The International Ice Hockey Federation introduced the IIHF World Ranking for both Men’s and Women’s hockey in September 2003, a comprehensive ranking and seeding tool, which includes all ice hockey playing nations in the world. It was approved by the IIHF at its Semi-Annual Congress.

Canada ranked 1st overall in both the IIHF’s Men’s and the IIHF’s Women’s World Rankings.

Canada’s Men’s Teams, winners of the 2002 Olympic Men’s tournament and the 2003 IIHF World Championship, heads the IIHF’s Men’s World ranking ahead of Sweden and the Czech Republic.

Canada is also first in then Women’s rankings, after winning gold at the 2002 Winter Olympics and the 2001 World Women’s Hockey Championship.

The IIHF World Ranking following the up-coming 2004 IIHF World Championships will determine the seeding for the 2006 Olympic tournament, including all qualifications.

- The top eight men’s teams from the 2004 IIHF World Ranking – determined immediately following completion of the 2004 IIHF World Championship – will be automatically qualified into the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy.

- The top four teams from the 2004 IIHF World Women’s Ranking – determined immediately following completion of the 2004 IIHF World Women’s Hockey Championship in Halifax, NS, - will be automatically qualified into the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy.

It is the first time that the IIHF introduces a ranking, which reflects the long-term quality of the countries’ national team programs.

The IIHF World Ranking is based on awarding points for the final positions in the last four IIHF World Championships and in the last Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament. Tournament.

To enable the ranking to accurately reflect current form, the greatest importance is given to results of the last years’ competition. To a lesser degree, attention is also paid to results from previous years. The system uses a four-year cycle as the points earned in one year decline by 25 percent each year for the next 3 years, and in the 5th year, results are dropped from the calculation altogether.

Go to IIHF.com for the complete lists of the IIHF World Men’s and Women's Ranking