I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I IceTimesNovember 2016 / Vol. 20, No. 5

Time for hockey tops Men’s Olympic groups set I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 2

IceTimes November 2016 / Vol. 20, No. 5

From the IIHF President da, coming against one of the most unique overnight, but with the expertise that has teams ever assembled in the history of inter- assembled within our Committees, we are national hockey. The story of ’s well prepared to face them. Turning a new leaf success at the 2016 World Cup, coupled with the passion and memorable play pro- This fall also saw the sixth edition of our By René Fasel duced by Team , made this annual World Girls’ Wee- tournament quite unique and memorable. kend, which has continued to grow and We have officially launched into pre- develop to the where we are being parations for the new season. With a I welcome the return of the World Cup and look approached by nations from all over the new Council and a new mandate, forward to the next edition. Hockey fans are world, seeking to host their own events. there is much work to be done. the best in the world, and deserve to see the world’s top players compete on these kinds As we continue to build new initiatives and The 2016/2017 season should be a thrill. of big stages as often as possible, because invest into growing the women’s game, this We will hit the ground running in just over a the international game is simply that good. event will only increase in importance. We month when the 2017 World Junior Cham- also have the women’s Olympic qualifica- pionship returns to Canada and the cities On the IIHF side, we closed out the summer tion tournament set to continue through of and . Based on our ex- with the 2016 Semi-Annual Congress, whe- February 2017, when we will know which perience from an excellent co-hosting effort re the new IIHF Committees were confirmed teams will join the Games in Korea. by both cities back in 2015, the new year and its members named (see page 5). will definitely start out with a bang. But before we look too far ahead, there is a These Committees form an integral part very exciting IIHF Ice Hockey World Cham- In what was an unusual but very exciting of the IIHF’s efforts to improve the game, pionship to get excited about. This is could twist to the fall season, we got to have an and the tasks that each one has been as- be one of the most intriguing co-hosting early taste of international hockey when the signed will shape our sport into the future. efforts we have yet seen, with Germany NHL and NHLPA came together and set the and France coming together to put on our stage for a spectacular return of the World There are a lot of issues and challenges annual tournament in Cologne and Paris. Cup of Hockey. ahead. We are approaching an Olympic More details will come out in the next few year, and as the spotlight falls on ice hoc- months as we unveil our plans to bring the Toronto was the ideal venue to host this best- key we want to showcase our efforts to pro- 2017 Worlds to these two countries, but in on-best tournament, which brought together mote and grow the sport, and also to make the meantime it’s time to get ready for what the world’s top players in an innovative com- it as safe as possible for everyone to par- should be another top notch international petition that finished with a victory for Cana- ticipate. These challenges won’t be solved ice hockey season. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 3

IceTimes November 2016 / Vol. 20, No. 5

Championship program, the Women’s Olym- promote our sport further and bring more kids vision II Group A will take place at the same News and Notes pic Qualification and the IIHF Continental Cup to hockey. Without well-functioning communi- time in Gangneung at the new Olympic ve- for the 2016/2017 season. cation we cannot achieve our goals with the nues that will be completed by November, the national teams. We will launch a junior hockey 10,000-seat Gangneung Hockey Centre (pic- IIHF The referees and linesmen come from 43 di- advisory board with chairman Vice President tured) and the 6,000-seat Kwangdong Hockey fferent countries from all around the world. The Hofer. The project will create ideas to bring Centre at the Youngdong College. In total 12 The International Ice Hockey Federation hos- referees were assigned for most of the tour- kids and teenagers to hockey. “ teams – six men’s U18 teams and six women’s ted a Transfer of Knowledge Accreditation naments between now and next spring. An senior teams – will participate at these events. Workshop in October with FIFA and UEFA exception is the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World KOREA in October. Experts from each of the three Championship in Germany and France where LATVIA sport federations gathered together to ex- 35 referees and 40 linesmen made the long Together with the PyeongChang Organizing change knowledge of their respective ac- list. The final assignments for this event will be Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic The Latvian Hockey Federation elected former creditation systems. Security through RFID, done in February taking into consideration the Winter Games (POCOG) the International Ice Latvian Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis as its biometrics or similar security features in the performance of the on-ice officials in internatio- Hockey Federation has found an agreement new president. badge were among the topics discussed. nal and national play. to host two tournaments at the same time in Gangneung, the city where the coastal cluster Kalvitis, 50, is currently chairman of the natural “This is exactly what the Transfer of Knowle- AUSTRIA of the Olympics is located. gas company Latvijas Gaze. He’s a co-owner dge is about, to discuss, to exchange and to and was a board member of Latvian KHL team implement great ideas from these experts, on Gernot Mittendorfer was elected new pre- The 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Cham- Dinamo Riga. all areas incorporated within the realm of sport sident of the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation, pionship Division II Group A and the 2017 IIHF entities,” said IIHF Transfer of Knowledge Di- replacing Dr. Dieter Kalt, who served as presi- Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Di- He succeeds Kirovs Lipmans, who has hea- rector Cornelia Ljungberg. dent for 20 years. ded the federation for almost 20 years (1994- 1995, 1998-2016). “The security topic is a major concern for all Vice President Dr. Siegfried Ledolter also an- federations and event hosts. It goes without nounced his retirement after 20 years in office. During Lipmans’ tenure Latvia became an es- saying that the more we focus together on this tablished top-division nation and reached the topic the more we can all benefit and achieve “I am very pleased that we have received the top-8 at the World Championship three times the desired result.” confidence of the General Assembly to work and qualified four times for the Olympics inclu- the next four years for the development of ding an eighth-place finish in Sochi 2014. Du- IIHF the Austrian ice hockey,” said Mittendorfer in ring Lipmans’ era Latvia also hosted for the first his inaugural speech as the new president. time the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, 431 men and women were nominated to “We hope for a good collaboration between in 2006 in Riga. officiate at IIHF tournaments of the World the federation, leagues and clubs, so that we I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 4

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RICHIE DUNN JACK KIRRANE ber in Lone Tree near Denver where he was Obituaries living with his family after ending his career Richie Dunn played almost 500 NHL games Jack Kirrane was a two-time Olympian for in 2014. He was 34. He wore the national and represented the in the the United States and of the his- team jersey at the 2006 Olympics and at 1977 World Juniors, the 1981 toric 1960 gold-medal winning team. He the 2010 IIHF Ice Hockey World Champi- and the 1986 World Championship. He died also represented his country at the 1958 onship in Germany, and also played in one on 20 September, age 59. and 1963 World Championships. Kirrane U20 and one U18 World Championship. He passed away on 25 September at age 88. played 344 NHL games, most of them with MATTI HAGMAN the Colorado Avalanche. GEORGE KONIK Matti Hagman died on 11 October at age 61. George Konik passed away on 21 October at age 79 after a lengthy battle with Parkin- He was the first Finnish-born and -trained son’s disease. The Canadian-born player NHL player. He reached the fi- made the NHL when the league expanded WALTER BUSH nal with the and played for with the Penguins. After gaining the . He played in the 1976 American citizenship he represented the IIHF Life Member and Hall of Fame member Olympics, in four World Championships and United States in two World Championship Walter Bush passed away on 22 Septem- two Canada Cups. tournaments. ber at age 86. WILLIAM LOFQVIST He served on the IIHF Council for 22 years and was an IIHF Vice President until retiring Passed away on 23 October at age 69. A in 2008. former national team goalie for , Lofqvist won a medal every time he played VLADIMIR VACATKO Bush was President for USA Hockey for 17 internationally at the World Championships years. He was one of the driving forces be- in 1971, 1973 and 1976, and at the 1980 Passed away on 14 September at age 63. hind women’s hockey being accepted as a Olympics. Between 1976 and 1981 Vladimir Vacatko full medal sport for the 1998 Olympics in played for every World Championship for Nagano and creating the Women’s World MAREK SVATOS Germany and at the 1980 Olympics. He Championship in the early ‘90s. Bush is was among the best scorers in Germany also credited with successfully integrating Former Slovak national team and NHL play- and won national championships with Dus- inline hockey into the IIHF program. er Marek Svatos passed away on 5 Novem- seldorf and Rosenheim. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 5

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These and other topics will be discussed by the committee members, to make sure the athletes’ Vision for the future voice is represented within the IIHF.

New Council at Semi-Annual Congress “We have to listen to athletes about their con- cerns on food, accommodation, formats and By Martin Merk other topics. It’s our mission to listen to them. We have to promote hockey especially in the Delegates from most of the 77 IIHF mem- field of player safety,” he said. ber countries came together for the 2016 IIHF Semi-Annual Congress to discuss That’s a good buzzword as there will be a Pla- about the upcoming season but also about yer Safety Committee in place as well, with wide the future. representation by experts from different areas. Click here for a behind-the-scenes video from the 2016 IIHF Semi-Annual “It’s about rules, equipment, facilities, coa- Martin Merk Martin Congress interactive workshop The new IIHF Council has eight returning members as well as five new faces joining the federation’s executive body. ches. We will be working with all other com- mittees to get inputs,” said IIHF Vice President It was the first Congress for the IIHF Council “Asia is a big market of growth. We have more Next was IIHF Council member and former Bob Nicholson, who will chair the commit- that was newly elected for a four-year term in than 20 members but the standard of hockey is world-class goalie Vladislav Tretiak with the tee. “To recruit and retain players you need May. The International Ice Hockey Federation’s at a very different state in the various countries Athletes Committee. a safe game for top players, young girls and executive body wanted to use this opportunity and grows at different speeds. We work among boys. We need to have rules and an environ- to interact with the delegates in workshop ses- the countries but also with the entire hockey “We think about safety, about respect. Some ment in place to have the safest possible con- sions led by IIHF President René Fasel. world to get support from the bigger countries,” parents don’t want to send the players into ditions.” Wu said. the game because they’re afraid of injuries,” The new committees were also presented to said Tretiak, who expressed concerns with head Newly elected Council member Franz Reindl the delegates by their chairpersons and the de- Asked about the new KHL team in Beijing, Wu injuries, and with the position he used to play. will chair the Competition & Coordination Com- legates and guests had the opportunity to ask praised the initiative to bring that calibre of hoc- mittee where he has previously served as a questions and give their inputs. key to China and to make people interested in “Today we have very big who are member. As the title says it’s about competi- hockey. During the next winter, the Asian Winter up to two metres tall. We need to think about tions but also to coordinate the efforts with re- The session began with A, as in Asia. With the Games will also be on the list. 20 countries ex- changing the equipment or making the goals bi- presentatives from different stakeholders – IIHF, next two Olympic Winter Games in the Far East, pressed the interest to play with 20 men’s and gger. Nobody wants to see 0-0 games. We will national associations, leagues and clubs. the session started with the Asian Committee seven women’s team at the event in Sapporo, keep thinking about how to improve the game led by IIHF Vice President Thomas Wu. Japan. for the public,” he said. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 6

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“It’s more than 100 games for the best players, Michael McNamee is an expert in sport ethics it’s incredible,” the Olympic bronze medallist of and a professor at the University of Swansea in 1976 said. “We need to co-ordinate it. It’s ho- Great Britain. mework on one side but on the other side we have to bring people together on one table to “The principles of good governance, accounta- find solutions. To fulfil the mandate we need the bility, transparency and so forth are nowadays right people to do it and we need to listen. Then taken very seriously by international organiza- we can create something together. We have a tions,” he said and praised that “the IIHF doesn’t lot to talk and we have a lot to solve.” wait for a crisis but takes an active approach in topics like anti-doping, match fixing and player The IIHF goes a slightly different way for the safety.” Coaching Committee where Hockey Cana- da President and CEO will be Two newly elected Council members will co- the chairman. He’s not a Council member but chair the Officiating Committee withSergej his experience in this area is second to none Gontcharov from Belarus along with Marta working with grassroots program to top-level Zawadzka from Poland. hockey in Canada and having been a top-level coach with the Canadian men’s national team “One of the several tasks we have is to create a and NHL clubs until just a few years ago. library of educational resources also to encoura- ge young players to become referees and stay David Vollborth David “I see opportunities for ice hockey to do ex- René Fasel with IIHF Council members Luc Tardif and Franz Reindl and the 2017 IIHF World Championship mascots. in the family, grow the pool of female referees, ceptional things through our great game. The help also the smaller nations with their officia- leadership of coaches is very important in the talked in his speech about the immense develo- ber Beate Grupp and as an external person ting programs,” said Gontcharov. Zawadzka will children’s lives,” he said. pment in the last decades that can also be seen Michael McNamee. bring in valuable on-ice experience as a long-ti- in the World Championship program with many me referee and from the women’s hockey side. “Once we understand where people are in the new venues that have been built. “If you hear the word ethics, it’s not always asso- game of coaching development, then we can ciated with good thoughts,” Grupp said in refe- The Youth & Junior Development Committee think about what to do. In today’s world coa- “Getting new facilities is important not only to rence to other organizations making headlines. will be chaired by new Council member and ching couldn’t me more important in any sport. host championships but also the leave a legacy “When we sit here in four years we want to have former Czech national team goalie Petr Briza, It’s important for the lifestyle of people.” and help the local people,” he said. positive thoughts about ethics and integrity. It’s who recently led the successful 2015 IIHF Ice The Ethics and Integrity Committee has been educational, advisory instruments that will have Hockey World Championship organizing com- The Event and Evaluation Committee will be led newly established for the new four-year term a positive impact in our family. We will have a lot mittee and is the owner and chairman of Czech IIHF Vice President Kalervo Kummola, who and will be led by outgoing IIHF Council mem- of success and positive impact,” she said. club Sparta . I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 7

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“We want to help the development process, The Disciplinary Committee will continue with what happens at the clubs with the kids be- Gerhard Mosslang as an independent chair- tween 6 and 15,” Briza said. “During the last five man. “We have to deal with rule violations, an- years we have had 250,000 more players who ti-doping infractions and ethics and we need play around the globe, especially more fema- inputs from both sides, judges and players,” he le players. Everybody needs a long-term plan. said reflecting the tendency to get more former More players means better quality of hockey. players involved. Frank Gonzalez will continue We have to make the work right because mis- with the Facilities Working Group. takes we do now will be felt in 15 years.” “It is important to work with the countries and The growth of women’s hockey remains in focus also other committees such as the Asian Com- and the Women’s Committee will be co-chaired mittee with China having the ambition to build by the two female Council members, long-time 1,500 new ice rinks,” he said but mentions also Hungarian national team player Zsuzsanna other examples as regions of potential growth Kolbenheyer and Marta Zawadzka. such as South America and Turkey. “For new facilities it’s important not to do the same mis- “Women’s ice hockey is still one of the fastest takes that others experienced before.” growing female sports in the world and the de- velopment globally is very fast,” Kolbenheyer From left: Toni Rossi, Beate Grupp, Frank Gonzalez, and Christer Englund were recognized for their service with the Council. Like in the past Beate Grupp will be responsible said. “The North American countries are still far for Environmental & Social Activities. Her work in ahead and we need to support the other coun- role in the negotiation process of the new mar- next time to make changes to the IIHF Statutes the past terms included environmental initiatives tries to develop women’s hockey. It’s a special keting contract with Infront Sport & Media. & Bylaws, so the work is starting soon and the but also cooperation and promotion of sledge committee since it touches many aspects of membership can start thinking about proposals ice hockey. “There can be a lot of win-win si- hockey and other committees as well.” “It’s a fast-moving world and we want to be at for the period changes can be suggested next tuations for the federations not only money-wise the top,” he said about the current development. summer. when they think of the environment and social While many committees deal with core aspects “We want that people are following ice hockey aspects,” she said. of the sport there are also several committees every day.” IIHF Council member Luc Tardif will continue dealing with other important topics surrounding as Treasurer for the new four-year term and also After the committee structure has been determi- it. With Ron DeGregorio, a person with vast legal chair the Finance Committee while Henrik Bach ned, the composition of the various committees experience from USA Hockey will lead the Legal Nielsen will continue as chairman for the Medi- is being worked on. A kick-off meeting for the Kummola will chair the newly created TV/New Committee as well as the new IIHF Governance cal Committee. IIHF President René Fasel will committees is planned in Zurich in December. Media/Marketing Committee with his business Reform Group. He and IIHF General Secretary chair the Executive Committee and the Histori- The full list of committees and members background from television in and his Horst Lichtner outlined that in 2018 it will be the cal Committee. can be found on IIHF.com. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 8

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Since the first conference, held in 2001 in Vien- na, each successive ICCCS has been adapted Making sport safe and refined to the point where it now is the fore- most scientific conference in this field. Concussion conference held in Berlin A big advantage of the consensus conference is By Adam Steiss that it recognizes the inherent complexity of the concussion issue, and how often different con- The fight against concussions in sport has clusions drawn from past research can lead to been pushed to the center of the player an unguided, unorganized approach that fails to safety debate, not just in ice hockey but make real progress in protecting athletes from across the sporting world. injury.

With this in mind the IIHF, in cooperation with The ICCCS attendees are a “who’s who” of medical representatives from FIFA, the Inter- top medical professionals representing not only national Olympic Committee, World Rugby, Steiss Adam sports federations but also hospitals, medical and the International Federation for Equestrian IIHF Chief Medical Officer Mark Aubry addresses the 5th International Consensus Conference on Concussion in Sport. clinics, neuroscience research centers, interna- Sports (FEI) have worked to develop the Con- tional brain injury organizations, and some of the sensus Conference on Concussion in Sport the ICCCS is both a general mobilisation and “As a sports federation what we can do is to world’s foremost medical university programs. (ICCCS): a two-day conference bringing toge- a strategy meeting. The 5th ICCCS, held in late make special rules to protect our athletes and ther many of the world’s foremost experts on October, drew over 400 medical professionals players, in hockey we have players skating 45 The three major achievements of the ICCCS sport concussions. and scientists. kilometres per hour and weighing over 100 ki- have been the Pocket Concussion Assessment los, but we still need the research and evidence Tool (CRT), the Sport Concussion Assessment Click here to access the ICCCS website “This is by far the biggest one we’ve had,” said to back us up when we make rule changes.” Tool (currently in its third version known as Aubry. “You have all the leading experts in the said IIHF President René Fasel. SCAT3), and the Child Sport Concussion As- “This whole scientific meeting really brings sport field of sport concussions under one roof, either sessment Tool (Child-SCAT3). and science together, the science and experti- in the audience or among the expert panel.” The idea of a “consensus conference” – whe- se delivers the knowledge that we in sport can re the world’s top medical professionals would The Consensus Statement on Concussion in use, and our athletes can be the beneficiaries of Some of the attendees included leading figures gather to present new research and review and Sport from the 5th ICCCS in Berlin will be pu- our knowledge.” said IIHF Chief Medical Officer from the international sports world. IIHF Presi- discuss established practices – was determined blished in early 2017, and will appear in various Dr. Mark Aubry. dent René Fasel, World Rugby chairman Bill as the best approach. medical journals such as the British Journal of Beaumont, and FEI General Secretary Sabrina Sports Medicine. If the fight against concussions is a war, then Ibanez were on hand to greet the audience. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 9

IceTimes November 2016 / Vol. 20, No. 5 Around the globe NEW ZEALAND: Botany Bay One of the first events of the weekend took place Girl’s Weekend brings worldwide appeal in Botany near Auckland. It was one of several events as New Zealand joined the World Girls’ By Martin Merk Ice Hockey Weekend. 20 female players and 15 helpers were on the ice, among them women’s The 6th World Girls’ Ice Hoc- national team head coach Andreas Kaisser and key Weekend was kicked off several women’s national team players such as in New Zealand and even- Helen Murray, Ashley Cunningham and Tessa tually grew to include over Broadbent, and former men’s national team pla- 40 participating countries. yer Darren Blong.

There were several figure skaters and inline hoc- Here are some highlight events from the 2016 key players who wanted to try out ice hockey Girls’ Ice Hcokey Weekend, held 9-10 October. as well and girls and women from New Zealand The World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend has served as a point of introduction for ice hockey to young women since 2011. and abroad who wanted to get involved with the AUSTRALIA: Brisbane sport in the Auckland region. “I believe the World Girls’ Ice Hockey weekend CHINESE TAIPEI: Taipei City Ice Hockey Queensland hosted one of four opens the eyes of many of just how many girls The participants already met at 9:30 in the mor- World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend events in Aca- and women are interested in playing ice hockey. Chinese Taipei was one of the newest IIHF ning to get the gear and warm up before being cia Ridge in the Brisbane region together with Many were asking when we can do it again, just members to join the World Girls’ Ice Hockey split into small groups to learn simple drills. Four the local women’s hockey team Goannas, who for girls of course,” said Lee Brown, Women’s Weekend and it did so with around 60 partici- were goalies who practiced with goalie coach helped with their coaches and players, and the Director of Ice Hockey Queensland. pants on the ice under the slogan “come and and Vice President of the Auckland Ice Hockey club Southern Stars providing the ice time and have fun”. Association, Paul Taillon. At the end of the ses- equipment for the beginners. The community “The best part of this day is the smiles you see sions the girls played 4-on-4 cross-ice games. replied well with 47 participants. After getting and the laughter you hear amongst the girls as It’s an important season for the Taiwanese sin- their equipment the new players had one hour they are enjoying being part of a great event. ce Chinese Taipei will compete in the IIHF Ice “The participants I spoke to all really enjoyed it – for skating drills various stations which included Can’t wait for next year!” Hockey World Championship program not an- ‘It was great fun’ was the comment most made,” passing, shooting, puck handling and an obsta- ymore in one but in four categories including for said Philippa Kaisser, the New Zealand Ice Hoc- cle course, which produced lots of smiles and the first time with the women’s national team. key Federation’s U18 women’s team manager, laughing from all ages. Click here for a video from Taipei City who was happy about the involvement of the I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 10

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the local women’s team, and a professional “The participants enjoyed it a lot and would love On that day it was the next generation on the player from the local men’s team, Roman Pfen- to participate in ice hockey events more often,” ice with 74 girls between 6 and 12 years of age. nings with more players and staff helping off the said Leo Kan of the Hong Kong Ice Hockey As- It was a great and long afternoon for them. First ice. sociation. “I think the event really helps to pro- they heard first-hand what former Olympians mote the sport of ice hockey to females in Hong told them about the sport and about dreams The help started first in the locker room because Kong as we don’t have that many girls or wo- when they were at that age. The message was: for many it was the first time they tried hockey men playing the sport in Hong Kong right now.” never give up chasing your dream. equipment. After getting ready for the session they hit the ice for two hours in different groups After that the girls eventually hit the ice themsel- to try out several exercises and in the end play ves for a warm-up and a two-hour session to a game. try hockey. local community as the Auckland Council paid “The feedback was very positive from the gir- “Many of participants have never experienced for the ice time and is keen to promote girls pla- ls, helpers and family and friends joining the ice hockey before and it was a very interesting ying sports. girls was very positive,” said Nassi. “Two gir- sport for them compared to other sports they ls join the senior team for a tryout and seve- had played. Parents said that this event provi- “I hope that by offering this event, we will get ral girls will join practices at the youth teams.” ded a good option to choose the best sport for more girls playing our awesome sport,” Kaisser their girls,” said Toshi Takahashi of the Japan Ice said. HONG KONG: Hong Kong Hockey Federation.

GERMANY: Frankfurt 40 participants from 6 to 43 years old joined “It has a big impact for us and also our spon- the World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend in Hong sors and partners. It’s great to see the chil- The first of two World Girls’ Ice Hockey Wee- Kong, annually organized at Mega Ice, a full-size JAPAN: Yokohama dren’s smile while they tried ice hockey. They kend events in Germany took place in Frankfurt. rink in a shopping mall. showed us that it’s a fun sport. We hope to 44 participants came starting a four years and The Japan Ice Hockey Federation organized its expand the event in the future to have it or- ending at over 30-year-olds. Two hours of ice time were reserved for all girls World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend at the Shin- ganized nationwide by local associations.” and women interested in trying the sport, with yokohama Skate Center. Seven people helped them including former eight players of the women’s national team hel- POLAND: Katowice national team player Franziska Busch from the ping out. After getting the equipment, the parti- The venue in Yokohama has a good history for German Ice Hockey Association, persons from cipants were split into two groups for beginners women’s hockey as the national team qualified One of the traditional hockey cities in Poland, the local skating school, coaches from the junior and advanced skaters. for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games there. Katowice for the first time hosted a World Girls’ club, organizer Siamak Nassi, who’s coaching Ice Hockey Weekend event and 50 participants I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 11

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sport they love and how it works. We will organi- Arab Emirates trying the coolest sport on earth ze such an event more often than once a year,” in the heat of the Arab peninsula. said Anna Rehlich, the President of the club. “They were all happy to have this event and are SOUTH AFRICA: Port Elizabeth excited to do it every year. It was interesting to organize the event in a friendly atmosphere,” South Africa: land of safari, surf... and a bur- said Maher Dahoud, Assistant Sport Director of geoning hockey scene. The 2016 World Gir- the Abu Dhabi Ice Sports Club. “It was a great ls’ Ice Hockey Weekend saw more events event to raise awareness for ice hockey for wo- than ever in the country, with youngsters ta- men, to develop women’s ice hockey in the king to the ice in Cape Town, Durban, Port region and also for social communication be- came. Mostly it was girls and young ladies be- Elizabeth, Erasmia and Amanzimtoti. New tween cultures.” tween 5 and 18 years of age but some of the rinks and new teams are helping to deve- mothers tried ice hockey as well at the Jantor lop the game in one of its remotest outposts. UNITED STATES: Chaska ice rink where the hockey club Kojotki Naprzod With ice hockey back in Port Elizabeth thanks “We loved the idea [of the World Girls’ Ice Hoc- Janow organized the event. to a new rink, the 43 participants coming to the key Weekend]. All the boys are jealous and want The Chaska Chanhassen Hockey Association World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend were all new a similar event,” said Carine van Eck of the Eas- in Minnesota hosted a World Girls’ Ice Hockey The girls worked on hockey exercises, were to the sport and many were even on the ice for tern Province Ice Hockey Association. Weekend event with 60 girls at the ages 5-18. presented the situation of girls’ and women’s ice the first time in their lives in the group with ages They were kept busy for six hours. Off the ice hockey in Katowice and had a two-and-a-half- from 5 to 54 years. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Abu Dhabi with yoga, stick handling, strength and agility hour ice session. class, hockey craft, lunch and guest speakers After meeting in the Saturday morning the par- As part of the World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend, including four-time Olympian Jenny Potter, and The girls had the chance to wear the jer- ticipants had a 90-minute ice session with se- the Abu Dhabi Ice Sports Club organized a wo- on the ice with a 45-minute fun skate event and sey of the Polish national team, end veral exercises. In the evening the senior team men’s hockey game at Zayed Sports City in 45 minutes of cross-ice games. watch the senior women’s hockey lea- also had a game that was attended by some of Abu Dhabi between two women’s teams from gue game between Kojotki and Atomowki. the new players interested in joining the club. On different emirates, the local Abu Dhabi Storms “There were lots of smiles and positive feedback Sunday morning the weekend at the Baywest and the Dubai Gazelles, which the local team from parents. The event we held today provided “Everybody was delighted to have the opportu- Ice Rink continued with a second ice session won 13-1. an environment for the girls to get to know each nity to take part in such an event. The reacted we for the new participants, who in the end got their other better, try new things, encourage new heard most often reaction was: ‘It’s not enough. certificates. It was a women’s hockey clash between emi- participants to join our association. We hope We want more!’ The girls had an opportunity to rates and also cultural mix of local players and this event helped to grow our program and help show their mothers, sisters, friends what kind of expats from other countries living in the United to retain current participants,” said Keri Mack. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 12

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World Cup Reborn A game-by-game recap of the tournament’s return

By Andrew Podnieks

September 2016 marked a memorable revival of the in Toronto. Ice Times takes a quick rundown through the tournament. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 13

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It was a 12-year wait, but Sept. 17 Canada 6- 0 the delight of a raucous crowd. Captain Con- rrage, scoring four times in six minutes in the when the NHL and NHLPA Goalie might have posted the shu- nor McDavid, 2016 1st overall pick Auston Ma- second period. The young guns, however, revived the World Cup, it tout, but it was the brilliant play of captain Sid- tthews, , and the rest of the young mounted a ferocious comeback late in the third brought together the best ney Crosby that carried Canada to victory. He players skated fast and furious all night, leaving and hit the post on a game-tying shot. It was a players from the NHL. had a and two assists and was the best an inexperienced Finland team looking the les- thrilling mix of skill and speed by both teams. player on ice by far. ser of the two teams by a wide margin.

Eight teams played a total of 16 games at the Sept. 19 Europe 3-Czech Republic 2 Air Canada Centre in Toronto, creating memo- Team Europe was under the radar no more. After ries that have become part of hockey’s history. ’s goal on a breakaway, the all-star team was now 2-0 and the Czechs 0-2. Europe led 1-0 and 2-1 and deserved the win, which gave them a clear edge on a semi-fi- nals spot, unthinkable even a week earlier. Minas Panagiotakis / World Cup of Hockey-Getty Images

Andre Ringuette / World Cup of Hockey-Getty Images Sept. 20 Canada 4-United States 2 The pre-game hype was relentless, but in the Sept. 18 Sweden 2- 1 end Canada’s win eliminated the U.S. from the Day Two of the World Cup started with Jacob playoffs and left its southerly neighbours with a Markstrom earning a surprise start in goal for disappointing 0-2 record. had Andre Ringuette / World Cup of Hockey-Getty Images Sweden, but thanks only to illness befalling two goals for the winners, who were simply fas- Sept. 17 Europe 3-United States 0 . No matter. Tre Kronor played ter and more skilled that their gritty opponents. Jaroslav Halak stopped 35 shots and Marian a near flawless game, allowing a last-minute Gaborik opened the scoring with what turned goal from Alex Ovechkin to break Markstrom’s Minas Panagiotakis / World Cup of Hockey-Getty Images Sept. 20 Sweden 2-Finland 0 out to be the game-winning goal as Team Euro- shutout bid. Lundqvist was back in goal, stopping 36 shots pe topped the Americans in the opening game. Sept. 19 Russia 4-North America 3 and looking brilliant in Tre Kronor’s 2-0 win over It was a result that foreshadowed events to Sept. 18 North America 4-Finland 1 In traditional Russian fashion, the team took a arch-rivals Finland. The loss more or less elimi- come for both teams. The speedy kids ripped into their opponents to close game and blew it open with a quick ba- nated the Finns from playoff contention. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 14

IceTimes November 2016 / Vol. 20, No. 5

Sept. 21 Canada 4-Europe 1 Sept. 22 Czech Rep. 4 - United States 3 This time it was who starred for No one could have known before the tourna- Canada, scoring twice and adding an assist in ment that this game would not have meaning, a convincing win that presaged the champions- but both teams were already eliminated by the hip finals. Europe looked outclassed much of time the opening faceoff occurred. Still, the loss the time, but this was a situation coach Ralph left the U.S. at 0-3, and the Czechs salvaged Krueger would soon remedy. their only win of the World Cup round robin.

Sept. 21 North America 4 - Sweden 3 Sept. 22 Russia 3 - Finland 0 Possibly the most entertaining game of the tour- As in its previous game, the Russians used a nament, the North Americans were ahead 2-0 mid-game outburst to secure victory, this time before the game was five minutes old. Swedish scoring two quick goals in the second to break experience rode the wave, and after 60 minutes a 0-0 tie. The loss sent Suomi home with an 0-3 Denis Pajot / World Cup of Hockey-Getty Images it was 3-3. Nathan MacKinnon displayed brea- record and lifted the Russians into the playoffs. Sept. 27 Canada 3 - Europe 1 thtaking hands in close to beat Lundqvist with The first game of the finals went as predic- the OT winner, but it wasn’t enough to get the Sept. 24 Canada 5 - Russia 3 ted, but the result was anything but quickly young guns into the playoffs. They were elimi- rose to the occasion against assured. Still, Sidney Crosby’s line was the nated but left the World Cup having acquired Alex Ovechkin and the Russians. Tied 2-2 af- best, as it had been all tournament. Crosby many admirers along the way. ter 40 minutes, Canada stunned its opponents made great passes to both with the only three goals of the third. Crosby and for goals in the vic- was brilliant, scoring one goal and assisting on tory. two others. Sept. 29 Canada 2 - Europe 1 Sept. 25 Europe 3 - Sweden 2 Europe coach said after the Team Europe did the unthinkable. In a back- game he made more than 75 adjustments and-forth game, Tomas Tatar’s second goal to his team’s strategy for game two of the fi- of the game in overtime launched the hybrid nals. It almost worked. Nonetheless, a Brad group into the World Cup finals at the expense Marchand goal set up by captain and MVP of a shocked Sweden. The Swedes scored first Crosby with only 43.1 seconds remaining in but found themselves trailing late in the game, the third period lifted Canada to its second but after tying it with fewer than five minutes re- straight World Cup victory. maining in regulation they couldn’t finish in OT. Vaughn Ridley / World Cup of Hockey-Getty Images I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 15

IceTimes November 2016 / Vol. 20, No. 5

The Olympic table is set Germany, , Slovenia heading to PyeongChang 2018

By Martin Merk, Risto Pakarinen, and Henrik Manninen

The Men’s Final Olympic Qualification Round ended with a bang, as all three tournaments were decided on the final day. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 16

IceTimes November 2016 / Vol. 20, No. 5

Germany, Norway, and in PyeongChang 2018 after beating Latvia 3-2 Tom Kuhnhackl scored the game winner with Norway’s big hero was Mattias Norstebo who Slovenia each won their in the deciding game of Group E. just over five minutes left in the game, winning scored the game-winner with 2:29 remaining in groups, earing the right to the Olympic berth for Germany, the country’s the game. advance to the 2018 Winter The Germans were able to achieve a remarka- first appearance since Vancouver 2010. Olympics in PyeongChang, ble victory, beating the Latvians in front 10,035 “This is one of the best wins in my career, for Korea. fans at the Arena Riga, a tall order on any day. Norway returns to Games sure. It’s an unbelievable feeling. I grew up down here and this was probably my last game at this Click here for video highlights Germany held an 8-1-3 record against Latvia at Norway was the only host country that won its rink so it’s a little emotional,” said Mats Zuccare- World Championships and Olympics, winning Final Olympic Qualification group. They will play llo, who scored Norway’s first goal in the game. Germany qualifies in Riga the last three encounters between 2013 and in the 2018 Olympics thanks to their 2-1 win over 2015. Fresh off back-to-back shutouts of Japan France on the final day in the Norwegian capital “Playing in the Olympics is the biggest thing you After missing out on Sochi 2014, the German and Austria, Germany had a few reasons to feel city of Oslo. can do with your national team, so to qualify men’s national team will return to the Olympics confident. there is amazing,” he added.

Arve Bjerasholmen / Foto Norden Tom Kuhnhackl (right) scoring the game-winning goal against Latvia to send Germany to the 2018 Olympic Games. Jelena Levsina Mattias Norstebo (on left) reacts after winning the Final Olympic Qualification Group F and a trip to PyeongChang 2018. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 17

IceTimes November 2016 / Vol. 20, No. 5

Super Slovenia back among elites Olympic groups confirmed KOREA 2018 MEN’S SEEDING Rok Ticar silenced the home crowd in Minsk The groups for the Olympic men’s ice hockey GROUP A GROUP B GROUP C with a hat trick against Belarus, his game win- tournament in PyeongChang 2018 have now Canada Russia Sweden ning shot sending Slovenia to Pyeong- been determined as Norway, Germany and Slo- Czech Republic USA Finland Chang 2018, the second consecutive Olympics venia won the qualification tournaments. Norway for the tiny ice hockey nation. The seeding was already done one year ago Korea Slovenia Germany “We have once been at the Olympics and said based on the 2015 IIHF Men’s World Ranking Dates: 09 - 25.02.2018 before the game that if we give everything then with the top-8 countries and host Korea already we can at least look at ourselves in the mirror slotted in. afterwards, so we kept battling because the pri- ze is unbelievable,” said Ticar, who scored all of Norway was the only host country that won its Slovenia’s goals in the final game, a 3-2 shoo- Final Olympic Qualification group thanks to a tout win against the favoured Belarusians. late game-winner from Mattias Norstebo in the 2-1 victory over France. “The character of this team is indescribable. I think our guys are so passionate to play for our Germany ended the Latvian streak of three con- country and every time we come together we secutive tournament wins in the Final Olympic believe we can win and I think that is one of the Qualification on home ice (for 2006, 2010 and biggest reasons why we did end up winning to- 2014). Both teams will be seeded in the same night,” said star forward Anze Kopitar. group with Sweden and Finland in Pyeong- Chang. In 2013 Nik Zupancic was assistant coach when Slovenia qualified for Sochi 2014, and will return Slovenia, which surprisingly qualified for Sochi to the Games as head coach of the team. 2014 and even reached the quarter-finals, will be back for more in 2018. The Slovenes will be see- “We grew as a team during the tournament and ded with Russia, the United States and Slovakia this is huge for our team to come from such in Group B in PyeongChang. Group A inclu-

a small country and once again qualify for the des defending Olympic champion Canada, the Andrei Pokumeiko Olympics,” said Zupancic. Czech Republic, Switzerland and host Korea. In the final game Slovenia went up 2-0 then held off a Belarusian comeback attempt to come through 3-2 in a shootout. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 18

IceTimes November 2016 / Vol. 20, No. 5 Third round up next Tychy does it again Like one year ago GKS Tychy won its se- 2017 Continental Cup rolls on cond-round tournament of the Continental Cup on home ice. Now the Polish team hopes to By Martin Merk make the final round again.

The IIHF Continental Cup’s Overcoming the first hurdle wasn’t easy for the 20th anniversary party mo- runner-up from the Polish league. After blanking ves on to the Third Round, Romanian champion Dunarea Galati 12-0 on the following big wins by the opening day including hat tricks from Adam Ba- Nottingham Panthers and ginski and Mateusz Bepierszcz they struggled GKS Tychy in Round 2. in the second game against Acroni Jesenice, needing an OT winner from Marjan Manfreda. The Nottingham Panthers entered Group B in Jaca as favourites and they ended up as win- The loss put the tournament hosts in a difficult ners. A 28-4 goal record in three games clearly position. Hungarian champion DVTK Jeges- spoke in their favour. The first game featured a medvek Miskolc, which just needed a win or 13-2 roll over tournament hosts CH Jaca. Brad a regulation-time tie against Tychy to advance Moran scored two goals and had four points. while the Polish hosts needed a regulation-time David Clarke and Robert MacMillan also netted win to move back to first place.

the puck twice in front of 800 spectators at the Miguel Ramon Henares, Michal Giel small rink in the Aragonese city. Great Britain and Poland will both have a club representing them in the Third Round of the 2017 IIHF Continental Cup. Tied 2-2 the Poles eventually turned op the offen- ce in the third period, putting up three unanswe- The Panthers continued with a 12-1 victory The finale came against Latvian champion HK The Panthers now advance to the next round red goals in front of 2,650 fans for the 5-2 win against Zeytinburnu Istanbul after generating 80 Liepaja. The game was tense and Liepaja had where they will battle for a spot in the final tour- and the right to advance to the third round. shots on goal of the Turkish champion. Nine di- a 38-29 shot-on-goal advantage against No- nament against Danish host Odense Bulldogs, fferent players scored for the Englishmen inclu- ttingham, but Matthew Carter capitalized with the Angers Ducs from France and Ukrainian In the next round GKS Tychy will travel to Italian ding Alexander Nikiforuk, Matthew Carter and a goal during the Panthers’ only power play of champion HC Donbass from 18 to 20 Novem- champion Ritten Sport. The other teams in the Erik Lindhagen each having a pair of goals. the second period to make it a 3-1 lead with 16 ber. group from 18 to 20 November will be Shakht- seconds left in the second period. The score yor Soligorsk from Belarus and Kazakh cham- remained until the final buzzer. pion Beibarys Atyrau. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 19

IceTimes November 2016 / Vol. 20, No. 5 Gallery Minas Panagiotakis / World Cup of Hockey-Getty Images After helping their country qualify for the 2018 Olympic Games, German forwards Leon Draisaitl and played together with Team Europe at the World Cup. World Cup of Hockey-Getty Images World Cup of Hockey-Getty Images Andre Ringuette / Andre Ringuette / Fredrik Olastuen Fredrik From left: NHL Deputy Commisioner Bill Daly and NHLPA executive award the trophy to Sidney Crosby. Team North America’s Nathan MacKinnon scored one of the nicest goals of the 2016 World Cup, coming in overtime against Sweden’s Henrik Lundqvist. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 20

IceTimes November 2016 / Vol. 20, No. 5 Miguel Ramon Henaress The Nottingham Panthers pose together for a team photo in Jaca, Spain after the second round of the Continental Cup. Jelena Levsina Michal Giel Tom Kuhnhackl celebrates a goal as Germany defeated Latvia in Riga on the last day of the Final Olympic Qualification. GKS Tychy salutes the crowd after the Polish club earned the right to advance in the Continental Cup by winning Group C. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 21

IceTimes November 2016 / Vol. 20, No. 5

one’s minds, so there were no expectations. Living the moment The results didn’t matter to me, but it made the players more proud, more determined, Team Europe’s Ralph Krueger reflects on and with so many players coming direct- World Cup success ly from Olympic qualification in Europe, they were battle ready. By Andrew Podnieks Of course, with Team Europe and Team The World Cup of Hockey was the high- North America this was not a typi- light of the ice hockey schedule this past cal tournament. Is that good or bad? September. It was great. In the end, I think we represented Six countries and two “all-star teams” compet- ALL countries, not just those whose players ed at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, and for- were on our team. mer Swiss national coach Ralph Krueger was named head coach of Team Europe, an amal- We also represented countries like Belarus gam of players from countries not represented and Latvia because who knows what players in the World Cup. from what nations will be on the team next time?

Krueger did what many thought was impossi- Minas Panagiotakis / World Cup of Hockey-Getty Images ble, taking this hodge-podge group of talented A former coach of the Swiss national team for over a decade, Ralph Krueger was the ideal choice to lead Team Europe. What was the most satisfying aspect of players to the best-of-thee finals, where they lost the format? to Canada. Krueger recently reflected on this coaching this was the perfect project for me. gether to achieve what we did. It’s something experience. I’ll never forget. It gave players from smaller countries the op- The structure of the group was designed by portunity to play in a tournament they would How did you become involved in the me, but everyone was involved in the selec- You lost your first two exhibition games otherwise never have played in. Never. 2016 World Cup of Hockey and what tion of the players. I was getting reports ev- to North America by scores of 4-0 and was the process of building the team? ery day from Miro Satan, Sean Burke, Lorne 7-4. How did you bounce back so com- Players were turning to me on the bench and Henning, Vaclav Nedomansky, , pletely in the coming days? saying, ‘We’re beating the U.S.!’ Or, ‘We’re I got a call from Franz Reindl in September Rick Olczyk. It was a great effort. We had beating the Czechs!’ They had never had that 2015, and I immediately said let’s do it. It was three teams—the coaches, the staff, the play- In retrospect, it was great for us for a lot of happen. It was incredible. Guys like Kopitar interesting, challenging, and after 25 years of ers—and we all worked together and grew to- reasons. It made us the 8th team in every- and Nielsen and Zuccarello were ecstatic. I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 22

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You must have also felt something simi- Canada won both games of the finals— lar. After all, when you coached the Swiss an expected result, for sure—but games team you could never hope to beat the were much closer than expected. How do top six nations. you feel about those games in retrospect?

Absolutely. As an international coach for 25 We had more puck possession than Canada, years, four Olympics, 12 World Champion- more offensive-zone time than they did. We ships, this experience resonates with me. We had a general team philosophy, but we adapt- beat Sweden—I had never done that—the ed every day based on our circumstances. I U.S. and Czechs. For me, personally, it was was in pain after losing. I thought we deserved a special experience, for sure. This was defi- more. I’m not saying we should have won, but nitely not a Swiss team. We never had the we deserved more. But the depth of Canada number of great players Team Europe had, so is special. No one has that depth, the options we always had to adopt a game plan based at every position, the skill. No one. on the players and play a certain way, not the other way around as we did here. Fact Before the tournament many people felt you would be fodder. What does it mean File: to take the team to the finals? Ralph Krueger The Team Europe results proved it was the Head Coach, perfect format. We proved we could play Team Europe against all of the top teams. We weren’t THAT good, but we were plenty good. Any of the n Born: 31 August 1959 (age 57) eight teams could have won. We’re proud that , Canada we proved we belonged. We created a lot of n Coached Swiss national team at excitement, and if there are 10-year-old kids 12 World Championships and three who dream of playing because of us, that’s Olympic Games (2002, 2006, 2010) great. There is no way the World Cup can n Chairman of Southampton football replace the Olympics. Ever. But I believe our club since 2014 success means we should be back. n Son Justin plays for SC Bern and German national team I Welcome I Bulletin I IIHF I Competition I Results I Gallery I Interview I i I 23

IceTimes November 2016 / Vol. 20, No. 5 Coming Partners up 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World IIHF Continental Cup CANADA, Montreal and Toronto Championship Division I Group A Third round 26.12.2016 - 05.01.2017 GERMANY, Bremerhaven Group D Suppliers 11.12.2016 - 17.12.2016 , Odense Women’s Olympic Qualification 18.11.2016 - 20.11.2016 Preliminary Round 3 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Group E Championship Division I Group B IIHF Continental Cup FRANCE, Cergy-Pontoise HUNGARY, Budapest Third round 15.12.2016 - 18.12.2016 11.12.2016 - 17.12.2016 Group E ITALY, Ritten Women’s Olympic Qualification 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World 18.11.2016 - 20.11.2016 Preliminary Round 3 Championship Division II Group A Group F ESTONIA, Tallinn NORWAY, Stavanger 11.12.2016 - 17.12.2016 16.12.2016 - 18.12.2016 Click here for full IIHF Calendar of Events

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