After months of pressure from political parties, hockey federations and tournament sponsors over holding half of the 2021 IIHF World Championship in Minsk, Belarus, the IIHF today announced they will remove Minsk as a co-host of the tournament, over safety concerns due to both COVID-19 and political unrest in the nation.
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Category Archives: IHLC News
🇨🇦 Triple Gold Club Member Jay Bouwmeester Forced To Retire At 37
After a cardiac incident nearly cost him his life during a game in 2020, Canadian defender Jay Bouwmeester today formally announced his retirement from hockey at age 37, eleven months to the day of his near-fatal game.
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🇨🇦 John Muckler: 1934-2021
John Muckler, the Canadian coach and executive whose career was highlighted with five Stanley Cups and two Canada Cups, passed away at age 86 due to complications from COVID-19.
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IHLC 2020 In Review – Junior
The International Hockey Lineal Championship only saw two champions hold the title thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, with defending champions Canada holding the title for all but five days in 2020. Continue reading
IHLC 2020 In Review – Men’s
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Hockey Lineal Championship only saw nine games of competition this year on the men’s side, staying completely within the confines of the Euro Hockey Tour, due to May’s World Championships being cancelled in Switzerland.
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🇺🇸 Back Injury Forces Ryan Callahan Into Retirement At Age 35
Due to a lingering back injury that sidelined him the entire 2019-20 NHL season, American forward Ryan Callahan today announced his retirement from hockey at the age of 35.
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IHLC 2020 In Review – Women’s
After one of the most dramatic years in international women’s hockey history, with both a thrilling World Championship final and an off-ice reckoning over women’s equality in the game, 2020 was set to be a watershed year in women’s hockey.
Then COVID-19 shut down the planet.
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IHLC Preview – 2021 World Junior Championship
The first IIHF “bubble” tournament is set to begin in Edmonton, Canada, with the 2020 calendar year coming to a close with the start of the 2021 World Junior Championship, being held in a contained Rogers Place with the top nations in the hockey world looking to earn glory in the midst of a pandemic.
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🇺🇸 Art Berglund: 1940-2020
Art Berglund, the American hockey administrator who helped build the U.S. international men and junior squads, today passed away at the age of 80.
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🇷🇺 CAS Shortens Russian International Sports Ban To Two Years
At a ruling today at the Court Of Arbitration For Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, Russia’s proposed four year sporting ban from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was reduced to two years, meaning that Russia will be banned from participating in any international sporting competition, including the 2021 Summer and 2022 Winter Olympics, until 17 December 2022.
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🇸🇪 Back Injury Forces Alexander Steen Into Retirement
Due to a major degenerative lumbar issue stemming from a back injury sustained in the 2019-20 NHL season, Swedish-Canadian forward Alexander Steen today announced his retirement from pro hockey, leaving the St. Louis Blues at age 36. Continue reading
IIHF Announces More Tournaments Cancelled Due To Pandemic
After a few months of relative peace on the international hockey front, and even the return of international competition as recently as two weeks ago, the IIHF today announced that a number of international tournaments will be cancelled in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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🇩🇰 Stefan Lassen Announces Retirement From Almtuna At Age 35
Danish defender Stefan Lassen today announced his retirement from hockey at age 35, after spending last season with Almtuna of the Swedish second division, wrapping up a 19 year professional career.
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🇷🇺 Alexander Svitov Announces Retirement At Age 38
Russian forward Alexander Svitov, known for his grinding style and aggressive physicality, today announced his retirement from pro hockey at age 38, after spending his final season in 2019-20 with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Continue reading
🇨🇿 Tomáš Rolinek Retires From Pro Hockey At Age 40
Czech forward Tomáš Rolinek, who captained the national team at three World Championships and to a Gold Medal in 2010, announced his retirement from pro hockey at age 40, after his final five seasons with Dynamo Pardubice of the Czech Extraliga.
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🇫🇮 Janne Pesonen Retires From Kärpät At Age 38
Finnish winger Janne Pesonen, a regular on the Leijonat’s World Championship squads, today retired from pro hockey at age 38 after spending his final season with Kärpät of the Liiga.
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🇨🇦 2021 World Junior Championship Schedule Released
The schedule for the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship has been released, with all teams playing in a quarantined bubble without spectators in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, with the tournament set to begin on Christmas Day, while host nation and defending champions Canada opening on the more traditional Boxing Day.
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🇺🇸 Meghan Duggan Announces Formal Retirement From Team USA
American forward Meghan Duggan, who has captained Team USA to Olympic and World Championship Gold success for over a decade, today formally announced her retirement from pro hockey at age 33.
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🇨🇦 “Mr. Game 7” Justin Williams Retires After 19 NHL Seasons
Canadian forward Justin Williams, who put off retirement for the 2019-20 NHL season to help the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL playoff bubble, today announced his retirement from pro hockey at age 39.
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🇺🇸 Tampa Bay Lightning Capture Stanley Cup In Edmonton Bubble
In front of an empty Rogers Place in Edmonton, the Tampa Bay Lightning avenged their shocking 2019 playoff exit with a Stanley Cup victory, defeating the Dallas Stars in six games on the backs of a 2-0 win.
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International Hockey Lineal Championship 