Poland men's national ice hockey team: Difference between revisions

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| Nickname          = The Eagles
| Nickname          = The Eagles
| Association      = [[Polish Ice Hockey Federation]]
| Association      = [[Polish Ice Hockey Federation]]
| Most games        = Henryk Gruth (292)
| Most games        = Henryk Gruth (248)
| Top scorer        = Andrzej Zabawa (99)
| Top scorer        = Wiesław Jobczyk (88)
| Most points      = Leszek Laszkiewicz (150)
| Most points      = Marcin Kolusz (151)
| Home Stadium      =
| Home Stadium      =
| IIHF code        = POL
| IIHF code        = POL
| IIHF Rank        = 22 {{increase}}2
| IIHF Rank        = 21
| IIHF max          = 19
| IIHF max          = 19
| IIHF max date    = 2003
| IIHF max date    = 2003
Line 20: Line 20:
| Largest win      = {{ih|POL}} 21–1 {{ih-rt|CHN}}<br>([[Eindhoven]], [[Netherlands]]; 26 March 1993)
| Largest win      = {{ih|POL}} 21–1 {{ih-rt|CHN}}<br>([[Eindhoven]], [[Netherlands]]; 26 March 1993)
| Largest loss      = {{ih|URS}} 20–0 {{ih-rt|POL}}<br>([[Moscow]], [[Soviet Union]]; 11 April 1973)
| Largest loss      = {{ih|URS}} 20–0 {{ih-rt|POL}}<br>([[Moscow]], [[Soviet Union]]; 11 April 1973)
| World champ apps  = 56
| World champ apps  = 60
| World champ first = 1930
| World champ first = 1930
| World champ best  = 4th ([[1931 World Ice Hockey Championships|1931]])
| World champ best  = 4th ([[1931 World Ice Hockey Championships|1931]])
Line 30: Line 30:
| Regional cup first= [[Ice Hockey European Championship 1926|1926]]
| Regional cup first= [[Ice Hockey European Championship 1926|1926]]
| Regional cup best = {{sica}} ([[Ice Hockey European Championship 1929|1929]])
| Regional cup best = {{sica}} ([[Ice Hockey European Championship 1929|1929]])
| Record            = 418–509–88
| Record            = 515–562–91
}}
}}
The '''Polish National Team''' is the national [[ice hockey]] team of [[Poland]], and a member of the [[International Ice Hockey Federation]]. They are ranked 21st in the world in the [[IIHF World Ranking]]s, but prior to the 1980s they were ranked as high as 6th internationally. They are one of only 8 countries never to have played below the Division I (former B Pool) level. Currently the Polish national team plays at the Division IA level, the second tier of the [[Ice Hockey World Championships|World Championship]].
The '''Poland national men's ice hockey team''' is the national [[ice hockey]] team of [[Poland]], and a member of the [[International Ice Hockey Federation]]. They are ranked 21st in the world in the [[IIHF World Ranking]]s, but prior to the 1980s they were ranked as high as 6th internationally. They are one of eight countries never to have played below the Division I (former B Pool) level. As of 2024 the Polish national team plays at the top level of the [[Ice Hockey World Championships|World Championship]].
 
Poland has competed in the [[Ice hockey at the Winter Olympics|Olympics]] thirteen times, most recently in [[Ice hockey at the 1992 Winter Olympics|1992]], with their best result being fourth place in [[Ice hockey at the 1932 Winter Olympics|1932]]. They have been a regular participant of the World Championship, first appearing in [[1930 World Ice Hockey Championships|1930]] and having appeared in all but one tournament since [[1955 World Ice Hockey Championships|1955]]. They frequently played in the top division, though were in Division I after being relegated in [[2002 IIHF World Championship|2002]]. Poland made a return to the top division of the World Championship for [[2024 IIHF World Championship|2024]].


==History==
==History==
Financed by state coal money from the 1950s to the 1970s the Polish hockey team was a regular at the top level upsetting the Swedes, Finns, and Czechoslovaks from time to time. In 1976 Poland beat the dominant Soviet Union 6-4 in the World Championships after being soundly defeated by the same team 16-1 in the Winter Olympics. It was only the second time in 13 years that the Soviet Union had not won the gold.
[[File:Polish ice hockey national team St. Moritz 1928.jpg|thumb|left|Poland at the [[ice hockey at the 1928 Winter Olympics|1928 Winter Olympics]] in [[St. Moritz, Switzerland]], their first appearance at the Winter Olympics. They finished ninth.]]
Poland was a regular participant of the early [[Winter Olympics]], first competing at the [[ice hockey at the 1928 Winter Olympics|1928 Winter Olympics]] in [[St. Moritz, Switzerland]], where they finished ninth out of eleven teams. They would appear at ever Winter Olympics until [[ice hockey at the 1956 Winter Olympics|1956]], with their best finish being fourth in [[ice hockey at the 1932 Winter Olympics|1932]].


In the olympics earlier that year, Poland played 5 matches in the top division, but lost all of them. In the first game, the team managed four goals on the West Germany but it was not enough as they lost 7-4. Four days later, after being destroyed by the Soviet Union, the Poles took on Czechoslovakia who dominated the whole game throughout and won 7-1, but after the drug testing, the officials found that one of the Czech players tested positive for doping and they awarded Poland with a 1-0 victory, although they didn't receive any points in the standings. With only two games left and no points in the standings, Poland had no shot at a medal, but still played the last two games against the USA and Finland, and lost 7-2 and 7-1 respectively.
Financed by state coal money from the 1950s to the 1970s the Polish hockey team was a regular at the top level upsetting the Swedes, Finns, and Czechoslovaks from time to time. They hosted the World Championship for the only time in [[1976 World Ice Hockey Championships|1976]], with the matches taking place in [[Katowice]]. At this tournament Poland defeated the [[Soviet Union men's national ice hockey team|Soviet Union]] 6–4 in their opening match, the first time Poland ever won against the Soviets and what is regarded as one of the greatest upsets in international hockey history. While Poland finished seventh and was relegated for the following year, their victory against the USSR helped prevent them from winning gold for only the second time in 13 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iihf.com/iihf-home/the-iihf/100-year-anniversary/100-top-stories/story-39/|title=Poland scores biggest shocker in World Championship history|author=IIHF|year=2008|publisher=IIHF.com|access-date=6 May 2017}}</ref>


Poland managed to clean up a bit over four years and played well during the 1980 Olympics and finished seventh out of twelve teams. They managed to pull off a huge upset in their first game by beating Finland 5-4, who would eventually advance to the medal round. In their next game, they played Canada and hoped to complete an even bigger upset. The Canadians didn't let this happen and beat the Poles 5-1. In the third game, Poland took on the five time Gold Medalists, The Soviet Union. The players knew that this would be a challenge because they had played the Soviets many times before and had lost by usually very lopsided scores, such as 8-3, 9-3, 16-1, and 20-0. The Polish team, however, had also beaten the Soviets once in the 1976 World Championship and some of the players from that game were still on the team. The team tried to keep the Russians down, but it was too much and the USSR stormed to an 8-1 win. With their toughest games out of the way, Poland would have one more chance to try and get to the Medal Round. They took on the Netherlands and went down early in the first period but managed to tie it about four minutes later. The Dutch team scored twice more in the period to lead 3-1. Polish hero Wieslaw Jobczyk (who scored a hat trick in the 1976 upset against USSR) scored to put Poland within one goal but the Netherlands stormed back to get two more goals before the third period to make it 5-2. The Polish ended up losing 5-3 and saw their hopes of the Medal round come to an end. They had one more game against Japan, who had not won any games in the tournament and only tied once. Poland burst out in the first period and scored 3 goals before twenty minutes had ended. They scored two more goals and Japan seemed out of it. The final score was 5-1 for Poland. The team's final record was 2-3-0 and received 4 points in the standings.
[[File:Poland, national team (Sanok 12.04.2006).jpg|thumb|right|The national team in 2006.]]
In the Olympics earlier that year, [[Poland]] played 5 matches in the top division, but lost all of them. In the first game, the team managed four goals on the [[West German national ice hockey team|West Germany]] but it was not enough as they lost 7–4. Four days later, after being destroyed by the [[Soviet Union national ice hockey team|Soviet Union]], the Poles took on [[Czechoslovakian national ice hockey team|Czechoslovakia]] who dominated the whole game throughout and won 7–1, but after the drug testing, the officials found that one of the Czech players tested positive for doping and they awarded Poland with a 1–0 victory, although they didn't receive any points in the standings. With only two games left and no points in the standings, Poland had no shot at a medal, but still played the last two games against the United States and [[Finland]], and lost 7–2 and 7–1 respectively.


By the early 1980s, though, the Polish economy went into the tail spin and the money for the hockey programs vanished. Despite this Poland has managed to produce some NHL caliber talent including Mariusz Czerkawski with the New York Islanders, Peter Sidorkiewicz for both the Hartford Whalers and the Ottawa Senators, and Krzysztof Oliwa for the New Jersey Devils where he won a Stanley Cup in 1999-2000.
Poland managed to clean up a bit over four years and played well during the [[1980 Winter Olympic Games|1980 Olympics]] and finished seventh out of twelve teams. They managed to pull off a huge upset in their first game by beating [[Finland]] 5–4, who would eventually advance to the medal round. In their next game, they played Canada and hoped to complete an even bigger upset. The Canadians didn't let this happen and beat the Poles 5–1. In the third game, Poland took on the five time gold medalists, the [[Soviet Union]]. The players knew that this would be a challenge because they had played the Soviets many times before and had lost by usually very lopsided scores, such as 8–3, 9–3, 16–1, and 20–0. The Polish team, however, had also beaten the Soviets once in the 1976 World Championship and some of the players from that game were still on the team. The team tried to keep the Soviets down, but it was too much and the [[USSR national ice hockey team|USSR]] stormed to an 8–1 win.
 
[[File:Rep. of Korea vs. Poland at 2017 IIHF World Championship Division I 20.jpg|left|thumb|Poland at the [[2017 IIHF World Championship Division I|2017 World Championship Division IA]] tournament in Ukraine. They finished fourth.]]
With their toughest games out of the way, Poland would have one more chance to try to get to the Medal Round. They took on the [[Netherlands]] and went down early in the first period but managed to tie it about four minutes later. The Dutch team scored twice more in the period to lead 3–1. Polish hero Wieslaw Jobczyk (who scored a hat trick in the 1976 upset against [[USSR]]) scored to put Poland within one goal but the [[Netherlands]] stormed back to get two more goals before the third period to make it 5–2. The Poles ended up losing 5–3 and saw their hopes for the medal round come to an end. They had one more game against Japan, who had not won any games in the tournament and only tied once. Poland burst out in the first period and scored 3 goals before twenty minutes had ended. They scored two more goals and Japan seemed out of it. The final score was 5–1 for Poland. The team's final record was 2–3–0 and it received 4 points in the standings.
 
When Communist rule ended in 1989, the Polish national team began a slow decline in international play. They reached the Olympics in 1992, the most recent time they have played there, and finished eleventh out of twelve teams. During the 1990s the first two Polish-born and trained players were selected in the NHL Entry Draft: Mariusz Czerkawski was selected in the 1991 by the Boston Bruins, and Krzysztof Oliwa in 1993 by the New Jersey Devils; Oliwa won the Stanley Cup with the Devils in 2000, the first and only Pole to do so.
 
Prior to 2024, Poland last competed at the Elite level in [[2002 IIHF World Championship|2002 World Championship]], where they finished fourteenth and were relegated. They then remained in Division I until they were relegated to Division IB in 2018, the lowest they had ever played at. The White Eagles finally returned to the elite level after finishing runner-up in group A in [[2023 IIHF World Championship Division I|2023]]. They played in the [[2024 IIHF World Championship]] in Group B.


==Tournament record==
==Tournament record==
Line 110: Line 121:
*2003 – 19th place (2nd in Division I, Group A)
*2003 – 19th place (2nd in Division I, Group A)
*2004 – 21st place (3rd in Division I, Group B)
*2004 – 21st place (3rd in Division I, Group B)
*2005 – 19th place (2nd in Division I, Group A)
* [[2005 IIHF World Championship Division I|2005]] – 19th place (2nd in Division I, Group A)
*2006 – 21st place (3rd in Division I, Group B)
* [[2006 IIHF World Championship Division I|2006]] – 21st place (3rd in Division I, Group B)
*2007 – 20th place (2nd in Division I, Group A)
* [[2007 IIHF World Championship Division I|2007]] – 20th place (2nd in Division I, Group A)
*2008 – 22nd place (3rd in Division I, Group A)
* [[2008 IIHF World Championship Division I|2008]] – 22nd place (3rd in Division I, Group A)
*2009 – 23rd place (4th in Division I, Group B)
* [[2009 IIHF World Championship Division I|2009]] – 23rd place (4th in Division I, Group B)
*2010 – 22nd place (3rd in Division I, Group B)
* [[2010 IIHF World Championship Division I|2010]] – 22nd place (3rd in Division I, Group B)
*2011 – 23rd place (4th in Division I, Group B)
* [[2011 IIHF World Championship Division I|2011]] – 23rd place (4th in Division I, Group B)
*2012 – 24th place (2nd in Division I, Group B)
* [[2012 IIHF World Championship Division I|2012]] – 24th place (2nd in Division I, Group B)
*2013 – 24th place (2nd in Division I, Group B)
* [[2013 IIHF World Championship Division I|2013]] – 24th place (2nd in Division I, Group B)
*2014 – 23rd place (1st in Division I, Group B)
* [[2014 IIHF World Championship Division I|2014]] – 23rd place (1st in Division I, Group B)
*2015 – 19th place (3rd in Division I, Group A)
* [[2015 IIHF World Championship Division I|2015]] – 19th place (3rd in Division I, Group A)
* [[2016 IIHF World Championship Division I|2016]] – 19th place (3rd in Division I, Group A)
* [[2017 IIHF World Championship Division I|2017]] – 20th place (4th in Division I, Group A)
* [[2018 IIHF World Championship Division I|2018]] – 22nd place (6th in Division I, Group A)
* [[2019 IIHF World Championship Division I|2019]] – 24th place (2nd in Division I, Group B)
* [[2020 IIHF World Championship Division I|2020]] – Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2020/wmia/news/18320/iihf-cancels-division-i-tournaments|title=IIHF cancels Division I tournaments|date=17 March 2019|work=iihf.com}}</ref>
* [[2021 IIHF World Championship Division I|2021]] – Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic<ref>{{Cite web|title=IIHF – IIHF Council announces more cancellations|url=https://www.iihf.com/en/news/23178/iihf-council-announces-more-cancellations|access-date=18 November 2020|publisher=International Ice Hockey Federation}}</ref>
* [[2022 IIHF World Championship Division I|2022]] – 21st place (1st in Division I, Group B)
* [[2023 IIHF World Championship Division I|2023]] – 18th place (2nd in Division I, Group A)
* [[2024 IIHF World Championship|2024]] – 16th place


===European Championships===
===European Championships===
Line 127: Line 147:
*1929 – Won silver medal
*1929 – Won silver medal


==Head-to-head records==
Updated as of 20 May 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-08-07 |title=Poland - National Teams of Ice Hockey |url=https://nationalteamsoficehockey.com/poland/ |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=nationalteamsoficehockey.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Defunct national teams are listed in ''italics.''
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
! Opponent
! Played
! Won
! Drawn
! Lost
! GF
! GA
! GD
|- bgcolor="#d0ffd0" align="center"
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|{{ih|AUS}} || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 5 || 3 || +2
|- bgcolor=#FFCCCC
|{{ih|AUT}} || 60 || 26 || 3 || 31 || 183 || 181 || +2
|- bgcolor=#FFCCCC
|{{ih|BLR}} || 17 || 4 || 0 || 13 || 38 || 77 || +39
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|{{ih|BEL}} || 5 || 4 || 1 || 0 || 29 || 6 || +23
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|{{ih|BUL}} || 2 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 27 || 2 || +25
|- bgcolor=#FFCCCC
|{{ih|CAN}} || 25 || 0 || 1 || 24 || 22 || 175 || -153
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|{{ih|CHN}} || 6 || 6 || 0 || 0 || 79 || 11 || +68
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|{{ih|CRO}} || 5 || 5 || 0 || 0 || 33 || 4 || +29
|- bgcolor=#FFFFCC
|{{ih|CZE}} || 1 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 2 || 2 || 0
|- bgcolor=#FFCCCC
|''{{ih|TCH}}'' || 44 || 2 || 2 || 40 || 58 || 336 || -278
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|{{ih|DEN}} || 32 || 18 || 3 || 11 || 134 || 102 || +32
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|''{{ih|GDR}}'' || 71 || 35 || 13 || 23 || 302 || 234 || +68
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|{{ih|EST}} || 20 || 18 || 1 || 1 || 99 || 36 || +63
|- bgcolor=#FFCCCC
|{{ih|FIN}} || 52 || 5 || 8 || 39 || 107 || 264 || −157
|- bgcolor=#FFCCCC
|{{ih|FRA}} || 54 || 21 || 6 || 27 || 146 || 154 || -8
|- bgcolor=#FFCCCC
|{{ih|GER}} || 54 || 16 || 7 || 31 || 161 || 192 || -31
|- bgcolor=#FFCCCC
|{{ih|GBR}} || 38 || 10 || 2 || 26 || 113 || 133 || -20
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|{{ih|HUN}} || 67 || 36 || 6 || 25 || 210 || 146 || +64
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|{{ih|ITA}} || 57 || 32 || 4 || 21 || 187 || 140 || +47
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|{{ih|JPN}} || 42 || 34 || 2 || 6 || 214 || 98 || +116
|- bgcolor=#FFCCCC
|{{ih|KAZ}} || 22 || 2 || 1 || 19 || 43 || 84 || -41
|- bgcolor=#FFCCCC
|{{ih|LAT}} || 21 || 5 || 0 || 16 || 50 || 72 || -22
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|{{ih|LTU}} || 22 || 18 || 0 || 4 || 126 || 47 || +79
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|{{ih|NED}} || 40 || 35 || 2 || 3 || 209 || 85 || +124
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|{{ih|NOR}} || 77 || 39 || 7 || 31 || 316 || 243 || +73
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|{{ih|ROU}} || 62 || 50 || 5 || 7 || 390 || 106 || +284
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|{{ih|SRB}} || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 10 || 2 || +8
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|''{{ih|SCG}}'' || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 13 || 2 || +11
|- bgcolor=#FFCCCC
|{{ih|SVK}} || 9 || 0 || 1 || 8 || 12 || 51 || −39
|- bgcolor=#FFCCCC
|{{ih|SLO}} || 27 || 8 || 0 || 19 || 57 || 77 || -20
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|{{ih|KOR}} || 15 || 10 || 0 || 5 || 59 || 32 || +27
|- bgcolor=#FFCCCC
|''{{ih|URS}}'' || 33 || 1 || 0 || 32 || 43 || 321 || -278
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|{{ih|ESP}} || 2 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 9 || 1 || +8
|- bgcolor=#FFCCCC
|{{ih|SWE}} || 37 || 5 || 4 || 28 || 62 || 232 || −170
|- bgcolor=#FFFFCC
|{{ih|SUI}} || 46 || 20 || 6 || 20 || 159 || 165 || -6
|- bgcolor=#FFCCCC
|{{ih|UKR}} || 43 || 18 || 2 || 23 || 115 || 132 || -17
|- bgcolor=#FFCCCC
|{{ih|USA}} || 36 || 6 || 2 || 28 || 43 || 191 || −148
|- bgcolor=#CCFFCC
|''{{ih|YUG}}'' || 21 || 19 || 1 || 1 || 139 || 53 || +86
|-
!Total !! 1 168 || 515 || 91 || 562 || 4 004 || 4 192 || -188
|}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.pzhl.org.pl/ Official website]
*[http://www.pzhl.org.pl/ Official website]

Latest revision as of 19:44, 6 August 2024

Poland
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) The Eagles
Association Polish Ice Hockey Federation
Most games Henryk Gruth (248)
Top scorer Wiesław Jobczyk (88)
Most points Marcin Kolusz (151)
IIHF code POL
IIHF ranking 21
Highest IIHF ranking 19 (2003)
Lowest IIHF ranking 25 (2014)
Team colors          
First international
Flag of Austria.svg.png Austria 13–1 Poland Flag of Poland.svg.png
(Davos, Switzerland; 11 January 1926)
Biggest win
Flag of Poland.svg.png Poland 21–1 China Flag of China.svg.png
(Eindhoven, Netherlands; 26 March 1993)
Biggest defeat
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg.png Soviet Union 20–0 Poland Flag of Poland.svg.png
(Moscow, Soviet Union; 11 April 1973)
IIHF World Championships
Appearances 60 (first in 1930)
Best result 4th (1931)
IIHF European Championships
Appearances 3 (first in 1926)
Best result Silver medal icon.png (1929)
Olympics
Appearances 13 (first in 1928)
International record (W–L–T)
515–562–91

main

The Poland national men's ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team of Poland, and a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. They are ranked 21st in the world in the IIHF World Rankings, but prior to the 1980s they were ranked as high as 6th internationally. They are one of eight countries never to have played below the Division I (former B Pool) level. As of 2024 the Polish national team plays at the top level of the World Championship.

Poland has competed in the Olympics thirteen times, most recently in 1992, with their best result being fourth place in 1932. They have been a regular participant of the World Championship, first appearing in 1930 and having appeared in all but one tournament since 1955. They frequently played in the top division, though were in Division I after being relegated in 2002. Poland made a return to the top division of the World Championship for 2024.

History

Poland at the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland, their first appearance at the Winter Olympics. They finished ninth.

Poland was a regular participant of the early Winter Olympics, first competing at the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland, where they finished ninth out of eleven teams. They would appear at ever Winter Olympics until 1956, with their best finish being fourth in 1932.

Financed by state coal money from the 1950s to the 1970s the Polish hockey team was a regular at the top level upsetting the Swedes, Finns, and Czechoslovaks from time to time. They hosted the World Championship for the only time in 1976, with the matches taking place in Katowice. At this tournament Poland defeated the Soviet Union 6–4 in their opening match, the first time Poland ever won against the Soviets and what is regarded as one of the greatest upsets in international hockey history. While Poland finished seventh and was relegated for the following year, their victory against the USSR helped prevent them from winning gold for only the second time in 13 years.[1]

The national team in 2006.

In the Olympics earlier that year, Poland played 5 matches in the top division, but lost all of them. In the first game, the team managed four goals on the West Germany but it was not enough as they lost 7–4. Four days later, after being destroyed by the Soviet Union, the Poles took on Czechoslovakia who dominated the whole game throughout and won 7–1, but after the drug testing, the officials found that one of the Czech players tested positive for doping and they awarded Poland with a 1–0 victory, although they didn't receive any points in the standings. With only two games left and no points in the standings, Poland had no shot at a medal, but still played the last two games against the United States and Finland, and lost 7–2 and 7–1 respectively.

Poland managed to clean up a bit over four years and played well during the 1980 Olympics and finished seventh out of twelve teams. They managed to pull off a huge upset in their first game by beating Finland 5–4, who would eventually advance to the medal round. In their next game, they played Canada and hoped to complete an even bigger upset. The Canadians didn't let this happen and beat the Poles 5–1. In the third game, Poland took on the five time gold medalists, the Soviet Union. The players knew that this would be a challenge because they had played the Soviets many times before and had lost by usually very lopsided scores, such as 8–3, 9–3, 16–1, and 20–0. The Polish team, however, had also beaten the Soviets once in the 1976 World Championship and some of the players from that game were still on the team. The team tried to keep the Soviets down, but it was too much and the USSR stormed to an 8–1 win.

Poland at the 2017 World Championship Division IA tournament in Ukraine. They finished fourth.

With their toughest games out of the way, Poland would have one more chance to try to get to the Medal Round. They took on the Netherlands and went down early in the first period but managed to tie it about four minutes later. The Dutch team scored twice more in the period to lead 3–1. Polish hero Wieslaw Jobczyk (who scored a hat trick in the 1976 upset against USSR) scored to put Poland within one goal but the Netherlands stormed back to get two more goals before the third period to make it 5–2. The Poles ended up losing 5–3 and saw their hopes for the medal round come to an end. They had one more game against Japan, who had not won any games in the tournament and only tied once. Poland burst out in the first period and scored 3 goals before twenty minutes had ended. They scored two more goals and Japan seemed out of it. The final score was 5–1 for Poland. The team's final record was 2–3–0 and it received 4 points in the standings.

When Communist rule ended in 1989, the Polish national team began a slow decline in international play. They reached the Olympics in 1992, the most recent time they have played there, and finished eleventh out of twelve teams. During the 1990s the first two Polish-born and trained players were selected in the NHL Entry Draft: Mariusz Czerkawski was selected in the 1991 by the Boston Bruins, and Krzysztof Oliwa in 1993 by the New Jersey Devils; Oliwa won the Stanley Cup with the Devils in 2000, the first and only Pole to do so.

Prior to 2024, Poland last competed at the Elite level in 2002 World Championship, where they finished fourteenth and were relegated. They then remained in Division I until they were relegated to Division IB in 2018, the lowest they had ever played at. The White Eagles finally returned to the elite level after finishing runner-up in group A in 2023. They played in the 2024 IIHF World Championship in Group B.

Tournament record

Olympic Games

  • 1928 – 9th place
  • 1932 – 4th place
  • 1936 – 9th place
  • 1948 – 6th place
  • 1952 – 6th place
  • 1956 – 8th place
  • 1964 – 9th place
  • 1972 – 6th place
  • 1976 – 6th place
  • 1980 – 7th place
  • 1984 – 8th place
  • 1988 – 10th place
  • 1992 – 11th place

World Championship

  • 1930 – 5th place
  • 1931 – 4th place
  • 1933 – 7th place
  • 1935 – 10th place
  • 1937 – 8th place
  • 1938 – 7th place
  • 1939 – 6th place
  • 1947 – 6th place
  • 1955 – 7th place
  • 1957 – 6th place
  • 1958 – 8th place
  • 1959 – 11th place
  • 1961 – 13th place (5th in Pool B)
  • 1963 – 12th place (4th in Pool B)
  • 1965 – 9th place (1st in Pool B)
  • 1966 – 8th place
  • 1967 – 9th place (1st in Pool B)
  • 1969 – 8th place (2nd in Pool B)
  • 1970 – 6th place
  • 1971 – 8th place (2nd in Pool B)
  • 1972 – 7th place (1st in Pool B)
  • 1973 – 5th place
  • 1974 – 5th place
  • 1975 – 5th place
  • 1976 – 7th place
  • 1977 – 10th place (2nd in Pool B)
  • 1978 – 9th place (1st in Pool B)
  • 1979 – 8th place
  • 1981 – 10th place (2nd in Pool B)
  • 1982 – 11th place (3rd in Pool B)
  • 1983 – 10th place (2nd in Pool B)
  • 1985 – 9th place (1st in Pool B)
  • 1986 – 8th place
  • 1987 – 9th place (1st in Pool B)
  • 1989 – 8th place
  • 1990 – 14th place (6th in Pool B)
  • 1991 – 12th place (4th in Pool B)
  • 1992 – 12th place
  • 1993 – 14th place (2nd in Pool B)
  • 1994 – 15th place (3rd in Pool B)
  • 1995 – 15th place (3rd in Pool B)
  • 1996 – 17th place (5th in Pool B)
  • 1997 – 17th place (5th in Pool B)
  • 1998 – 23rd place (7th in Pool B)
  • 1999 – 23rd place (7th in Pool B)
  • 2000 – 20th place (4th in Pool B)
  • 2001 – 18th place (1st in Division I, Group A)
  • 2002 – 14th place
  • 2003 – 19th place (2nd in Division I, Group A)
  • 2004 – 21st place (3rd in Division I, Group B)
  • 2005 – 19th place (2nd in Division I, Group A)
  • 2006 – 21st place (3rd in Division I, Group B)
  • 2007 – 20th place (2nd in Division I, Group A)
  • 2008 – 22nd place (3rd in Division I, Group A)
  • 2009 – 23rd place (4th in Division I, Group B)
  • 2010 – 22nd place (3rd in Division I, Group B)
  • 2011 – 23rd place (4th in Division I, Group B)
  • 2012 – 24th place (2nd in Division I, Group B)
  • 2013 – 24th place (2nd in Division I, Group B)
  • 2014 – 23rd place (1st in Division I, Group B)
  • 2015 – 19th place (3rd in Division I, Group A)
  • 2016 – 19th place (3rd in Division I, Group A)
  • 2017 – 20th place (4th in Division I, Group A)
  • 2018 – 22nd place (6th in Division I, Group A)
  • 2019 – 24th place (2nd in Division I, Group B)
  • 2020 – Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[2]
  • 2021 – Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[3]
  • 2022 – 21st place (1st in Division I, Group B)
  • 2023 – 18th place (2nd in Division I, Group A)
  • 2024 – 16th place

European Championships

  • 1926 – 7th place
  • 1927 – 4th place
  • 1929 – Won silver medal

Head-to-head records

Updated as of 20 May 2024.[4] Defunct national teams are listed in italics.

Opponent Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD
Flag of Australia.svg.png Australia 1 1 0 0 5 3 +2
Flag of Austria.svg.png Austria 60 26 3 31 183 181 +2
Flag of Belarus.svg.png Belarus 17 4 0 13 38 77 +39
Flag of Belgium.svg.png Belgium 5 4 1 0 29 6 +23
Flag of Bulgaria.svg.png Bulgaria 2 2 0 0 27 2 +25
Flag of Canada.svg.png Canada 25 0 1 24 22 175 -153
Flag of China.svg.png China 6 6 0 0 79 11 +68
Flag of Croatia.svg.png Croatia 5 5 0 0 33 4 +29
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg.png Czech Republic 1 0 1 0 2 2 0
Flag of Czechoslovakia.svg.png Czechoslovakia 44 2 2 40 58 336 -278
Flag of Denmark.svg.png Denmark 32 18 3 11 134 102 +32
Flag of East Germany.svg.png East Germany 71 35 13 23 302 234 +68
Flag of Estonia.svg.png Estonia 20 18 1 1 99 36 +63
Flag of Finland.svg.png Finland 52 5 8 39 107 264 −157
Flag of France.svg.png France 54 21 6 27 146 154 -8
Flag of Germany.svg.png Germany 54 16 7 31 161 192 -31
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg.png Great Britain 38 10 2 26 113 133 -20
Flag of Hungary.svg.png Hungary 67 36 6 25 210 146 +64
Flag of Italy.svg.png Italy 57 32 4 21 187 140 +47
Flag of Japan.svg.png Japan 42 34 2 6 214 98 +116
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg.png Kazakhstan 22 2 1 19 43 84 -41
Flag of Latvia.svg.png Latvia 21 5 0 16 50 72 -22
Flag of Lithuania.svg.png Lithuania 22 18 0 4 126 47 +79
Flag of the Netherlands.svg.png Netherlands 40 35 2 3 209 85 +124
Flag of Norway.svg.png Norway 77 39 7 31 316 243 +73
Flag of Romania.svg.png Romania 62 50 5 7 390 106 +284
Flag of Serbia.svg.png Serbia 1 1 0 0 10 2 +8
Flag of Serbia and Montenegro svg.png Serbia and Montenegro 1 1 0 0 13 2 +11
Flag of Slovakia.svg.png Slovakia 9 0 1 8 12 51 −39
Flag of Slovenia.svg.png Slovenia 27 8 0 19 57 77 -20
Flag of South Korea.svg.png South Korea 15 10 0 5 59 32 +27
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg.png Soviet Union 33 1 0 32 43 321 -278
Flag of Spain.svg.png Spain 2 2 0 0 9 1 +8
Flag of Sweden.svg.png Sweden 37 5 4 28 62 232 −170
Flag of Switzerland.svg.png Switzerland 46 20 6 20 159 165 -6
Flag of Ukraine.svg.png Ukraine 43 18 2 23 115 132 -17
Flag of the United States.svg.png United States 36 6 2 28 43 191 −148
Flag of Yugoslavia.svg.png Yugoslavia 21 19 1 1 139 53 +86
Total 1 168 515 91 562 4 004 4 192 -188

References

  1. ↑ IIHF (2008). "Poland scores biggest shocker in World Championship history". IIHF.com. http://www.iihf.com/iihf-home/the-iihf/100-year-anniversary/100-top-stories/story-39/. 
  2. ↑ "IIHF cancels Division I tournaments". iihf.com. 17 March 2019. https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2020/wmia/news/18320/iihf-cancels-division-i-tournaments. 
  3. ↑ "IIHF – IIHF Council announces more cancellations". International Ice Hockey Federation. https://www.iihf.com/en/news/23178/iihf-council-announces-more-cancellations. 
  4. ↑ "Poland - National Teams of Ice Hockey" (in en-US). 2016-08-07. https://nationalteamsoficehockey.com/poland/. 

External links


Men's National teams
Flag of Armenia.svg.png Armenia - Flag of Australia.svg.png Australia - Flag of Austria.svg.png Austria - Flag of Belgium.svg.png Belgium - Flag of Belarus.svg.png Belarus - Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg.png Bosnia - Flag of Bulgaria.svg.png Bulgaria
Flag of Canada.svg.png Canada - Flag of China.svg.png China - Flag of Chinese Taipei.svg.png Chinese Taipei - Flag of Croatia.svg.png Croatia - Flag of the Czech Republic.svg.png Czech Republic - Flag of Denmark.svg.png Denmark
Flag of Estonia.svg.png Estonia - Flag of Finland.svg.png Finland - Flag of France.svg.png France - Flag of Germany.svg.png Germany - Flag of Georgia.svg.png Georgia - Flag of Greece.svg.png Greece - Flag of the United Kingdom.svg.png Great Britain
Flag of Hong Kong.svg.png Hong Kong - Flag of Hungary.svg.png Hungary - Flag of Ireland.svg.png Ireland - Flag of Iceland.svg.png Iceland - Flag of Indonesia.svg.png Indonesia - Flag of Iran.png Iran - Flag of Israel.svg.png Israel - Flag of Italy.svg.png Italy
Flag of Japan.svg.png Japan - Flag of Kazakhstan.svg.png Kazakhstan - Flag of Kuwait.svg.png Kuwait - Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg.png Kyrgyzstan - Flag of Latvia.svg.png Latvia - Flag of Lithuania.svg.png Lithuania - Flag of Luxembourg.svg.png Luxembourg
Flag of Macau.svg.png Macau - Flag of Malaysia.svg.png Malaysia - Flag of Mexico.svg.png Mexico - Flag of Mongolia.svg.png Mongolia - Flag of North Korea.svg.png North Korea - Flag of Norway.svg.png Norway
Flag of New Zealand.svg.png New Zealand - Flag of the Netherlands.svg.png The Netherlands - Flag of the Philippines.svg.png Philippines - Flag of Poland.svg.png Poland - Flag of Romania.svg.png Romania - Flag of Russia.svg.png Russia - Flag of Serbia.svg.png Serbia
Flag of Singapore.svg.png Singapore - Flag of Slovakia.svg.png Slovakia - Flag of Slovenia.svg.png Slovenia - Flag of Spain.svg.png Spain - Flag of South Africa.svg.png South Africa - Flag of South Korea.svg.png South Korea
Flag of Sweden.svg.png Sweden - Flag of Switzerland.svg.png Switzerland - Flag of Thailand.svg.png Thailand - Flag of Turkey.svg.png Turkey - Flag of Turkmenistan.svg.png Turkmenistan - Flag of Ukraine.svg.png Ukraine - Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg.png UAE
Flag of the United States.svg.png United States
Defunct teams: Flag of Bohemia svg.png Bohemia - Flag of Bohmen und Mahren svg.png - Bohemia and Moravia - Flag of the CIS svg.png CIS - Flag of the Czech Republic.svg.png Czechoslovakia

Flag of East Germany.svg.png East Germany - Flag of Serbia and Montenegro svg.png Serbia and Montenegro - Flag of the Soviet Union.svg.png U.S.S.R. - Flag of Germany.svg.png West Germany - Flag of Yugoslavia.svg.png Yugoslavia

Teams that do not participate in IIHF competitions:
Flag of Algeria.svg.png Algeria - Flag of Andorra.svg.png Andorra - Flag of Argentina.svg.png Argentina - Flag of Azerbaijan.svg.png Azerbaijan - Flag of Brazil.svg.png Brazil - Flag of the Chile.svg.png Chile - Flag of Colombia.png Colombia - Flag of Egypt.png Egypt
Flag of India.svg.pngIndia - Flag of Jamaica.svg.png Jamaica - Flag of Lebanon.svg.png Lebanon - Flag of Liechtenstein.svg.png Liechtenstein - Flag of Morocco.svg.png Morocco - Flag of Macedonia.svg.png North Macedonia
Flag of Oman.svg.png Oman - Flag of Portugal.svg.png Portugal - Flag of Puerto Rico.svg.png Puerto Rico - Flag of Tunisia.svg.png Tunisia - Flag of Qatar.svg.png - Qatar - Flag of Uzbekistan.svg.png Uzbekistan
Non IIHF members: Flag of Bahrain.svg.png Bahrain - Flag of Costa Rica.png Costa Rica - Flag of Haiti.png Haiti - Flag of Falkland Islands.png Falkland Islands - Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg.png Saudi Arabia - Flag of Venezuela.svg.png Venezuela
Other teams: Flag of Basque Country.svg.png Basque Country - Flag of Catalonia.svg.png Catalonia - Flag of England.svg.png - England - Flag of Ulster.svg.png Northern Ireland - Flag of Saint Pierre and Miquelon.svg.png - Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Flag of Scotland.svg.png Scotland - Logo of Team Europe WCH 2016.png Team Europe - Logo of Team North America WCH 2016.png Team North America

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