Ice hockey at the 1988 Winter Olympics
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The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, was the 16th Olympic Championship. The Soviet Union won its seventh gold medal. The silver medal was won by Finland, marking its first ever Olympic ice hockey medal. Sweden won the bronze medal. Games were held in the Olympic Saddledome, the Stampede Corral, and Father David Bauer Olympic Arena. This is so far the only Olympic tournament held on North American soil that was not won by either Canada or United States.[1]
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CanadaStampede Corral
Father David Bauer Olympic Arena (in 1 host city)
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Canada |
| Venue(s) | Olympic Saddledome Stampede Corral Father David Bauer Olympic Arena (in 1 host city) |
| Dates | February 13–28, 1988 |
| Teams | 12 |
| Final positions | |
Champions  |  Soviet Union (7th title) |
Runners-up  |  Finland |
Third place  |  Sweden |
| Fourth place | Canada |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Games played | 42 |
| Goals scored | 316 (7.52 per game) |
| Scoring leader | Vladimir Krutov (15 points) |
The IIHF did not run a championship in Olympic years at this time. Nations that did not participate in the Calgary Olympics were invited to compete in the final Thayer Tutt Trophy.
Background
The Canadian team had defeated the favoured Soviets twice in the run-up to the Olympics and was considered a gold medal contender for the first time since 1968. The first win over the Soviet squad was particularly significant as it happened in the annual Izvestia tournament which was held in 1987 in Moscow and was considered a final shot before the Olympics. Unfortunately for the Canadians, these victories backfired as the Soviets prepared better for the Olympic tournament and won in a head-to-head match 5–0.[2]
Tournament changes
As this was the first time in history that the Winter Olympic Games had been played in an NHL market, Calgary Organizing Committee (OCO'88) sought to revamp the ice hockey tournament for the Games, one that would include more games played between better-placed teams.[3] In previous Olympic tournaments the top four teams advanced from the first round robin stage. Calgary Games organizers wanted to increase that number to six, which had the effect of increasing the total number of ice hockey games in the Olympics from 36 to 42.[3] The International Olympic Committee (IOC) convinced the IIHF to accept this new competition format, allowing OCO'88 to set up the tournament tables after the draw, allocating the main games for each round at the Olympic Saddledome, which resulted in greater interest in selling tickets there. But, even so, the IIHF remained reluctant to increase the number of games, noting it would extend the break for European leagues with players participating.[3] Eventually, OCO'88, the IIHF, and the IOC agreed to the increased number of games with some changes to financial payments to the IIHF.[3]
Doping
Polish ice-hockey player Jarosław Morawiecki tested positive for the banned substance Testosterone during the Games.[4] The 23 year old centre, who was considered Poland's best player,[4] exceeded the allowable limit of testosterone in random testing after a match which saw Poland defeat France 6–2.[4] Polish coach Leszek Lejczyk claimed Morawiecki was deliberately drugged for political reasons.[5]
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) banned Morawiecki from competition for 18 months and invalidated Poland's victory in the France match.[4][6] Poland finished 5th of 6th in the tournament Group A standings.[6]
Medalists
Qualification
The top eleven nations from the 1987 World Championships (eight from pool A, top three from pool B) qualified directly, while the twelfth ranked nation had to play off against the winner of that year's pool C. France beat Japan 8 goals to 6.[10]
- April 6, 1987, West Germany
- France 7–3 Japan
- April 7, 1987, West Germany
- France 1–3 Japan
First round
Group A
| 14 February 1988 | Canada | 1–0 |  Poland |
| 14 February 1988 | Sweden | 13–2 |  France |
| 14 February 1988 | Switzerland  | 2–1 | Finland |
| 16 February 1988 | Canada | 4–2 | Switzerland |
| 16 February 1988 | Sweden | 1–1 | Poland |
| 16 February 1988 | Finland | 10–1 | France |
| 18 February 1988 | Finland | 3–1 | Canada |
| 18 February 1988 | Poland | 0–2* | France |
| 18 February 1988 | Sweden | 4–2 | Switzerland |
| 20 February 1988 | Canada | 9–5 | France |
| 20 February 1988 | Finland | 3–3 | Sweden |
| 20 February 1988 | Switzerland | 4–1 | Poland |
| 22 February 1988 | Canada | 2–2 | Sweden |
| 22 February 1988 | Finland | 5–1 | Poland |
| 22 February 1988 | Switzerland | 9–0 | France |
* The Polish team was stripped of its victory after Jarosław Morawiecki tested positive for testosterone. France was recorded as having a 2-0 win, but received no points in the standings. The match originally ended 6-2.
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soviet Union |
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 10 | +22 | 10 |
 West Germany |
5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 12 | +7 | 8 |
 Czechoslovakia |
5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 14 | +9 | 6 |
 United States |
5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 27 | 27 | 0 | 4 |
 Austria |
5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 29 | −17 | 1 |
 Norway |
5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 32 | −21 | 1 |
| 13 February 1988 | West Germany | 2–1 | Czechoslovakia |
| 13 February 1988 | Soviet Union | 5–1 | Norway |
| 13 February 1988 | United States | 10–6 | Austria |
| 15 February 1988 | West Germany | 7–3 | Norway |
| 15 February 1988 | Soviet Union | 8–1 | Austria |
| 15 February 1988 | Czechoslovakia | 7–5 | United States |
| 17 February 1988 | Austria | 1–3 | West Germany |
| 17 February 1988 | Czechoslovakia | 10–1 | Norway |
| 17 February 1988 | Soviet Union | 7–5 | United States |
| 19 February 1988 | Austria | 0–4 | Czechoslovakia |
| 19 February 1988 | West Germany | 3–6 | Soviet Union |
| 19 February 1988 | United States | 6–3 | Norway |
| 21 February 1988 | Soviet Union | 6–1 | Czechoslovakia |
| 21 February 1988 | Austria | 4–4 | Norway |
| 21 February 1988 | West Germany | 4–1 | United States |
Final round
The top three teams from each group play the top three teams from the other group once. Points from previous games against their own group carry over, excluding teams who failed to make the medal round. First place team wins gold, second silver and third bronze.
| Team | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soviet Union |
5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 7 | +18 | 8 |
| Finland |
5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 10 | +8 | 7 |
| Sweden |
5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 16 | −1 | 6 |
| Canada |
5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 14 | +3 | 5 |
| West Germany |
5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 26 | −18 | 2 |
| Czechoslovakia |
5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 22 | −10 | 2 |
| 24 February 1988 | Soviet Union | 5–0 | Canada |
| 24 February 1988 | Sweden | 6–2 | Czechoslovakia |
| 24 February 1988 | Finland | 8–0 | West Germany |
| 26 February 1988 | Canada | 8–1 | West Germany |
| 26 February 1988 | Czechoslovakia | 5–2 | Finland |
| 26 February 1988 | Soviet Union | 7–1 | Sweden |
| 27 February 1988 | Canada | 6–3 | Czechoslovakia |
| 28 February 1988 | Sweden | 3–2 | West Germany |
| 28 February 1988 | Finland | 2–1 | Soviet Union |
11th place game
| 23 February 1988 | France | 7–6 SO | Norway |
9th place game
| 23 February 1988 | Austria | 3–2 | Poland |
7th place game
| 25 February 1988 | United States | 8–4 | Switzerland |
Statistics
Average age
Team Germany was the oldest team in the tournament, averaging 28 years and 1 months. Team USA was the youngest team in the tournament, averaging 22 years and 4 months. Gold medalists Team USSR averaged 26 years. Tournament average was 26 years and 1 months.[11]
Leading scorers
| Rk | Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vladimir Krutov |
8 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 0 |
| 2 | Igor Larionov |
8 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 4 |
| 3 | Vyacheslav Fetisov |
8 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 6 |
| 4 | Corey Millen |
8 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 4 |
| 5 | Dusan Pasek |
8 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 8 |
| 6 | Sergei Makarov |
8 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 10 |
| 7 | Erkki Lehtonen |
8 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 2 |
| 8 | Anders Eldebrink |
8 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 4 |
| 9 | Igor Liba |
8 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 8 |
| 10 | Gerd Truntschka |
8 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 10 |
Final ranking
| Rank | Team |
|---|---|
 | Soviet Union |
 | Finland |
 | Sweden |
| 4 | Canada |
| 5 | West Germany |
| 6 | Czechoslovakia |
| 7 | United States |
| 8 | Switzerland |
| 9 | Austria |
| 10 | Poland |
| 11 | France |
| 12 | Norway |
