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IIHF Men's World Hockey Championships
World Championships Artifact
World Championships Photo In 11 previous meetings with the Soviet Union since NHL players first competed for Canada in the World Championship in 1977, the Canucks had never defeated the perennial world champs. This streak lasted until the medal round of the 1985 tournament in Prague. Mario Lemieux, playing in his only World Championship, scored two goals as Canada surprised the Soviets 3-1. Later, Captain Dusan Pasek's winning goal electrified fans at the Julius Fucik Sports Hall in Prague as the hosts edged the USSR 2-1 to eliminate them from gold medal contention. This result set up a final day showdown between Czechoslovakia and Canada. Jiri Sejba of the host country stole the show, scoring three goals in a 5-3 victory to bring his country the gold medal for the first time since 1977. The disappointed Soviets crushed the United States 10-3 to clinch the bronze medal in an ill-tempered match. The Soviet team was playing without legendary goalie Vladislav Tretiak for the first time. His replacement, the diminutive Vladimir Myshkin of Moscow Dynamo, played adequately but was unfairly blamed for the Soviets' failure to win the gold. Sweden's poor play was a surprising feature of the 1985 tournament. The sixth-place finish of the Tre Kronor was the worst result for the Swedes since 1931.
1985 Prague Summary
Click on a team below to see its roster and stats.
Rank Country Games Wins Losses Ties Points GDF GF GA
1 Czechoslovakia 10 7 2 1 15      
2 Canada 10 6 3 1 13      
3 USSR 10 8 2 0 16      
4 USA 10 4 5 1 9      
5 Finland 10 4 4 2 10      
6 Sweden 10 4 6 0 8      
7 West Germany 10 3 6 1 7      
8 East Germany 10 0 8 2 2      

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