 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  Canada |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Dates | 20–31 August |
| Opened by | Mary Simon |
| Teams | 10 |
| Final positions | |
Champions  | Canada (11th title) |
Runner-up  |  United States |
Third place  |  Finland |
| Fourth place |  Switzerland |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Games played | 31 |
| Goals scored | 145 (4.68 per game) |
| Attendance | 0 (0 per game) |
| Scoring leader(s) | Mélodie Daoust (12 points) |
| MVP | Mélodie Daoust |
| Official website | |
| Official homepage | |
The 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship was an international ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), which was contested in Calgary, Alberta, from 20 to 31 August 2021, at WinSport Arena.[1][2][3] It was originally scheduled to be contested in Halifax and Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada.[4][5] It was the 20th edition of the IIHF Women's World Championship Top Division tournament.
No divisional promotion and relegation occurred after this tournament as the Division I tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] Originally scheduled from 7 to 17 April, the tournament was postponed to 6 to 16 May 2021 on 4 March.[7] On 21 April 2021, the Province of Nova Scotia informed Hockey Canada and the IIHF that the tournament had been cancelled at the recommendation of Premier Iain Rankin "due to concerns over safety risks associated with COVID-19."[8]
The IIHF and Hockey Canada released a joint statement pledging to explore all avenues for hosting the event in a different Canadian city during the summer of 2021. IIHF President René Fasel emphasized, "This does not mean that we will not have a Women's World Championship in 2021. We owe it to every single player that was looking forward to getting back on the ice after such a difficult year that we do everything possible to ensure this tournament can be moved to new dates and played this year."[9] On 30 April 2021, the IIHF announced that the tournament would take place between 20 and 31 August 2021.[10] On 2 June 2021, the venue was identified as WinSport Arena at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.[3]
The tournament was played behind closed doors.[11]
Canada won the tournament for the eleventh time after defeating the United States in the final.[12] Finland captured bronze, by winning against Switzerland.[13]
- ^ 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship official website
- ^ 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship statistics
- ^ a b "Calgary to host women's world hockey championship after Nova Scotia event cancelled". CBC. 2 June 2021. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
- ^ Merk, Martin (22 June 2020). "Tournaments for 2021 assigned". IIHF. Archived from the original on 23 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- ^ Jay, Michelle (22 June 2020). "IIHF releases locations for 2021 World Championships, including Olympic qualifying tournaments". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
- ^ "IIHF – IIHF Council announces more cancellations". IIHF. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ Merk, Martin (4 March 2021). "Women's Worlds moved to May". IIHF. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ Lau, Rebecca; Thomas, Jesse (21 April 2021). "Nova Scotia cancels women's world hockey championship for 2nd time amid rising COVID-19 cases". Global News. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ Steiss, Adam (21 April 2021). "Women's Worlds cancelled, IIHF to seek new dates". IIHF. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ Steiss, Adam (30 April 2021). "New dates for Women's Worlds". IIHF. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Women's Worlds start without spectators". IIHF. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "Poulin scores golden goal". IIHF. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ "Finns beat Switzerland for bronze". IIHF. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.