2004 World Cup of Hockey Information

European Pool

Czech Republic
Finland
Germany
Sweden

North American Pool

Canada
Russia
Slovakia
United States

History

The inaugural World Cup of Hockey was played in 1996. It was born of a rich tradition of international hockey competition that has included the 1972 Summit Series, the Challenge Cup in 1979, Rendez-Vous '87, and a series of Canada Cup Tournaments, last played in 1991. The United States defeated Canada, 2-1, in a thrilling three-game 1996 World Cup final series.

Venues

World Cup of Hockey games will be played at four European and three North American venues. Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland will host games Aug. 30 and Sept. 4; Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1; Cologne Arena in Cologne, Germany on Sept. 2; and Sazka Arena in Prague, Czech Republic on Sept. 3. European quarterfinal games will be played at the home venue of the top two European finishers in round-robin play.

The Bell Centre in Montreal will play host to games Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. Games will be played at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., Sept. 2, 3, 7 and 10. Air Canada Centre in Toronto will host games Sept. 4, 5, 8 and 11, as well as the championship game on Sept. 14.

Ticket information

Tickets went on sale Friday for the 2004 World Cup games in Montreal, St. Paul, Minn., and Toronto. They are already on sale for the European bracket games in Stockholm and Cologne, Germany, while the Helsinki and Prague venues will begin selling tickets early in 2004. All ticketing information can be found at www.WCH2004.com.

Broadcast partners

CBC and SRC will telecast World Cup of Hockey games in Canada, while ESPN will broadcast them in the United States.  IMG/TWI will serve as the official broadcast and marketing agency of the World Cup of Hockey outside North America, and is currently finalizing international broadcast distribution plans.

Player selection

Rosters will be comprised of 20 skaters and three goaltenders. Each national federation will announce at least 18 members of its team no later than Feb. 1, 2004. The balance of the team must be appointed by June 20, 2004. Each team will conduct a 10-day training camp beginning Aug. 20, 2004, and play two exhibition games prior to the start of the World Cup.

Tournament format

The World Cup of Hockey opens with round-robin play within the four-team European and North American pools Aug. 30-Sept. 5. All teams will qualify for the single-elimination playoff games, beginning with the quarterfinals, Sept. 6-8 (two games each in Europe and North America). Semifinal games will be played in St. Paul on Sept. 10 and Toronto on Sept. 11. The championship game will be played Sept. 14 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Start times for all games will be announced at a later date.