The 1953 Ice Hockey World Championships were the 20th World Championships and the 31st European Championships in ice hockey. The tournament took place between March 7 and March 15, 1953, in Basel and Zürich, Switzerland. Sweden won their first World Championship title and their seventh European Championship title.

This was the first world championship tournament with only European teams; on January 12, 1953, Canadian Amateur Hockey Association president W. B. George stated Canada would not be sending a team to the 1953 World Championships. He told the press: "Every year we spend C$10,000 to send a Canadian hockey team to Europe to play 40 exhibition games. All these games are played to packed houses that only enrich European hockey coffers. In return we are subjected to constant, unnecessary abuse over our Canadian style of play".

Also absent were the Soviet Union; it was hoped that the USSR would participate but they did not, but they sent observers, including coach Anatoli Tarasov, to scout the tournament. It is believed that injuries to their star players, including Vsevolod Bobrov, was the reason behind the decision.

Czechoslovakia were withdrawn from the tournament by General František Janda, the Chairman of the State Committee for the Physical Education and Sport, who ordered the team home when it became obvious their President, Klement Gottwald, was going to die from pneumonia he contracted at Stalin's funeral. Gottwald died the next day, March 14, 1953; subsequently, the team was disqualified, with their results being deleted from the records and their remaining games cancelled.

World Championships Group A (Switzerland)

DateMatches A World Championships 1953ResultPeriod.
7 MarchCzechoslovakia vs. West Germany11–2 (annulled)4–1, 5–0, 2–1
7 MarchSwitzerland vs. Sweden2–91–2, 1–5, 0–2
8 MarchSwitzerland vs. Czechoslovakia4–9 (annulled)0–4, 1–2, 3–3
8 MarchSweden vs. West Germany8–64–1, 3–3, 1–2
10 MarchSweden vs. Czechoslovakia5–3 (annulled)5–1, 0–1, 0–1
10 MarchWest Germany vs. Switzerland2–30–1, 2–1, 0–1
12 MarchSweden vs. Switzerland9–15–1, 1–0, 3–0
12 MarchWest Germany vs. Czechoslovakia4–9 (annulled)2–4, 1–2, 1–3
13 MarchCzechoslovakia vs. SwitzerlandCancelled
13 MarchWest Germany vs. Sweden2–120–2, 1–5, 1–5
15 MarchCzechoslovakia vs. SwedenCancelled
15 MarchSwitzerland vs. West Germany3–72–4, 0–1, 1–2

Table

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPts
1Sweden44003811+278
2West Germany41031726−92
3Switzerland4103927−182
NCCzechoslovakia00000000

World Championships Group B (Switzerland)

Also participating was a Swiss 'B' team who (if their games counted) would have finished third.

DateMatches B World Championships 1953ResultPeriod.
7 MarchItaly vs. Austria9–53–1, 4–3, 2–1
7 MarchSwitzerland B vs. Great Britain1–31–0, 0–1, 0–2
8 MarchAustria vs. Netherlands5–32–0, 2–3, 1–0
8 MarchSwitzerland B vs. France7–14–1, 1–0, 2–0
10 MarchGreat Britain vs. Netherlands8–44–2, 1–2, 3–0
10 MarchSwitzerland B vs. Italy1–21–0, 0–0, 0–2
11 MarchAustria vs. France8–12–1, 2–0, 4–0
11 MarchItaly vs. Netherlands7–04–0, 1–0, 2–0
12 MarchGreat Britain vs. France8–33–0, 3–1, 2–2
13 MarchGreat Britain vs. Austria3–01–0, 1–0, 1–0
13 MarchSwitzerland B vs. Netherlands7–51–1, 5–2, 1–2
14 MarchItaly vs. France5–22–1, 1–0, 2–1
14 MarchSwitzerland B vs. Austria8–22–0, 1–1, 5–1
15 MarchNetherlands vs. France8–34–1, 2–1, 2–1
15 MarchItaly vs. Great Britain3–23–0, 0–0, 0–2

Table

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPts
4Italy55002610+1610
5Great Britain54012411+138
NCSwitzerland B53022413+116
6Austria52032024−44
7Netherlands51042030−102
8France50051036−260

Citations

  • Duplacey, James (1998). . Total Sports. pp. . ISBN 0-8362-7114-9.
  • Podnieks, Andrew (2010). IIHF Media Guide & Record Book 2011. Moydart Press. pp. 133–134.