1967
Again 24 participants this year: AUS, AUT, BEL, CAN, CZE, FIN, FRA, FRG, GBR, GDR, HUN, ITA, JAP, MGL, NED, NOR, NZL, POL, PRK, ROM, SWE, SWI, URS, USA. Thus we need a preliminary round of 8 matches. The surviving quarter-finalists from last year, ITA, NED, FIN, NOR, JAP, URS and USA, are exempt. The draw is: AUT-GDR, HUN-GBR, POL-FRA, CAN-ROM, CZE-FRG, AUS-NZL, PRK-BEL, MGL-SWE. The matches:
Austria-East Germany 3.5-6.5
Hungary-Britain 10-0
Poland-France 2.5-7.5
Canada-Romania 10-0
Czechoslovakia-West Germany 0-10
Australia-New Zealand 4-5, pretty close!
North Korea-Belgium 4-5
Mongolia-Sweden 0-10
The first round proper then consists of: BEL, CAN, FIN, FRA, FRG, GDR, HUN, ITA, JAP, NED, NOR, NZL, SWE, SWI, URS, USA. The semi-finalists from last year, URS, NED, NOR and JAP, are seeded and cannot be drawn against each other. The draw: ITA-SWI, SWE-URS, USA-HUN, GDR-NZL, FIN-FRA, JAP-FRG, NED-CAN, BEL-NOR. The matches proceed as follows:
Italy-Switzerland 7-2
Sweden-USSR 0-10, again!
USA-Hungary 6-4
East Germany-New Zealand 10-0
Finland-France 6-4
Japan-West Germany 4-6
Netherlands-Canada 10-0, consistent poor draws for the Canadians
Belgium-Norway 0-10
The quarter-final consists of: FIN, FRG, GDR, ITA, NED, NOR, URS, USA. The finalists from last year, URS and NOR, are seeded and cannot be drawn against each other. The draw is as follows: FRG-NED, URS-ITA, NOR-USA, FIN-GDR. Results of the matches:
West Germany-Netherlands 1-9
USSR-Italy 10-0
Norway-USA 7-3
Finland-East Germany 8-2
Semi-final draw: NOR-NED, URS-FIN. Matches:
Norway-Netherlands 1-9, massacred
USSR-Finland 8-2
Bronze final: Norway-Finland 7-3
FINAL: Netherlands-USSR
45,8 - 45,7 (0-1) 1.32,0 - 1.33,4 (1-1) 2.22,1 - 2.23,9 (2-1) 4.55,7 - 5.05,9 (3-1) 40,7 - 39,7 (3-2) 1.20,6 - 1.22,9 (4-2) 2.03,9 - 2.05,6 (5-2) 4.18,4 - 4.27,7 (6-2) 7.26,6 - 7.38,7 (7-2) 15.35,2 -15.50,8 (8-2)
Final result 8-2. Demolition job, and Russia’s first defeat since 1950.
Statistics:
NOR GOLD 45x URS GOLD 21x FIN GOLD 4x NED GOLD 3x SWE GOLD 2x AUT Silver 4x FRG Silver 2x HUN Silver 2x JAP Silver 2x CZE Silver 1955 USA Silver 1964 CHN Silver 1965 CAN bronze 1897 LAT bronze 1940 GBR bronze 1949 PRK bronze 1963 SWI 4th 3x POL 4th 2x FRA 4th 2x DEN 4th 1912 ITA 4th 1945 BEL 4th 1946 GDR 4th 1964 EST QF 5x LIT QF 1927 KOR QF 1949 ROM 1R 8x AUS 1R 7x MGL 1R 2x NZL 1R 1967 ICE PR 2x RSA PR 2x COL PR 1933 ESP PR 1957