hockey 1991 and 1992. of . The arena has a capacity World Championship Division I Association announced that for 7,400 spectators for ice hockey and will offer Group A last spring, will start the Rikard Gronborg will leave the USA excellent conditions to host the tournament with season with a new head coach for Swedish national team as head the final four teams in competition. the men’s national team after hiring coach after the 2019 IIHF Ice Former NHL player and assistant coach Bob former NHL player and coach Hockey World Championship. Corkum has been named head coach of the Daniel Lacroix. U.S. women’s national team for the 2018/2019 Gronborg wants to focus on moving his career season. He will be assisted by Joel Johnson, The 49-year-old native played to North America with the dream of becoming the associate head coach of the University of professional hockey for 12 years. While having an NHL coach. He recently led Sweden to back- Minnesota women’s ice hockey team, and for- most games in the AHL, the winger also played to-back IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship mer NHL defenceman Brian Pothier. 188 NHL regular-season games and during his gold. best days in the late ‘90s was ’ Corkum succeeds Robb Stauber, who led the teammate at the for two During the upcoming season U.S. to Olympic gold in 2018 and Women’s seasons. Gronborg will continue with Johan World Championship gold in 2017. Garpenlov (pictured) and Peter He moved into coaching in 2002. For four Popovic as assistants. Corkum once played at the 1987 IIHF World seasons he was an assistant coach for the Junior Championship that was followed by The final tournament is the last of four stages of QMJHL’s , temporarily also Garpenlov, the head coach as of a 13-season NHL career. Most recently the this season’s Continental Cup that involved 17 the head coach. Between 2006 and 2018 he the 2019/2020 season, has worked 50-year-old was working as an assistant club teams. The final four are first-time Kazakh has worked as an assistant coach in the NHL for as Gronborg’s assistant since 2016. Earlier he coach for the between champion Arlan , host Belfast Giants the New York Islanders, , worked for the national team as a team leader 2013 and 2017. He had joined the Islanders representing the of Great and the last four seasons (2010-2012) and as an assistant coach in the after spending five seasons as an associate Britain and Northern Ireland, GKS Katowice with the . He also spent one . He earlier also was coach of the men’s ice hockey team at his from Poland and HK from . year with the Hamilton Bulldogs in the AHL. on the coaching staff of Djurgarden Stockholm. alma mater, the University of Maine. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 6

IceTimes December 2018 / Vol. 22, No. 5

Growing the game New development projects approved

By Adam Steiss

The IIHF and Infront Sports & Media have announced the successful applicants for the 2018/19 Growing the Game Fund projects. Sofia will host a hockey festival with countries such as Turkey.

region (Eastern and Western Balkans). The ga- The development programme, initiated by the mes will be held in Sofia, Bulgaria and they will IIHF in conjunction with marketing partner In- be organised in a two-groups tournament whe- front Sports & Media, allows member federa- re every team will have a chance to play against tions and IIHF committees to apply for funding The Growing the Game Fund will support a joint Finnish-Swedish study to examine the use of small-ice training in development. every other team in his group. to help the sport in their country. The first steps for the project include es- BULGARIA: The Bulgarian Ice Hockey Fede- The Balkan hockey festival follows a series of This year, seven projects were selected: tablishing a league office and launching a ration secured funding for a Balkan ice hockey success international camps organised by the social media and website presence du- festival development concept to grow ice hoc- Bulgarian Ice Hockey Federation and the coun- AUSTRIA: The Austrian Ice Hockey Fede- ring the 2018/19 season. The following sea- key in the Balkan Region. tries from the Balkan region. The festival is inten- ration’s Women’s Department submitted an sons will focus on growing spectators and ded to improve the cooperation and the synergy operational plan for a project entitled “EWHL – attracting sponsorship and TV partners. The festival will consist of an ice hockey tourna- between the countries in the region. Amateur Goes Pro”. The concept is to develop ment for players in the U14-U16 category. The the Elite Women’s Hockey League from ama- The ultimate objective of the EWHL revamp is 4-day tournament will bring together teams from GERMANY: The German Ice Hockey Associa- teur/volunteer league into a professional league to make the women’s league an overall more Bulgaria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR tion will receive funds a new player recruitment organization, find marketing/sponsoring/media competitive and professional league, capable of Macedonia, Romania, , and Turkey. and ice hockey awareness initative, dubbed partners for the league, and create new deve- having games with leagues from Sweden, Fin- “Hockey is Variety”. lopment activities targeting women’s hockey in land, and Russia, for example, while driving up The project is intended as a cross-border festi- developing ice hockey nations. interest in the women’s game in Europe. val that focuses on the countries in the Balkan The project will serve as a resource hub for I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 7

IceTimes December 2018 / Vol. 22, No. 5 groups to use ice hockey as a form of inte- cation Program, which would be developed in gration for kids that come from migrant back- cooperation and with support of the Japanese grounds. The federation will also develop an Ice Hockey Federation. The education program internal trainign concept for coaches and tra- would be supplemented by a regional officia- iners to focu on cross-cultural sensitization. ting seminar with the goal to grow the amount of game officials and to constantly develop and The German federation will also launch a new teach existing game officials within Asia. program designed to aid professional and ama- teur ice hcokey players traansition to other edu- IIHF YOUTH AND JUNIOR cation or work careers. A dual-career arrange- DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE: ments with players would set up in cooperation The committee’s Partnership for Progress Pro- with partners from the business community. gram introduced a concept called “Connecting Dual-career guidelines and assistance would the Hockey World”. also be offered, not just to players but to coa- ches and game officials as well. Partnerships One of the components is that a national asso- with other MNAs would be possible in order to ciation, league, or club coaches, players and retain and transfer athlete experiences. management willl visit other organizations to take part in everyday activities and thus gain : The Hungarian Ice Hockey Fe- practical information to enhance their own pro- Malaysia partnered up with Japan on a joint proposal to organize a Coach Education Program and Officiating Seminar. deration plans to introduce a Carpathian Hoc- grams and operations. key Development Program, aimed at you- th hockey, officiating, coaching, mentorship. These camps will be held in three times in a year. plans, and educational material on youth ice Both of the organizations involved in a partner- It is estimated that in total more than 500 pla- hockey development. ship, will need to contribute financially in terms The goal of the federation is to is build up a yers, 70 coaches will participate at these camps of travel, accommodation, food, insurances mentorship network in Hungary, with close in a season. This research project wil focus on defining what etc. to facilitate the transfer of knowledge. cooperation with eight Romanian teams and is the best way to play the game in youth hockey one Serbian team. Each team will work with ex- FINLAND/SWEDEN: The Finnish and Swedish in terms of field of play size, number of players, The aim of this project is to provide small sub- perienced coaches hired to provide operational Ice Hockey Associations proposed to conduct rules etc. in order to maximize player develop- sidies towards these visits. Through this, the mentorship and regional education seminars a joint study, titled “Better Play – Better Players”. ment. Growing the Game Fund can contribute to and for the local coaches and trainers. They would be part of a new, innovative and international also set up development camps for four select The purpose of the study is to examine the im- MALAYSIA/JAPAN: The Malaysia ice hockey program providing global and sustainable de- teams from their area. pact of small-area games, improved practice Federation proposed a Domestic Coach Edu- velopment of the game. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 8

IceTimes December 2018 / Vol. 22, No. 5

ne protected area in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. IIHF heads north Throughout the years he has lent his support to several environmental initiatives in the region, Joins UN for climate change awareness including Lewis Pugh’s (UN Environment Patron of the Oceans) cleanup on Lake Baikal, Russia By Adam Steiss and the Antarctica 2020 campaign for the crea- tion of more arctic marine protected areas. In The International Ice Hockey September 2017, he orchestrated the biggest Federation (IIHF) has joined beach cleanup in the Russian Arctic. UN Environment and other partners in organizing the “I commend UN Environment and its patron ‘Last ice hockey game at the Vyacheslav Fetisov for this admirable effort to North Pole’. draw attention to climate change. Sport is a great communicator across all people, and I The “Last Game” – a symbolic ice hockey game hope that we can use ice hockey as a positive with the objective to draw global attention to cli- message for peace and respect for the environ-

mate change and the rapidly disappearing ice Valeri Melnikov / RIA Novosti ment,” said Fasel. in the Polar regions – will involve athletes from The Last Ice Hockey Game at the North Pole will be played in April 2019 at the Barneo Ice Camp Arctic station (pictured). different disciplines and countries, Arctic indige- The event aims at garner global attention and nous peoples and youth. The hockey game is ming years, we have to take a more responsible ice hockey star Vyacheslav (‘Slava’) Fetisov, who support for the rapidly disappearing ice in the set to be played 24-25 April 2019 and will take role as stewards of our environment and look for was the main driver behind this initiative in his Polar regions. The Arctic is one of Earth’s most place on an ice rink at the North Pole. new and innovative ways to raise awareness on role as UN Environment Patron for Polar Re- fragile ecosystems, disproportionally affected by this pressing issue.” gions. climate change and warming at twice the ave- Beyond its institutional backing, the IIHF will pro- rage rate of the rest of the planet. It is aimed to vide support on the ground - or rather, on the Fasel will oversee the game that will confront “It is great that the IIHF, as a part of the Olympic boost climate action by individuals and organi- ice - with its President, René Fasel, volunteering two teams including celebrities from different family, will be with us when we play ice hockey zations around the world, through the powerful to be the referee of this unique undertaking. sports disciplines. The list of confirmed players in the Arctic to use sport as a bridge between voice of sports. The last ice hockey game on so far includes former ice hockey stars Jari Kurri countries for cooperation on climate change, a the North Pole’ aims at bringing together sports “The IIHF is honoured to be involved with this (Finland) and (United States), along topic that is crucial for our planet,” said Fetisov. and environment as agents of peace and has initiative to combat one of the most serious cha- with four-time Olympic gold medalist speed received the backing, among others, of UN Se- llenges facing the modern world,” said Fasel. skater Johann Olaf Koss (Norway). In 2015, Fetisov was the first person in Russia cretary General António Guterres, Pope Francis “Climate change will impact everyone in the co- Also on the ice will be former Soviet and NHL to support the campaign to create the mari- and Prince Albert II of Monaco. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 9

IceTimes December 2018 / Vol. 22, No. 5

the ice was divvied up with five stations, featu- Ladies hit the ice ring fun drills to instill the basics of hockey during an hour-long session. World Girls’ Ice Hockey weekend a hit Japan: Yokohama By Martin Merk The Japan Ice Hockey Federation hosted a World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend session in During the 2018 World Gir- Yokohama. 55 girls born 2003-2008 participa- ls’ Ice Hockey Weekend, ted in the event. The future players were greeted thousands of female players by their coaches and joined a talk show with Ja- were on the ice at hundreds panese Olympians. Later they had skill lessons of events in 42 countries and and played games. The girls enjoyed being on six continents. the ice with “Smile Japan” as the women’s na- tional team is called. “I enjoyed very much to Here are some excerpts from the 8th edition: play with Smile Japan,” one participant said.

Argentina: Buenos Aires Kuwait: Kuwait City Argentina organized a World Girls’ Ice Hockey It will be a historic year for Kuwait. Last season Japan recruited members from it’s women’s national team to take part in the 2018 World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend. Weekend in the capital of Buenos Aires. The the Gulf State started with a women’s national event took place at Polarcity, which calls itself team, which in the new season will for the first the largest indoor ice rink complex in South Turkey: Ankara/Erzurum/Istanbul years old were joined by 11 coaches for a 75-mi- time compete in an IIHF event. America. Four World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend events nute ice session with a demo practice. After a were held in Turkey including three organized break they had another 75 minutes of ice time Good timing to join the World Girls’ Ice Hockey Hungary: Budapest by the Turkish Ice Hockey Federation. About for small-area games, relay races and other fun Weekend for the first time. 70 female players No less than 120 participants were on the ice 50 participants from 8 to 18 years came to the activities. between the age of 7 and 35 came to the Ice when the Hungarian Ice Hockey Federation or- three venues, the Umitkoy ice rink in Ankara, the Skating Rink in Kuwait City. The current players ganized its World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend 3000’Lik ice rink in Erzurum and the Silivrikapi Mexico: Mexico City showed an exhibition game to introduce the ice rink in Istanbul. Forty youngsters, mostly between the ages of sport of ice hockey to the new ones and the in the capital of Budapest at the Tuskesator ice six and 17, laced up their skates at the Ice Sta- spectators. rink including 15 national team players, 15 wo- Serbia: Novi Sad tion Buenavista in a Mexico City mall. They en- men’s hockey coaches and 10 volunteers who This year’s event took part in the north in Novi joyed learning from 10 women’s national team helped the newcomers. Sad and was a success. 53 girls from 6 to 18 members. Each girl got a name tag, and then CLICK HERE TO READ MORE I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 10

IceTimes December 2018 / Vol. 22, No. 5

Juniors go back to B.C. Fast facts to prep for Vancouver/Victoria 2019

By Andrew Podnieks I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 11

IceTimes December 2018 / Vol. 22, No. 5

If it’s ho ho ho time! So it must also be time for the IIHF World Junior Cham- pionship, that annual Christmas and New Year’s tradition.

This year the tournament will be played in Van- couver and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, so let’s get ready for the action with some U20 talk.

l This marks the 13th time Canada has Matt Zambonin / HHOF-IIHF Images hosted the event, by far the most of any nation. Russia’s last medal came in Canada at the 2017 Juniors. Sweden, Finland, and the United States have each hosted six times. tracting 325,138 fans over 31 games, an avera- ge of 10,488 (both records). That number was l If there is one virtual certainty, it is that bested by Ottawa in 2009 (453,282/14,622). Matt Zambonin / HHOF-IIHF Images Canada will win a medal. In 12 previous tour- Canada, which won gold last year at the World Juniors in Buffalo, has medalled in the last 12 tournaments it has hosted. This year, capacity at Rogers Arena is 18,910 naments played on home ice, Canada has ne- for 19 games. Save-on-Foods Memorial Cen- ver finished off the podium, winning five times tre in Victoria will host 12 games, but with a full (1991, 1995, 2006, 2009, 2015), taking silver l Looking back at the rosters from 13 l In the long and intense history of the Ca- house of 7,400 that means total sell-outs for all five times (1986, 1999, 2003, 2010, 2017), and years ago, it’s interesting to see who the best nada-Russia rivalry, it has been a consistent 31 games will still see the total fall short of a finishing third twice (1978, 2012). players from each nation have become in the fact that Russia plays their best in Canada. record. Nonetheless, eight of the top 11 best years since. Canada—. Czech Incredibly, in the 12 previous U20’s in enemy attended World Juniors were played in Canada, l The last time the U20 was in British Co- Republic—David Krejci. Finland—Tuukka Rask. territory, Soviet Union/Russia has won eleven so fan support will not be an issue. lumbia, the games were played at Vancouver, —Kaspars Daugavins. Norway—Jonas medals—four gold, five silver, and two bronze. Kamloops, and Kelowna. Canada beat Russia, Holos. Russia—Malkin. Slovakia—Boris Va- So, it seems, these two nations have a lock on l Belarus was demoted last year and co- 5-0, in the gold-medal game and went a perfect labik. Sweden—Nicklas Backstrom. Switzer- medals already! ming up for 2019 is Kazakhstan. The Kazakhs 6-0-0 in the tournament, scoring 25 goals and land—Raphael Diaz. United States—Phil Kes- have played at the top level only six times since allowing only 6. Despite the loss, it was Yevgeni sel. l When the U20 was in British Columbia in entering the U20 program in 1995, most recent- Malkin who was named tournament MVP. 2006, the event set an attendance record, at- ly in 2009. They will have a tough time staying I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 12

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son has made himself part of the Montreal Ca- nadiens lineup, and Miro Heiskanen has beco- me a star on defence in Dallas. Brady Tkachuk looks like a chip off the old block in Calgary on a team flying high, and Jordan Kyrou has made an impact in St. Louis.

l All eyes will be on American forward Jack Hughes. Still only 17, he is considered by virtua- lly every pundit to be the first overall draft selec- tion next year. He was named MVP of last year’s U18 championship and is the younger brother Austria managed to remain in the top division. Kazakhstan will play at the Juniors for the first since 2009. of Quinn, drafted last year by Vancouver. There is a third Quinn, Luke, who also has an eye on up. Historically it has proved to be a challenge, 1994, 1995, and 1996 during Canada’s domi- the NHL. Their mother, Ellen Weinberg, won only once in the last five years has the promo- nant run of five in a row (1993-97). a silver medal with the U.S. at the 1992 Wo- ted team managed to stay up, and that was men’s World Championship. Jack has played . Impressively, the Danes moved up l Sweden’s holds the re- the last two years in the USNTDP in Michigan for 2015 and have been at the top level since. cord for most career points in U20 competi- and is expected to be a force with the U20 tion (42), but he also holds the record for most team over the coming holidays. l In the 42 years of World Junior play since points in a game. He had ten (3 goals, 7 assists) the IIHF started the event in 1977, some 126 in a 20-1 Sweden romp over Japan on Decem- l The most anticipated game of the pre- medals have been awarded. The top six nations ber 30, 1992. liminary round is always the New Year’s Eve have won all but three. Slovakia won bronze in game with Canada. This year, it will play Rus- 1999 and 2015, and Switzerland won bronze in l Several players from last year’s U20 have sia because the U.S. is in the other group. The 1998. Besides that, it’s been all Canada, Czech already made an impact in the NHL this season. teams have played only twice before on De- Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden, and United Sweden’s Elias Pettersson is an early favourite cember 31, each winning once. States. for the Calder Trophy thanks to his phenome- nal play in Vancouver. As well, Rasmus Dahlin, l The 2020 World Juniors will be in the l Some 28 players have won three medals the first overall draft choice and a teammate of Czech Republic (Ostrava & Trinec) before re- in their U20 careers, but only one, Jason Botte- Pettersson last year, has settled in quite nicely turning to Canada in 2021 (Edmonton & Red rill of Canada, has won three gold. His came in with a resurgent . Drake Bather- Deer). I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 13

IceTimes December 2018 / Vol. 22, No. 5

“This team truly, truly earned its place in next Next team up year’s WJC,” explained an ecstatic Christian Kunast, head coach of the German entry. “Five “New Wave” leads Germany to Juniors games, five victories; all done on the back of in- credible team spirit. The team is completely de- By Chapin Landvogt serving of this promotion to the next level. I am so happy for the players for this achievement.” 2019 Nothing is sweeter than con- vincingly winning a World Germany finished the tournament with five vic- Championship on home ice. tories in five games and 14 of 15 possible points.

ICE HOCKEY Just ask the kids playing on With that, the young team is heading to neigh- U20 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GERMANY this winter’s edition of the bouring Czech Republic for the 2020 IIHF World Füssen Division I - Group A German U20 national team. Junior Championship.

Better yet, you probably wouldn’t need to if you This promotion was largely made possible by had seen how the German team stormed the a key game against tournametn favourites Be- Benedikt Siegert ice when the final buzzer sounded to end Ger- Germany’s U20 national team celebrates promotion to the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic. larus. Both teams having entered the game many’s last game of the tournament, a 6-1 out- knowing that a regulation loss to the other team come against geographical neighbour . “This achievement is of incredible importance despite a 2-0 lead after one period of play, Ger- would all but end its chances of moving up to The team celebrated with an elation that had for German ice hockey,” explained Franz Reindl, many swallowed a power-play goal against by the world’s elite group. Belarus had won its first been building for days and the excitement will President of the German Ice Hockey Associa- Antonin Plagnat in the second period, cutting three games in regulation while Germany had only continue to grow, as many of this year’s tion. “I am so happy and proud of this team and the lead to 2-1 and making things look a lot clo- done the same, albeit the first one was a 3-2 squad’s key players will still be eligible to play at our program. First our men’s team was able to ser than they’d end up being. shootout victory over arch rival Austria. next winter’s World Juniors. Of the 22 players, win the silver medal in PyeongChang, now our 10 were born in 2000 or later. U20 team has won this tournament and gained A goal by Taro Jentzsch in the 34th minute once But Germany was able to take a commanding promotion. This has been a very special year for again gave Germany the momentum, getting a 3-0 lead within the first 12 minutes of the game Finishing first was no easy task, but to do so ice hockey in Germany.” team that had shown some dents in the armour en route to a 5-1 victory, which effectively set the knowing you’ll be able to take your key players back on track. It would be the first of a natural team on the road to next year’s Juniors. Belarus with you to next year’s tournament a level higher The Germans entered its final game against hat trick by Jentzsch, as Germany added three woudl have to settle for silver followed by bronze is about the best possible outcome for any na- France in the driver’s seat, as all they needed more goals in the third period to overwhelmingly medallists Norway. Latvia and Austria finished in tional program looking to cement itself among for advancement was to at least get the game seal their promotion to the top division. fourth and fifth place respectively, while France the world’s elite once and for all. to overtime. Things got off to a good start, but was relegated. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 14

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then scored the tying goal himself. Slovenia Slovenia steps up won all five games at the tournament but only three of them came in regulation time. Junior team continues gold rush “Every game was tough but I think Hungary By Andy Potts was the hardest,” Sodja said. “We came from a 1-4 deficit, got through overtime and won 2019 Slovenia’s juniors have won in a shoot-out. I think we deserved our first the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey place here. U20 World Championship Division I Group B, two years “We’re especially happy because we’ve re-

POLAND after the same group of pla- peated our success at the U18s in Bled two Tychy Division I - Group B yers won the U18 Division IB. seasons ago.”

A 4-1 victory over on Friday afternoon Slovenia’s success has a strong Jesenice secured top spot for Ales Burnik’s team. Despi- accent, reflecting the status of Anze Kopi- te going behind midway through the second pe- tar’s hometown as the hockey hot spot of the riod, Slovenia rallied to claim a comfortable win Chwieduk Michal country. Ten of the roster play their hockey The Slovenian players that have claimed U18 and U20 gold in back to back years bode well for Slovenia’s ice hockey future. thanks to goals from Aljaz Predan, Jaka Sturm, there, including Stojan, Sodja and goalie Ziga captain Jaka Sodja and Martin Bohinc. Defen- Kogovsek, and many of them have been get- ceman Nejc Stojan collected three assists to fi- win over Hungary secured silver for Poland and “In the end we proved to be the best team but ting extensive experience of the adult game in nish with 2+5 for the tournament; Jan Drozg’s left Hungary with bronze. defeated winless we faced tough games against good oppo- the cross-border . helper on Predan’s marker took him to 12 (4+8) Japan in overtime to take fourth place ahead of nents. We managed to reach our goal thanks points, finishing as the competition’s top scorer, Ukraine. The Japanese drop to Division IIA for to our preparations, our excellent staff and While most of the plaudits went to Slove- five points clear of a clutch of players. next season. some great energy among the players.” nia, there were honourable mentions for two Hungarian forwards. Kristoff Papp’s six goals Slovenia wrapped up top spot after the first Slovenian head coach Burnik said: “It was a The toughest battle for Slovenia came against made him the leading goalscorer of the tour- game of the final day in Tychy, Poland, but the very interesting tournament. The competition Hungary. Down 1-4 after 40 minutes, a big nament, one ahead of Hunor Csaszar. Slove- tournament was far from one-sided. Going into was high quality because all the teams were fightback in the third period set up a shootout nia’s Drozg earned the prize for top forward, the last day, there was a three-way battle for top fairly evenly-matched. Even going into the last win that gave the Slovenes a crucial advan- Poland’s Olaf Bizacki was named top D-man spot and five of the six nations had a theoretical day we had three teams going for promotion tage going into the final day’s play. Captain and Italy’s Davide Fadani was the leading chance of a medal. In the event, the host’s 4-2 and five hoping for a medal. Sodja had an assist as Rok Kapel made it 2-3 goalie. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 15

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Malaysia got chances for the lead when Ta- Malaysia U20s win gayev was assessed penalties first for inter- ference and later for checking to the head Country triumphs again at Challenge Cup and neck area. 74 seconds later Nurul Ni- zam Deen Versluis scored what would be- By Martin Merk come the game-winning goal at 11:08. With five seconds left Chee Ming Bryan Lim sco- One year ago Malaysia hos- red the 4-2 goal into the empty net. ted the IIHF Ice Hockey U20 Challenge Cup of Asia as the In a game for third place the Philippines first IIHF-sanctioned event in avenged last year’s loss against the United the brand-new Malaysia Na- Arab Emirates and won the game 7-6. The tional Ice Skating Stadium. Filipinos fought back from a 6-4 deficit in the second half of the third period. The ga- Located at the outskirts of the capital of me-winning goal from Benjamin Jorge Im- Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysians finished the perial came with 83 seconds left in regula- event in first place ahead of Kyrgyzstan. tion time. David Jong Malaysia defended its IIHF Ice Hockey U20 Challenge Cup of Asia title while playing on home ice in Kuala Lumpur. Since men, women, adults and juniors can Malaysia’s Mohammad Hariz Mohammad practice and play at the first full-size ice Oryza Ananda (8+6=14) and Chee Ming rink of the country, the national teams have ful beating the Philippines (13-2) and the the five-minute man advantage with the 2-0 Bryan Lim (7+5=12) led the tournament in improved in international play and won all United Arab Emirates (12-3) with clear mar- goal from Ilhan Mahmood Haniff. scoring. Lim won the Most Valuable Pla- three Challenge Cup of Asia tournaments gins. yer award and Emirati forward Mohamed they played in – a program aimed at the II- Kyrgyzstan didn’t give up and cut the defi- Alkaabi (7+2=9) was named Best Forward. HF’s smaller Asian members not competing Saturday night’s deciding game was a cit in the first period with a Andrei Triskhin Ernazar Isamatov was selected as Best in World Championship events. nail-biter. The Kyrgyz outshot the hosts in goal. And had the chance to tie it up early in Defenceman while the Philippines’ Jaiden each period but ill-discipline made their life the third period. Zhanbolot Tagayev missed Mackale Roxas won the vote for Best Goal- The first two game days proved to be easy difficult. Rafel Zichry Onn Mohammed Rhiza out on a shot at 1:13 when Vinodraj tender. with a 14-3 victory against the United Arab opened the scoring for Malaysia after alre- Sundram blocked the puck with his hands Emirates and a 12-2 win in the neighbouring ady 22 seconds when Nikolai Magiev was but 46 seconds later Ernazar Isamatov tied The IIHF Ice Hockey Challenge Cup of Asia clash against the Philippines. Last year’s assessed a match penalty for kicking an it up. continues with the men’s and women’s se- runner-up Kyrgyzstan was equally success- opponent. The Malaysians capitalized on nior categories in spring 2019. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 16

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Mongolia recovered from the opening-day loss Thai score high and moved up to second place. The Mongo- lians beat Kuwait 9-2 before winning 3-1 against Positive U20 results for growing program Indonesia in a game for second place. The team dominated the game with 39-16 shots on goal By Martin Merk and decided it early with a 3-0 first-period lead. Indonesia finished in third place thanks to a 10-3 Thailand won the IIHF U20 opening-day victory against winless Kuwait. Challenge Cup of Asia’s Di- vision I tournament, out- Malaysia hosts ice hockey events at U20s classing the competition and pushing for a move to The U20 Challenge Cup of Asia tournament the top division next year. took place during a two-week period that also included a regional Officiating Seminar The Division I U20s opened the Challenge Cup and a camp, organized in cooperation with of Asia season, and were held along with the the IIHF office and the Japan Ice Hockey top division tournament at the Malaysia National Federationas part of the Asia Support Pro- Ice Skating Stadium outside of the country’s ca- gram. pital of Kuala Lumpur. 2018/2019 IIHF U20 David Jong The top division tournament, won by the Thailand celebrates after winning the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 Challenge Cup of Asia Division I and several individual awards. Challenge Cup of Asia host team Mallaysia, was preceded by a Overall Ranking: four-team tournament won by Thailand. ce was already locked for the Thai even be- Mongolia’s Sumiyabazar Byambajav followed fore ending the tournament with a 25-0 win in 13th-place as best non-Thai scorer with four 1. Malaysia The Thai won all three games in their group against Kuwait. goals and one assist. 2. Kyrgyzstan with an impressive goal record of 54-1 to 3. Philippines show they want to play at a higher level next The top 12 scorers of the tournament were Thailand’s Chayutapon Kulrat was voted Best 4. United Arab Emirates year. all Thai led by 17-year-old Nathaphat Luc- Defenceman while Kuwait’s Ahmad Alsaegh 5. Thailand kanatinakorn with nine goals and five as- won the award for the Best Goaltender. He had 6. Mongolia Their most narrow game was the first one, a sists in three games, who was named Best three busy games facing 182 shots, almost the 7. Indonesia 14-1 victory against Mongolia. After a 15-0 Forward of the event. same number that all other goaltenders faced 8. Kuwait blanking of Indonesia the day after first pla- combined! I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 17

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his pro career in 2012 before moving further Building blocks south. Beside playing in FYR Macedonia he also played for the Al Ain Theebs in the United 2nd IIHF Development Cup held in Fussen Arab Emirates.

By Martin Merk Portugal, which had mostly inline hockey pla- yers from the country in the first edition, im- One year after the first edition in Andorra, proved compared to last year. Philip Sardinha, the second IIHF Development Cup took who scored 13 goals, once played two QMJHL place in Fussen at the base arena of the games for Gatineau and plays amateur hockey German national teams. in Quebec in the LHSAAAQ.

One year after the first edition in Andorra, the FYR Macedonia had a successful debut in the second IIHF Development Cup took place in Bavarian city. During the last years an ice rink Fussen at the base arena of the German natio- opened. It’s not full size and just partly closed, Allan McNeice Allan nal teams. FYR Macedonia played in its first international ice hockey event and won the 2018 IIHF Development Cup. thus having a shortened season. But just ha- ving it has already helped rebuilding ice hockey Playing in a bigger ice hockey country provided used the opportunity to talk with IIHF represen- While Andorra is the smallest country, it had in the country that during Yugoslav times had the teams behind the project with an opportu- tatives on how to develop ice hockey in their most of its players from the nation’s only club, a club in the top league and hosted a World nity to get organizational help, as most of the countries. Andorra Hoquei Gel in Canillo, or the surroun- Championship tournament in the capital of four countries don’t have a full-size ice rink to ding clubs in France or Spain. Others also had Skopje. practise and play. What all four participating countries have in some players with roots in the country from common is that their ice hockey programs are abroad or naturalized players who moved to The first international tournament for the For- The tournament included three of the countries rather small. Either because their countries are the country and became difference makers on mer Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was a from last year – Andorra, Ireland and Portugal – small – Andorra has only 77,000 inhabitants – the ice. The eligibility rules for players with multi- success for the team, which defeated Portugal as well as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Ma- or because playing the games according to the ple citizenships from the IIHF Ice Hockey World in the final 9-3. But in the end it was less about cedonia, which last season had its international rules is difficult for infrastructural reasons. Championship program were not in place for the score and the standings, as every team ice hockey debut as an independent country in this tournament. went home with great memories and valuable exhibition games against Bosnia & Herzegovina Of these four countries, only Ireland has expe- experience playing on the international stage. in Sarajevo. The four participating countries, as rience in the IIHF Ice Hockey World Champions- Jure Stopar, who led the tournament in points well as representatives from Jamaica and last hip program – but then lost its only ice rink and (27) and goals (19), once played for the Slove- year’s tournament champion Morocco, also is hoping to get a new one open soon. nian U20 and U18 national teams and ended CLICK HERE TO READ MORE I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 18

IceTimes December 2018 / Vol. 22, No. 5 Gallery Benedikt Siegert Taro Jentzsch with a scoring chance against Austria at the 2019 U20 Division I Group A. Michal Chwieduk Chwieduk Michal Benedikt Siegert Marco Bassler with a backhand score against Belarus in Germany’s key game that helped the country earn gold and a trip to the 2020 World Juniors. Slovenia’s U20s won a key overtime game against Poland to help the team earn promotion. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 19

IceTimes December 2018 / Vol. 22, No. 5 Michal Chwieduk Chwieduk Michal Ukraine with a scoring chance against Italy at the 2019 IIHF U20 World Championship Division I Group B. David JongDavid Michal Chwieduk Chwieduk Michal Poland playing Italy at the 2019 IIHF U20 World Championship Division I Group B. The Poles finished with a silver medal. Kyrgyzstan goaltender Temir Muktarbek gets the blocker save against Malaysia at the 2019 IIHF U20 Challenge Cup of Asia. Players Kuwait from for at the battle puck the Mongolia 2019 and IIHF Ice Hockey I. U20of Cup Asia Division Challenge Ice I Welcome IBulletin IIIHF ICompetition IResults IGallery Times December 2018/Vol. 22,No.5 IInterview I I

David Jong Ireland withascoreagainstAndorraintheIIHFDevelopmentCupbronzemedalgame. Thailand and Indonesia competing at Indonesia the and 2019Thailand I. IIHF of U20 Cup Asia Division Challenge i 20

David Jong Alan McNeice I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 21

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around the sport in a tournament or in the A passion for sport federations. You have to be ready to adapt, but also defend our sport’s rules and values. Hofstetter eager to build hockey globally Fair play and respect is always a big topic. Ultimately, it’s all about the athletes, enabling By Lucas Aykroyd them to perform in a safe environment in the sport they love. In the 1990’s, defenceman Christian Hof- stetter captained the Swiss NLA’s HC Fr- What is the vision for the IIHF Sport ibourg-Gottéron, featuring Russian stars Department in the next Olympic cycle? like Vyacheslav Bykov and Andrei Khomu- tov. On July 1, 2018, Hofstetter took on his Availability of ice is key. We’re always talking latest assignment with the IIHF. about getting more players into our sport. But first you need to have ice. It also has to be ice The former Marketing and Communications Di- at hours that are fair, so nobody has to come rector, who joined the IIHF in 2008, has taken over to the arena at midnight or 5 a.m. The more from the retiring Dave Fitzpatrick as Sport Direc- ice we get, the easier it gets. tor. Hofstetter, 51, is no stranger to big challeng- es, from representing Switzerland at the World It’s also a big challenge to attract people to Juniors in 1987 to carrying on the well-respected our game. We’re competing with many other legacy of Fitzpatrick, who spent 23 years with the sports, and also other forms of entertainment. IIHF. We checked in with Hofstetter recently. We have to make sure people choose hock- Christian Hofstetter has worked at the the IIHF for over eight years and assumed the role of Sport Director this past summer. ey. Nowadays, this is not easy, and it requires What are your main responsibilities as effort from all the stakeholders in hockey. It Sport Director? ficiating, development of players and coaches, time to time. It is the IIHF’s responsibility to en- relates to active players, potential new play- and recruitment. It also touches on scheduling sure that the game stays safe, attractive and ers, and on-ice and off-ice officials, but also Everything that revolves around the field of play, competitions, determining which teams wish to fast – everything that makes ice hockey cool. to the fans, who make our sport so exciting. on the ice or close to the ice, is somehow re- participate in our tournaments, and processing Of course we use our flagship events to pro- lated to our Sport Department. So it’s a vast team entry form applications. What did you learn from Dave? mote hockey and make it attractive. And we range of activities. Before I got the job, I spent also need to stay on top of the latest training time talking with Dave about the requirements. You have clear rules in place, and these rules Things happen quickly in hockey. You need to methods and technical possibilities. It encompasses things like women’s hockey, of- also need to be reviewed and changed from be prepared for everything that might happen I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 22

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What are you working on right now? What are your thoughts on the proposed tunate to meet people from different countries new 3-on-3 overtime format for the Worlds? who share the same passion for our sport. We’re updating our player development guide, which includes player recruitment, the Learn It’s been an ongoing discussion for years. During What motivates you? to Play program, and our coach development the IIHF Council meeting in Malta in September, program. We want to make sure young players the Competition and Coordination Committee I started playing hockey when I was six years get the best possible coaches with new training was tasked with creating a proposal on how to old. It’s my passion. Coming back to my roots methods and drills. Of course, we collaborate change the format for a gold-medal game, so and being able to help shape our sport with my with our member national associations who run we don’t have to rely on a concluding penal- IIHF colleagues is special. Together with every- successful ice hockey programs. We need to ty-shot shootout and can finish it with more or body involved in hockey we must want to ensure share this information with the developing coun- less a regular game. our sport stays safe and fun, and is something tries so that everybody progresses and every- that people love to be involved with. body benefits. Having the 3-on-3 format for preliminary and playoff games as well just makes things easier How about women’s hockey? for the fans to follow. And you also have to re- Fact spect that a gold medal game cannot go on all Women’s hockey has developed tremendously night. We needed to find a format that was both File: in recent years. Since the 2010 Vancouver Olym- fair and reasonable. We should not go beyond Christian pics, the gap between the teams after the U.S. three or four periods of overtime with the 3-on- and Canada has narrowed tremendously. We’ve 3 format. Personally, I think it’s good. We’ll see Hofstetter, even seen teams beating Canada or competing how the 16 teams react in Slovakia in May and SWITZERLAND on a high level with both North American coun- if they approve this format at the first Directorate tries in certain tournaments. That’s promising. meeting. n Born: 20 May 1967 The IIHF likes to continue in that direction. in , Switzerland Which IIHF tournaments stand out in your n Former pro ice hockey defenceman We’ll see how the Women’s Worlds develop now memory? n Master’s degree in Economics from with 10 teams in April. We also achieved some- the University of Fribourg thing amazing as a hockey family when the IOC At the 2010 World Juniors in Saskatchewan, n Captained HC Fribourg-Gottéron in approved 10 teams for the Beijing Olympics. I’d never experienced such cold temperatures the Swiss National League Some other sports saw their numbers of ath- before. It was incredible! My first Olympics in n Former Sports Marketing Manager at letes or competition reduced. Vancouver was a really special experience as NIKE well as all the Olympics have been great. I’m for- n Former Marketing Director at IIHF I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 23

IceTimes December 2018 / Vol. 22, No. 5

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IceTimes About this issue is a bi-monthly publication by the For information or to subscribe: [email protected] Editor-in-Chief: Adam Steiss (IIHF) International Ice Hockey Federation www.iihf.com Editor: Martin Merk (IIHF)