1997 Women's World Hockey Championship

Canada defeated the USA in overtime to win the gold medal at the 1997 Women's World Hockey Championship! Congrats to Team Canada on winning the gold medal, and congrats all countries involved on an excellent performance.

General Information

The 1997 Women's World Championship was held in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada from March 31 - April 6, 1997. Six satellite games were scheduled in the following cities within Ontario: Brampton, Brantford, Hamilton, London, Mississauga, and North York.

This event served as a qualifier for the 1998 Winter Olympics, which is to be held in Nagano, Japan. The top five teams from the 1997 World Championship (Canada, USA, Finland, China, and Sweden), along with the host team from Japan, will compete in the 1998 Winter Olympics.

The following eight countries competed at the 1997 Women's World Hockey Championship:

Pool A

• Canada (1st in 1996 Pacific Rim) (Seed: 1)
• China (3rd in 1996 Pacific Rim) (Seed: 4)
• Russia (2nd in 1996 European A) (Seed: 5)
• Switzerland (5th in 1996 European A) (Seed: 8)

Pool B

• USA (2nd in 1996 Pacific Rim) (Seed: 2)
• Sweden (1st in 1996 European A) (Seed: 3)
• Finland (3rd in 1996 European A) (Seed: 6)
• Norway (4th in 1996 European A) (Seed: 7)

TSN broadcasted the game between Canada and Russia at the 1997 World Championship in Kitchener, along with the Gold Medal game at the conclusion of the 1997 World Championship.

Final Placings

1. Canada
2. USA
3. Finland
4. China
5. Sweden
6. Russia
7. Switzerland
8. Norway

Game Results

  TEAMS                              TIME              RINK

Round Robin
Monday March 31st
  USA           7 - Norway       0   4:00 pm           Kitchener
  Sweden        0 - Finland      5   4:00 pm           Brampton
  China         6 - Russia       2   7:00 pm           Hamilton
  Canada        6 - Switzerland  0   7:30 pm           Kitchener

Tuesday April 1st
  Sweden        2 - Norway       2   4:00 pm           Kitchener
  China        11 - Switzerland  3   7:00 pm           Mississauga
  USA           3 - Finland      3   7:00 pm           Brantford
  Canada        9 - Russia       1   7:30 pm           Kitchener

Thursday April 3rd
  Finland      10 - Norway       0   4:00 pm           Kitchener
  USA          10 - Sweden       0   7:00 pm           London
  Russia        3 - Switzerland  3   7:00 pm           North York
  Canada        7 - China        1   7:30 pm           Kitchener

Qualifying Round
Friday April 4th
  Sweden        7 - Switzerland  1   4:00 pm B3-A4     Kitchener
  Russia        2 - Norway       1   7:30 pm A3-B4     Kitchener

Medal Round
Saturday April 5th
  Canada        2 - Finland      1   1:00 pm A1-B2     Kitchener
  USA           6 - China        0   5:00 pm B1-A2     Kitchener

Qualifying Game/Seeding Game
Sunday April 6th
  Sweden        3 - Russia       1  12:00 pm 5th pl    Kitchener
  Norway        0 - Switzerland  1   2:00 pm 7th pl    Kitchener-Kinsmen
  Finland       3 - China        0   4:00 pm Bronze    Kitchener
  Canada        4 - USA     (OT) 3   8:00 pm Gold      Kitchener

Or here is a file containing the results that you may want to print.

Pool Standings

POOL A        W L T P Overall         POOL B         W L T P Overall
Canada        3 0 0 6  5 0 0          USA            2 0 1 5  3 1 1
China         2 1 0 4  2 3 0          Finland        2 0 1 5  3 1 1
Russia        0 2 1 1  1 3 1          Sweden         0 2 1 1  2 2 1
Switzerland   0 2 1 1  1 3 1          Norway         0 2 1 1  0 4 1

All-Star Team

Goalie:  Patricia Sauter, Switzerland
Defense: Cassie Campbell, Canada
         Kelly O'Leary, USA
Forward: Hayley Wickenheiser, Canada
         Cammi Granato, USA
         Riikka Nieminen, Finland

Exhibition Play

Date          Teams                    Location            Time

Mon March 24  CAN 5 -vs- N.Y. Aeros 1  N.Y. Centennial     7:30 pm

Tue March 25  USA 7 -vs- RUS 0         Lake Placid         7:00 pm

Wed March 26  USA 13 -vs- RUS 0        Lake Placid         7:00 pm

Thu March 27  SWI 2 -vs- JAP 6         TBC                 7:00 pm

Fri March 28  CAN 5 -vs- FIN 1         Barrie              7:00 pm

Satellite Games

Throughout the World Championship, satellite games took place at the following six locations:

• Brampton Memorial Arena
• Hamilton Mountain Arena
• Brantford and District Civic Centre
• Mississauga's Iceland Arena
• London's Thompson Arena (UWO)
• North York Centennial Arena

1997 WWC Rosters

• Team Canada ( with profiles)
• Team USA
• Team Finland
• Team China
• Team Sweden
• Team Russia
• Team Switzerland
• Team Norway

Suggestions?

If you are interested in sending your comments/suggestions/complaints about the Worlds you can send them to the IIHF. Their address, or fax, is as follows:

International Ice Hockey Federation
Attention: Chairman, Referee Committee
Parkring 11,
CH-8002 Zurich,
Switzerland

Fax: 411 289 8622
Attention: Chairman, Referee Committee

1997 WWC Sponsors

The 1997 IIHF Women's World hockey championship was sponsored by Nike, Air Canada, Esso, and the Royal Bank. The championship was presented by the Canadian Hockey Association (CHA), the Ontario Women's Hockey Association (OWHA), and the City of Kitchener.

Other Links

• Official Page of the 1997 Women's World Hockey Championship (Sentex)
• 1997 Women's World Hockey Championship Statistics (Sentex)
• 1997 WWH Championship Event Information (City of Kitchener)
• Slam! Hockey: 1997 WWC (Toronto Sun)
• Slam! Sports Page (Toronto Sun)
• CHA 1997 WWC Page (Canadian Hockey Association)
• USA Today Women's Hockey Page
• CHA 1997 News Releases
• Complete Coverage by hungerf (Richard Hungerford)
• Martin's Damen Eishockey '97 Weltmeisterschaft Page (in German) (Martin Melich)
• IIHF Homepage (See CHAMPION/WOMEN)
• Poem written by Dana from Fergus, Ontario

Articles

Wow!! I can't believe how much better the media coverage was this time compared to the past world championships. Thanks to all of the newspapers and magazines listed below for their support of women's hockey! Keep up the great work! :-)

After the Championship

• Do you think full body contact should be allowed? - Toronto Star, April 8, 1997
• Critics of women's hockey completely missing point - Toronto Star, April 8, 1997
• Hockey machine in for tune-up as Nagano looms - Toronto Star, April 8, 1997
• Skills worlds apart in women's hockey - Globe and Mail, April 8, 1997
• Women's hockey the big winner in kitchener - Ottawa Citizen, April 8, 1997
• Complaints about hockey should preclude women's game - Globe and Mail, April 7, 1997
• Swedish women win Olympic berth - Globe and Mail, April 7, 1997
• Finland 3, China 0 - Toronto Star, April 7, 1997
• No place like home for Canadian star - Toronto Star, April 7, 1997
• Canada 4 United States 3 (OT) - Toronto Star, April 7, 1997
• Sweden qualifies for Olympics - Toronto Star, April 7, 1997
• Team Canada proves its mettle: Gold - Canoe, April 7, 1997
• It was deja vu all over again - Canoe, April 7, 1997
• Drolet lifts Canada to top of worlds - Canoe, April 7, 1997
• Drolet rebounds to heroine's role - Canoe, April 7, 1997
• Doom looms Team Russia - Canoe, April 7, 1997
• Color Canada gold, again - Toronto Star, April 7, 1997
• Miller's savvy under fire cinches Olympic job - Toronto Star, April 7, 1997
• Drolet shakes off vicious hit to deliver for Canada - Toronto Star, April 7, 1997
• Canadian women world champions - Globe and Mail, April 7, 1997
• Complaints about hockey should preclude women's game - Globe and Mail, April 7, 1997
• Swedish women win Olympic berth - Globe and Mail, April 7, 1997
• Canada conquers all - The Record, April 7, 1997
• CANADA'S DROLET SINKS U.S. - The Record, April 7, 1997
• Canadian game plan needs some fine tuning - The Record, April 7, 1997
• Women's Hockey Comes of Age - The New York Times, April 7, 1997

  Sunday April 6th

• It's us versus them, again - Toronto Star, April 6, 1997
• Re:action - Toronto Star, April 6, 1997
• Women's hockey isn't ready for prime time just yet - Toronto Star, April 6, 1997
• Sunohara emerges as scoring hero - Ottawa Citizen, April 6, 1997
• Canada assists struggling hockey programs - Ottawa Citizen, April 6, 1997
• Last-minute goal by Sunohara wins it - Canoe, April 6, 1997
• Drama Lifts Canada - Canoe, April 6, 1997
• Finland captures women's bronze - Canoe, April 6, 1997

  Saturday April 5th

• Canadian veteran's eyes wide open - Toronto Star, April 5, 1997
• Approaching Finns end Canadian women's waltz - Globe and Mail, April 5, 1997
• Tougher test awaits Canada in women's hockey medal round - Ottawa Citizen, April 5, 1997
• Finns accused Canadians of disrupting preparation - Toronto Star, April 5, 1997
• Russia 2, Norway 1 - Toronto Star, April 5, 1997
• United States 6, China 0 - Toronto Star, April 5, 1997
• Canada 2 Finland 1 - Toronto Star, April 5, 1997
• Success of women's hockey event makes sports world take notice - The Record, April 5, 1997
• It's crunch time for Team Canada at world championships - The Record, April 5, 1997
• Don't compare women's, men's games - The Record, April 5, 1997
• Canada's 'mom' isn't slowing down - Canoe, April 5, 1997
• Women's hockey moves up - Canoe, April 5, 1997
• Certain sacrifices: the gypsy in goal - Canoe, April 5, 1997

  Friday April 4th

• Canada keeps on rollin' - Canoe, April 4, 1997
• As an Olympic sport, women's game on thin ice - Canoe, April 4, 1997
• Canadians show China great wall - Toronto Star, April 4, 1997
• Great wall of China crumbles - Ottawa Citizen, April 4, 1997
• Dube, Kariya old mates - Canoe, April 4, 1997
• Canadian goaltender envies her opposition - Ottawa Citizen, April 4, 1997
• Nurturing women's hockey - Globe and Mail, April 4, 1997
• Chinese women score an Olympic goal - Globe and Mail, April 4, 1997
• Dupuis leads Canada to 7-1 rout of China - Globe and Mail, April 4, 1997
• Abuse stories haunt coaches - Kitchener Record, April 4, 1997
• Canada overpowers China - Kitchener Record, April 4, 1997
• We'll have to wait for competitive women's hockey - Kitchener Record, April 4, 1997
• Women's hockey has face: Cammi Granato - San Jose Mercury News, April 4, 1997
• Finland Women 10 - Norway 0 - Richard Hungerford, April 4, 1997
• Canada Women 7 - China 1 - Richard Hungerford, April 4, 1997

  Thursday April 3rd (no games Wednesday)

• Trio packs an attitude - Canoe, April 3, 1997
• Passion for hockey drives teen to be a top women's player - Globe and Mail, April 3, 1997
• Chinese women a rising power in world hockey - Toronto Star, April 3, 1997
• Chinese checkers quick to learn - Ottawa Citizen, April 3, 1997
• Canada handles China with ease - Ottawa, April 3, 1997
• U.S. routs Sweden - Ottawa, April 3, 1997

  Wednesday April 2nd

• No mercy for Russian prey - Canoe, April 2, 1997
• Tourney abuzz with full-contact debate - Canoe, April 2, 1997
• Canada dominates Russia, locks up shot at Olympics - Toronto Star, April 2, 1997
• Lesley Reddon in goal against Russia - Toronto Star, April 2, 1997
• Season firsts / little known facts - Globe and Mail, April 2, 1997
• Canadian Women romp at world hockey tourney - Globe and Mail, April 2, 1997
• Canadian Women romp at world hockey tourney - Globe and Mail, April 2, 1997
• Canada's women crush Russian hockey team - Ottawa Citizen, April 2, 1997
• Return of Vicky Sunohara adds scoring punch - Toronto Star, April 2, 1997
• Female officials - Ottawa Citizen, April 2, 1997
• Canada 9 Russia 1 - Toronto Star, April 2, 1997
• Finland, USA struggle to tie in women's hockey - Toronto Star, April 2, 1997
• Hockey championship the first without male referees, linesmen - The Record, April 2, 1997
• Stacy Wilson goes for fourth gold medal - Canoe, April 2, 1997
• Late goals lift Finns to tie with U.S. - Canoe, April 2, 1997
• Sweden ties Norway - Canoe, April 2, 1997

  Tuesday April 1st

• Canadians rip holes in Swiss - Toronto Star, April 1, 1997
• Canucks carpet Swiss - Toronto Sun, April 1, 1997
• U.S. women icers shift top skater to boost offense - USA Today, April 1, 1997
• Norway checking denied - Toronto Sun, April 1, 1997
• Kitchener welcomes the world - The Record, April 1, 1997
• Team Canada slams Swiss - The Record, April 1, 1997
• Canadian women bury Swiss - Ottawa Sun, April 1, 1997
• Swiss women play Canada tough - Globe and Mail, April 1, 1997
• U.S. checks Norway - Globe and Mail, April 1, 1997
• Canucks deep-six Swiss defense - Slam!, March 31, 1997
• Canada manages 61 shots in 6-0 win - Sudbury Star, April 1, 1997
• Canadian women's team sparkles in opener - Ottawa Citizen Online, April 1, 1997
• France St-Louis provides veteran leadership - Toronto Star, April 1, 1997
• United States 7 Norway 0 - Toronto Star, April 1, 1997
• Team Canada role models - The Hamilton Spectator, April 1, 1997
• Women get physical at worlds - Slam!, April 1, 1997
• U.S. women blank Norway - Slam!, March 31, 1997

  Before the Championship...

• Canada looks strong for gold - Ottawa Citizen, March 31, 1997
• Coach has team rolling along toward title - Ottawa Citizen, March 31, 1997
• Ms. Hockey - Ottawa Citizen, March 22, 1997
• Women's team finally getting its just rewards - Toronto Star, March 30, 1997
• Dressed for success - Toronto Star, March 30, 1997
• It's Canada-U.S. IV - Slam!, March 30, 1997
• Team USA aims to topple Canadian women - Slam!, March 29, 1997
• Re-stake the claim - Slam!, March 30, 1997
• Canada tunes up against Finland - Slam!, March 28, 1997
• U.S. player has sights on Nagano - Slam!, March 28, 1997
• US Women Stone Russian in Exhibition Game - Toronto Sun, March 27, 1997
• Exhibition Game: USA 13, Russia 0 - Toronto Star, March 27, 1997
• Rheaume cut from national team - Toronto Star, March 26, 1997
• Rheaume dropped from national team - Globe and Mail, March 26, 1997
• One goalie for Canada on precipice - Toronto Star, March 25, 1997
• Manon Rheaume released by Canadian squad - Slam!, March 25, 1997
• Lady Nats await verdict on star player - Toronto Star, March 22, 1997
• Canada's Women's hockey team has big year ahead - Toronto Star Sportswire, February 1st, 1997
• National Women's Team Sets Roster - CHA News Release, January 20, 1997
• Coaching Staff for Team Canada Announced - CHA News Release, July 23, 1996

Images

• TeePee Communications 1997 Photos - lots of photos of all teams participating
• Doug MacLellan's Photo Album - photos for the gold medal game
• Flags of Competing Countries
• Laura Schuler holds plate, Toronto Sun, April 7, 1997
• Judy Diduck celebrates goal, Toronto Sun, April 7, 1997
• Canada celebrates goal, Toronto Sun, April 7, 1997
• Riikka Nieminen celebrates goal, Toronto Sun, April 6, 1997
• Canada celebrates win over Finland, Toronto Star, April 6, 1997
• USA vs China action, Toronto Sun, April 5, 1997
• Wickenheiser celebrates goal, Toronto Sun, April 5, 1997
• Team Canada cheer, Toronto Star, April 4, 1997
• Hayley Wickenheiser and Cassie Campbell, Slam!, April 4, 1997
• Vicki Sunohara, Ottawa Citizen, April 2, 1997
• Luce Letendre, Slam!, April 2, 1997
• USA vs Finland action, Toronto Sun, April 1, 1997
• Karen Nystrom and Mirjam Baechler, Toronto Star, April 1, 1997
• USA vs Finland, April 1, 1997
• Campbell, Cherry, Abel, and Heaney, Ottawa Citizen, March 31, 1997
• Shannon Miller and Lesley Reddon, Ottawa Citizen, March 31, 1997
• WWC97 Promo - Cassie Campbell
• Sponsors for the 1997 World Championship

Images from the Slam! Site

• Canada vs China, April 3, 1997
• Canada celebrates, April 5, 1997
• Canada with Plate
• Canada in Semis vs Finland, April 5, 1997
• Canada with Plate
• Canada's first goal vs USA
• Canada's second goal vs USA
• Canada's Nystrom & Sunohara celebrate
• China vs Finland
• Canada's Fahey celebrates
• Canada's Schuler with medal
• Canada's winning goal
• Finland, April 5, 1997
• Sweden
• USA after final

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