Learn About the Top 5 Best Hockey Countries

Ice hockey has become one of the most popular international sports in the world. It is the fastest team sport with frequent physical contact. The sport is very popular in some areas of the world but is almost nonexistent in other parts of our planet. So let’s check the list of the top 5 best Hockey countries in the world. 

Hockey is a fast-paced and very physical sport. It’s a game between two teams, each having 6 players. The objective of the game is to shoot a rubber punk into their opponent’s net to score goals. The players use their sticks to pass or shoot the puck.  Although the game’s origin lies elsewhere, Montreal is recognized as its birthplace. Having said that, let’s check the list of the top 5 best hockey countries! Also if you are a hockey buff, check out the online sportsbooks in the USA for NHL 2021 predictions. So let’s learn about the top 5 best hockey countries!

Which are the Top 5 Best Hockey Countries in the World?

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has been compiling the IIHF World Ranking since 2003. Rankings are calculated based on the performance of the national teams in the last four World Championships and the last Winter Olympics. Due to last year’s situation in the world, they canceled  the 2020 World Cup and other international competitions. Thus, compared to last year, the changes in the rating are minimal, and the TOP-10 teams remained the same. Now let’s have a look at the top 5 best Hockey countries!

Canada: The Leader Country

The Canadian national ice hockey team has been leading history in official tournaments since 1920 when it first played at the Olympics and World Championships. Nine times Olympic champion and 26 times world hockey champion. Don’t miss your chance to check out Intertops for Hockey predictions in upcoming tournaments. Team Canada – this is how the team began to be called after the USSR-Canada super series in 1972. The team is often called Maple Leaves in honor of the symbol of Canada. The uniform depicts a red and black maple leaf with a silhouette of a hockey player. Evidently, the team colors are red, white, black.

Russia: The Runner Up

The Russian national ice hockey team emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union and played in its first official tournament in 1992. She is the legal successor of the USSR national ice hockey team. It first appeared at the World Championship in 1954, and at the Olympics in 1956. Eight-time Olympic champion, the CIS team won gold at the 1992 Olympic Games, 27 times became the world champion.

The Red Machine – this is what they were calling the USSR national team in the 70s of the last century, during the victorious march of the team around the world. Hence this name also refers to the modern national team and “Red Machine” is the National Program for the Training of Hockey Players. The uniform depicts the Coat of Arms of Russia with a double-headed eagle, the team colors are red and white. Apart from this, Russian Women Hockey is getting more popular too. Check out the article for finding more about this topic.

Top 5 Best Hockey Countries: Finland

The Finnish national ice hockey team traces its history back to 1928, first appearing at the World Championship in 1939, at the Olympics in 1952. Three-time world champion (1995, 2011, 2019), also 8 silver medals and 3 bronze medals, twice Olympic silver medalist games (1988, 2006), and four times bronze (1994, 1998, 2010, 2014). Be sure to check out our article about betting on Ice Hockey in Finland. The Finnish national team is also called Lions (Leijonat). The uniform depicts a Scandinavian symbol – a lion, as on the coat of arms of the country, holding a sword, and with its hind legs standing on a Saracen saber. Team colors are blue and white.

Sweden: Fourth but Firm!

The Swedish national ice hockey team dates back to 1912, first playing at the Olympics and World Championships in 1920. This country produces many great NHL stars. Their national team has won two World Championships in a row (2017 & 2018). And players such as Erik Karlsson and Henrik Zetterberg weren’t even on the team that year. In addition, Sweden’s population is less than 10 million, but still, they managed to be on the list of top 5 best Hockey countries in the world. Be sure to check out the Intertops Sportsbook for the best bets on Hockey teams.

Three Crowns (Tre Kronor) – this name has stuck with the Swedish national team since 1938 when the team first appeared in a uniform with the image of three crowns. Moreover, this is how the ancient castle in Stockholm was once called. Team colors are yellow and blue.

Czech  Republic: Last but Never Least

The Czech national ice hockey team appeared after the collapse of Czechoslovakia. In 1993 it played for the first time at the World Cup and in 1994 at the Olympics. The team immediately began playing in the Higher Division, as it is the legal successor of the Czechoslovak national hockey team. The national team of the Czech Republic was an Olympic champion in 1998, four times a silver medalist (1948, 1968, 1976, 1984) and five times a bronze (1920, 1964, 1972, 1992, 2006). 12 times became the world ice hockey champion,11 times won silver, and 19 times bronze.

The uniform depicts the head of a Lion topped with a golden crown, the team colors are white, red, blue. Hereby placing your bets on these top 5 best Hockey countries is a great idea. For that,  you can use the list of online gambling sites in the USA. Last but not least if you want to enrich your knowledge about the rules of Ice Hockey, check our article about the basic rules of Hockey.

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