Ice hockey at the 1952 Winter Olympics

The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway, was the 7th Olympic Championship, also serving as the 19th World Championships and the 30th European Championships. The tournament was mainly played at the Jordal Amfi Arena, as well as the stadiums at Dælenenga (in Oslo), Kadettangen (Sandvika), Marienlyst (Drammen) and Lillestrøm (Lillestrøm). Canada, represented by the Edmonton Mercurys, won its sixth Olympic gold medal and 15th World Championship. Highest finishing European team Sweden won the bronze medal and its sixth European Championship.[1]

Ice hockey at the 1952 Winter Olympics

Jersey of Canada's 1952 Olympic Gold Medal team, the Edmonton Mercurys
Tournament details
Host country	Norway
Dates	15–25 February
Teams	9
Venue(s)	Jordal Amfi Arena, Dælenenga, Kadettangen, Marienlyst and Lillestrøm
Final positions
Champions	Canada (6th title)
Runner-up	United States
Third place	Sweden
Fourth place	Czechoslovakia
Tournament statistics
Matches played	37
Goals scored	335 (9.05 per match)
Scoring leader(s)	Billy Gibson (19 points)
← 1951 or 1948 Olympics 1953 or 1956 Olympics →

The tournament was nearly not played at all. Discussions began in 1950, whether or not ice hockey would be included in the 1952 Winter Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) sought assurance that participating teams would adhere to its amateur code rather than the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) code, and also wanted to exclude IIHF president Fritz Kraatz from negotiations. IIHF past-president W. G. Hardy, and secretary George Dudley agreed there would be no negotiations on those terms, nor would they repudiate Kraatz. Dudley expected the IIHF to discuss having its own 1952 Ice Hockey World Championships instead, and stated that the Olympics would be a financial failure without the inclusion of hockey.[2] In 1951 it was decided to drop hockey from the Olympic programme because of the controversies surrounding the 1948 Games. However, at the IOC congress in Romania the same year, it was reinstated.[3][4] W. G. Hardy advocated for the inclusion of the Soviet Union national ice hockey team, provided there is no political interference.[5] Despite his advocacy the Soviet authorities did not apply in time to be included in the tournament.[6][7]

Teams from Germany and Czechoslovakia rejoined the top level of international hockey this year. Nine nations played a round-robin with the top three nations receiving medals at the end.[3][4] Swiss newspapers criticized the rough play by Canada and the United States team, and questioned whether hockey should be part of the Olympics. Canadian Amateur Hockey Association president Doug Grimston felt the games were tame compared to North American standards and that the Olympics would suffer without hockey which was its biggest attraction.[8]

After Canada and the United States played to a draw in the final game of the round-robin, which placed the teams first and second respectively in the standings for the gold and silver medals. Had Canada won, the United States would have placed fourth. A newspaper in Moscow charged that a deal had been made to predetermine the outcome and assure the United States of a silver medal and to exclude the Czechoslovakia team from a medal.[9][10] Canada won their sixth Olympic title, and fifteenth World title. The USA finished one point ahead of both Sweden and Czechoslovakia who both finished with six wins and two losses, additionally, they had an equal goal differential of +29. The Czechoslovaks had defeated the Swedes four to nothing on the final day, and believed that they had won the Olympic bronze, and the European Championship. However, organizers decided that they should play a final tie-breaking game, in which the Swedes overcame a three-goal deficit to win five to three.[3][4]