Wednesday, April 14, 2010

IIHF Update

Keeping my eyes closed to the NHL playoffs until further notice, but the IIHF World Championships are going on right now, and provide a welcome diversion. The top level, of course, will not get started for a few more weeks, but there are in fact four divisions of tournaments each year, reaching all the way down to include nations like Mongolia, South Africa and Luxembourg, made up entirely of recreational players.

The Division III championships are currently in full swing. Some of the best players from countries that comprise this division play in low-level pro leagues, but most are strictly amateurs. The standings as of now are as follows:

Group A
Estonia- 4-0
Romania- 4-0
Iceland- 2-2
China- 1-3
New Zealand- 1-3
Israel- 0-4

Group B
Spain- 2-0
Belgium- 2-1
Australia- 1-1
Bulgaria- 1-1
Mexico- 1-1
Turkey- 0-3

The top team in each of the two groups will be promoted to Division II for the 2011 World Championships, while the last place team in each group will be relegated to Division IV. Those four teams will be replaced in Division III by the two last place finishers in this year's Division II, as well as the top two seeds from this year's Division IV.

The great thing about following all IIHF tournaments is seeing the progression/regression of each of these countries on an annual basis, as countries fight for promotions while trying to avoid relegation. This format carries all the way up to the top level. From Canada to the United Arab Emirates, all IIHF tournament participants are part of the same ranking system.

The Division IV tournament is just kicking off. Check back for continued updates.

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