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USSR
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Czechoslovakia |
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Canada |
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The eight nations competing in the 1983 World Championship in West Germany were divided into two groups of four after the first round. A format in which teams could not carry forward points to the medal round was used for the first time. It was designed to give all the other countries a fair chance against the Soviets who often had the gold medal wrapped up in the first round. The IIHF Congress also ruled that teams must provide a preliminary entry list of not less than 19 players, with the remaining three roster spots eligible to be filled during the course of the championship. These new rules were also introduced in order to balance the competition for medals.
The Soviet Union won its 19th world title, to tie Canada on the all-time list. Goalie Vladislav Tretiak, defencemen Vyacheslav Fetisov and Alexei Kasatonov, along with the forward line of Sergei Makarov, Igor Larionov and Vladimir Krutov formed the tournament's first all-star team. Along the way the USSR beat a good Canadian team twice by the same score of 8-2. Their only sign of imperfection was a 1-1 tie with the eventual silver medalists from Czechoslovakia. Canada, which split two games with both Czechoslovakia and Sweden, wound up with the bronze medal.
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