1981 Ice Hockey World Championships
The 1981 Ice Hockey World Championships took place in Sweden between 12–26 April 1981, with games being played in the arenas of Scandinavium in Gothenburg and Johanneshovs isstadion in Stockholm. Eight teams took part, first splitting into two groups of four, with the best two from each group advancing to the final group. These teams then play each other in the final round. This was the 47th World Championships, and also the 58th European Championships. The Soviet Union became World Champions for the 17th time, and also won their twentieth European title. Don Cherry commented, "This is the best Russian team I've ever seen."