100 Top Stories of the Century

About the 100 Top Stories

As part of the IIHF's 100th anniversary celebrations, www.IIHF.com is featuring the 100 top international hockey stories from the past century (1908-2008). Starting now and continuing through the 2008 IIHF World Championships in Canada, we will bring you approximately three stories a week counting down from Number 100 to Number 11.

 

The Final Top 10 Countdown will be one of the highlights of the IIHF's Centennial Gala Evening in Quebec City on May 17, the day prior to the Gold Medal Game of the 2008 World Championship.

 

These are the criteria for inclusion on this list: First, the story has to have had a considerable influence on international hockey. Second, it has to have had either a major immediate impact or a long-lasting significance on the game. Third, although it doesn't necessarily have to be about top players, the story does have to pertain to the highest level of play, notably Olympics, World Championships, and the like. The story can be about a single moment — a goal, a great save, a referee's call — or about an historic event of longer duration — a game, series, tournament, or rule change.

 

Stories 1-9

1

Miracle on Ice 

2

"Henderson has scored for Canada!" 

3

Soviets shock Canada in Summit Series opener 

4

Soviets hammer Canada, win gold at their first Worlds 

5

1972 – Soviet streak of nine straight World golds ends 

6

First Canada Cup opens up the hockey world 

7

NHL takes break and releases players for 1998 Olympics 

8

Sweden’s unique double, Olympics & Worlds 

9

Mighty Soviets beat hosts 8-1 to win Canada Cup

 

 

Stories 10-19

10

Czech Republic wins first “open” Olympics

11

Canada wins Olympic gold for first time in 50 years

12

Hasek thwarts all five Canadian gunners in epic shootout

13

After a seven-year absence, Canada returns to the Worlds

14

“Foppa” – The goal, the gold, the stamp

15

Great Britain wins Olympic gold

16

USA's original but unheralded "Miracle on Ice"

17

Protesting amateur rules, Canada leaves international hockey

18

Two games Czechoslovakia simply couldn’t lose

19

IIHF allows bodychecking in all three zones

 

 

Stories 20-29

20

Canada Cup '87 – 99 & 66 perform pure magic

21

Ice Hockey debuts at the Olympics

22

Bondra’s bomb Slovakia's biggest thing since independence

23

Montreal and CSKA play an epic 3-3 game on New Year’s Eve

24

IIHF rules spotlighted at 2002 Olympics, later adopted by NHL

25

Soviet Union win its first Olympics, starting a new hockey era

26

Tupu, Hupu & Lupu take Finland to the top of the World

27

Dropping red-line, allowing two-line pass changes the Game

28

Vladimir Kopat bounces Sweden from the 2002 Olympics

29

Vienna court decides the 1987 Worlds medal race

 

 

Stories 30-39

30

Borje Salming becomes the first European superstar

31

Zebras told to crackdown — once and for all

32

Sundin’s marvellous goal ends Soviet Union’s hockey era

33

Women enter Olympics – USA hands Canada first loss

34

The Piestany fiasco – Soviet Union and Canada disqualified

35

Swedish 'Mirakel' bumps USA from gold-medal game

36

Soviets embarrass NHL All Stars to win Challenge Cup

37

Given no options, goaltending icon Tretiak retires at 32

38

USA wins 1996 World Cup of Hockey

39

Poland scores shocker in World Championship history

 

 

Stories 40-49

40

Finally, Canada to host the World Championship

41

Carter’s “video goal” – the most dramatic Worlds finale ever

42

Breakup of old Europe creates a new hockey world

43

Bossy’s OT goal in Canada Cup ends Soviet’s 4-year streak

44

Amid turmoil, Sweden wins first gold after 25 years

45

Canada wins first World Championship in 33 years

46

Hockey escape of the century – Stastnys land in Quebec

47

IIHF starts the World Women's Championship

48

Czechoslovakian team jailed for treason – generation lost

49

NHL-lockout floods European leagues with 388 players

 

 

Stories 50-59

50

LIHG (precursor to IIHF) formed by four members

51

First non-North Americans win Stanley Cup

52

USA’s women stop Canada’s quest for a nine-in-a-row

53

Harry Watson scores at will in Olympics

54

Vezina Trophy winner Pelle Lindbergh dies in car crash

55

Tretiak first player to be inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame

56

Orr first Canada Cup MVP after playing on one good leg

57

Tre Kronor’s win over Canada becomes sports lore in Sweden

58

Raimo Helminen, 38, dresses for a sixth Olympics

59

Team with no name wins Olympic gold

 

 

Stories 60-69

60

Mats Sundin, the first European number one draft

61

Sweden stages biggest World Championship comeback

62

Soviets’ revenge for Lake Placid – 13-1 over Sweden

63

Alexander Mogilny becomes the first Soviet NHL-defector

64

Moravec’s OT winner cements Czech dominance

65

Igor Larionov openly revolts against coach, system

66

Trail Smoke Eaters' gold ends hockey's amateur era

67

The perfect game against the best team: CSSR-USSR 7-2

68

Victoria Cup introduced—NHL clubs to face Euro rivals

69

Andy Murray wins third gold medal, joins the legends

 

 

Stories 70-79

70

Swede Ulf Sterner - the first European in the NHL

71

Worlds final in front of 50,000 fans at soccer stadium

72

Reporter reveals that Samuelsson is not a Swede in Nagano

73

Star-studded Russia ends up 11th at home in 2000

74

Only 18, Crosby wins scoring crown at the 2006 Worlds

75

Peter Stastny, 39, promotes Slovakia to the A-pool

76

Priakhin becomes the first legal Soviet NHL player

77

Just separated, Czechs and Slovaks meet in 2000 final

78

USA wins its first and so far only Worlds

79

Scotty Bowman forms NHL's first-ever "Russian five"

 

 

Stories 80-89

80

WHA recruits Euros, changing the North American game

81

Czechoslovkia snaps Soviets' six-year unbeaten streak

82

United States sends two teams to 1948 Olympics

83

Drolet - first women to score two OT goals for gold

84

A Swiss village sees the dawn of international hockey

85

Wimbledon. World Championship. Drobny wins both!

86

Wayne Gretzky heads south to play for Los Angeles

87

Paul di Pietro tops his native country at the Olympics

88

Denmark sends USA to relegation round at 2003 Worlds

89

Finally a final game, IIHF adopts a playoff system

 

 

Stories 90-100

90

Chris Chelios plays in the 2006 Olympics at age 44

91

The IIHF introduces the World U20 Championship

92

U.S. 'Miracle team lights the caldron 22 years later

93

No more ties; teams earn three points for a win

94

Penticton Vees defeat Soviets to reclaim gold

95

1988 Olympic silver – Finland is a true hockey power

96

Wickenheiser scores in men's professional game

97

B Pool Americans win Olympic Silver in 1972

98

Vsevolod Bobrov - a two-sport Olympian

99

Connie Broden's feat will see no repeat

100

Toews scores three shootout goals in one game!

 

 

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