2019 IIHF Women's World Championship

2019 IIHF Women's World Championship
Tournament details
Host country Finland
Venue(s)1 (in 1 host city)
Dates4–14 April 2019
Opened bySauli Niinistö
Teams10
Final positions
Champions  United States (9th title)
Runner-up  Finland
Third place  Canada
Fourth place Russia
Tournament statistics
Games played29
Goals scored152 (5.24 per game)
Attendance51,247 (1,767 per game)
Scoring leader(s)United States Hilary Knight (11 points)
MVPFinland Jenni Hiirikoski[1]
Official website
www.iihf.com
← 2017
(cancelled) 2020
2021 →

The 2019 IIHF Women's World Championship was an international Ice hockey tournament run by the International Ice Hockey Federation. It was contested in Espoo, Finland from 4 to 14 April 2019 at the Espoo Metro Areena.[2][3][4]

The United States won their fifth consecutive and ninth overall title after a shootout win over Finland.[5] Canada claimed the bronze medal by defeating Russia 7–0.[6]

After the 2017 tournament, it was announced that tournament would expand to ten teams for 2019, having been played with eight teams since the first tournament in 1990, except in 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2009, where nine teams played. The 2004 edition featured nine teams when Japan was promoted from Division II but no team was relegated from the top division in 2003, due to the cancellation of the top division tournament in China because of the outbreak of the SARS disease.[4] Two teams were relegated from the top division in 2004, going back to eight teams for 2005, but due to the success of the 9-team pool in 2004, IIHF decided to expand again to nine teams for 2007.[7] Reverting to eight teams after the 2009 tournament.[8] To bring the tournament to ten teams, Czech Republic which had lost the 2017 Relegation Round, stayed in the top division. Joined by Division I Group A Champions, Japan (2017) and France (2018)

  1. ^ "Hiirikoski named MVP". IIHF. 14 April 2019. Archived from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  2. ^ 2019 IIHF Women's World Championship official website
  3. ^ 2019 IIHF Women's World Championship statistics
  4. ^ a b Merk, Martin (19 May 2017). "Women's Worlds grow". IIHF. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  5. ^ Aykroyd, Lucas (14 April 2019). "It's a five-peat for U.S.!". IIHF. Archived from the original on 23 November 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  6. ^ Aykroyd, Lucas (14 April 2019). "Canada thrashes Russia for bronze". IIHF.
  7. ^ "The IIHF Annual Congress made the following decisions in Riga during its session on May 19:" (PDF). IIHF. Vol. 10, no. 4. June 2006. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  8. ^ "World Women's back to eight teams". IIHF. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2019.