| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  Sweden |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 2 host cities) |
| Dates | 12–26 April 1981 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Final positions | |
Champions  |  Soviet Union (17th title) |
Runner-up  | Sweden |
Third place  |  Czechoslovakia |
| Fourth place |  Canada |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Games played | 32 |
| Goals scored | 288 (9 per game) |
| Attendance | 171,675 (5,365 per game) |
| Scoring leader(s) |  Holger Meitinger 20 points |
The 1981 Ice Hockey World Championships took place in Sweden between 12 and 26 April 1981, with games being played in the arenas of Scandinavium in Gothenburg and Johanneshovs isstadion in Stockholm. Eight teams took part, first splitting into two groups of four, with the best two from each group advancing to the final group. These teams then play each other in the final round. This was the 47th World Championships, and also the 58th European Championships. The Soviet Union became World Champions for the 17th time, and also won their 20th European title. Don Cherry commented, "This is the best Russian team I've ever seen."[1]
The Dutch team had won Group C and Group B in successive years to play in this tournament, but did not fare well. Their best game was a narrow one goal loss to the Americans, a goal scored on a penalty shot by Dave Christian with eleven seconds left.[1] It was their first appearance at the top level since 1950 and they have not returned since.[2]