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Sweden
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USSR |
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Czechoslovakia |
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The decision to hold the 1957 championship in Moscow was in recognition of the achievements of Soviet hockey. When it was learned that Canada and the United States would be boycotting the tournament over Soviet involvement in Hungary, the USSR Nationals were unanimously declared the tournament favorite.
The Soviet team, however, was attempting to integrate younger players into its aging roster and this hurt their performance. This was the last World Championship to be played on natural ice. Most games were held in the new Luzhniki Sports Palace, but the decisive USSR-Sweden game was played outdoors.
In front of a cheering crowd of about 50,000, the largest to ever watch a hockey game, Sweden rallied from a 4-2 deficit at the end of the second period to tie the Soviets 4-4 at the outdoor Dynamo Stadium and claim the gold. Sweden's giant Sven 'Tumba' Johansson was named the best forward, while Nikolai Sologubov of the Soviet won the award for the best defenceman and Czechoslovakia's Karel Straka was the top goalie.
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