Big Six (ice hockey)

Not to be confused with Big 6 Hockey League.
The IIHF World Ranking depicts the prominence of the Big Six

In men's international ice hockey, the Big Six is a group comprising the six national teams that have dominated play throughout the history of international ice hockey, especially since the 1950s. It is composed of the North American countries of Canada and the United States and four European countries: Czechia, Finland, Russia, and Sweden.[1][2] During the Cold War and for two years afterwards, the Soviet Union/CIS and Czechoslovakia held the places of Russia and Czechia, respectively, within the group. The four European members are sometimes referred to as the "European Big Four" or "Big Four", especially to distinguish them from the North American teams.[3]

As of 2024, out of the 261 Ice Hockey World Championships medals awarded by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), 232 have been won by the Big Six teams. Since 1954, only nine medals have been won by teams outside the Big Six (four by Slovakia, three by Switzerland, and one each by Germany and Latvia).[4] Of the 75 Olympic ice hockey medals awarded, 67 have been won by a Big Six team.[5]

  1. ^ "the Big Six hockey powers -- the United States, Canada, Russia, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Finland" "N.H.L. and Its Teams Send Players to Bench". New York Times. February 2002. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  2. ^ "Figuring out the seventh and eighth teams beyond the so-called big six was the biggest hurdle to overcome in planning this event." "NHL announces World Cup of Hockey for 2016". The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. January 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  3. ^ "World Cup of Hockey set to return in 2016". NHL.com. January 24, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  4. ^ "Past medalists". IIHF.com. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  5. ^ "Ice hockey and Olympism" (PDF). Olympic Review. International Olympic Committee. 1984.