ZURICH – Wednesday, January 23rd marks 100 days left to the opening faceoff of the 72nd IIHF World Championship in Canada (Quebec City & Halifax, May 1-18, 2008). On this occasion, the IIHF unveils the retro-look medals for the first-ever men’s World Championship to be played in the motherland of hockey.

Canada 2008 is the major event during the one-year long 100 Year Anniversary festivities of the IIHF. To highlight the historic World Championship tournament, the IIHF has produced a new set of medals that carry a distinctive retro-look.

The heads side portrays an old image of a goaltender, wearing a cap, and doing a poke check. This image was used on IIHF World Championship medals from 1947 through 1955 and again from 1963 - 1975.

The flipside depicts the IIHF 100 Year Anniversary logo.

There will be substantial pressure on the home team to win the gold medals. Team Canada won their record-setting 24th World title last year in Moscow and the hosts want nothing more than skate off Quebec’s Pepsi Colisée with the retro gold medals around their necks on May 18.

But the team will be up against the two-decade long World Championship home-ice curse.

Since 1986, when the Soviet Union won at home in Moscow, no host team at the men’s World Championship has won gold. It is a streak of 20 World Championships – and counting.

Whoever is the winner, the 2008 event will be one to remember. On May 17, the IIHF will hold its Centennial Gala Evening in Quebec City. The highlights of the evening:

• The announcement of the Centennial All Star Team (as selected by hockey experts around the globe). The team will consist of a goaltender, two defensemen, one centre and two wingers.
• The final Top-10 countdown of the 100 Top Hockey Stories of the Century. The countdown, which started on IIHF.com in October, will culminate late on May 17 with the announcement of the Top Hockey Story of the Century.

Click here to download a high-resolution picture of the gold medal (1 MB)