Olympic Winter Games 1998 / Ice Hockey (Men) / Qualification

→ Main article : 1998 men's Olympic ice hockey tournament

The qualification for the 1998 men's Olympic ice hockey tournament took place between October 1995 and February 1997. Before that, eight of the 14 participants had already qualified directly through their placements at the A World Cup in Sweden in 1995 , with Japan as the host. The remaining five places were played out in a multi-stage system and finally won by the national teams of Germany , Slovakia , Kazakhstan , Belarus and Austria . Norway was the only last participant to miss qualifying again.

Overview

competition	place	date	sub- contractor	viewers total	Games	O
Group A qualifying finals	Oberhausen	0Feb 6, 1997 - Feb 9, 1997 0	4th		6th
Group B qualifying round	innsbruck	0Feb 6, 1997 - Feb 9, 1997 0	4th		6th
Playoff	Duisburg	Feb 11, 1997	2		1
Regional qualification group A		Oct 25, 1995 - Dec 21, 1996	5		20th
Regional qualification group B	Tychy	Nov 17, 1996 - Feb 22, 1996	5		10
Regional qualification group C	Riga	Aug 27, 1996 - Sep 1 1996 0	5		10
Regional qualification group D	Harbin	0Feb 5, 1996 - Feb 8, 1996 0	3		3
Elimination round		Jan. 31, 1996 - Mar. 23 1996	5		4th

Direct qualification

The first eight nations of the 1995 World Cup in Sweden qualified directly for the tournament . The teams secured a bye for the preliminary round in the first six places and were thus set for the intermediate round. The two teams in the following two ranks, on the other hand, had to compete in the preliminary round against the five qualifiers and the hosts:

rank	country	World Cup group
1	Finland	A.
2	Sweden	A.
3	Canada	A.
4th	Czech Republic	A.
5	Russia	A.
6th	United States	A.
7th	Italy	A.
8th	France	A.
9	Germany	A.
10	Norway	A.
11	Austria	A.
12	Switzerland	A.
13	Slovakia	B.
14th	Latvia	B.
15th	Poland	B.
16	Netherlands	B.
17th	Denmark	B.
18th	Japan	B.
19th	Great Britain	B.
20th	Romania	B.

mode

The qualification was held in three rounds. First, two qualifiers were determined in an elimination. The next round was played in four regional groups, with the games of the 1996 Asian Winter Games being used for the Asian participants . The winners of the regional groups qualified for the final qualification, plus the three teams ranked 9th to 11th of the 1995 A World Cup and the winner of the B World Cup of the same year . This was held in two groups, with the two group winners and the two runners-up qualifying for the Olympics. The two third placed players ultimately played the fifth Olympic participant against each other.

Elimination round

To group B

January 31, 1996

Israel

2:10 (1: 5, 1: 4, 0: 1)

Greece

Canada Center , Metulla

Because of the use of ineligible players, the game was rated 5-0 for Israel. The game took place after the tournament to qualify for the 1996 World Cup in Metulla.

March 23, 1996

Yugoslavia

5: 3 (2: 1, 0: 2, 3: 0)

Israel

Kauno ledo arena , Kaunas

Valued 5-0 for Yugoslavia because of the use of ineligible players. The game took place in the run-up to the 1996 World Cup in Kaunas , Lithuania .

To group C

January 26, 1996

Hungary

7: 0 (1: 0, 4: 0, 2: 0)

Croatia

Ice rink , Székesfehérvár

January 28, 1996

Hungary

6: 0 (1: 0, 3: 0, 2: 0)

Croatia

Ice rink, Székesfehérvár

Regional qualification

Group A

Olympic qualification, group A.
Number of nations	5
Qualifier	Switzerland
Venue (s)	15 venues in 5 countries
opening	October 25, 1995
Final day	December 21, 1996
Gates	136 (6.80 per game)

Group A (Western / Central Europe) was played back and forth between October 25, 1995 and December 12, 1996.

October 25, 1995

Great Britain

4: 1 (2: 0, 2: 1, 0: 0)

Netherlands

Bladerunner Arena , Milton Keynes

November 4th 1995

Denmark

4: 2 (0: 1, 4: 0, 0: 1)

Slovenia

Skøjte Arena , Rødovre

December 13, 1995

Great Britain

1: 1 (1: 0, 0: 0, 0: 1)

Denmark

Bladerunner Arena, Milton Keynes

December 20, 1995

Switzerland

2: 2 (1: 0, 1: 1, 0: 1)

Great Britain

Patinoire de Malley , Lausanne

December 21, 1995

Netherlands

0: 8 (0: 2, 0: 2, 0: 4)

Slovenia

IJssportcentrum , Eindhoven

December 23, 1995

Netherlands

1: 7 (0: 2, 1: 1, 0: 4)

Switzerland

PWA Sportcentrum , Zoetermeer

January 17, 1996

Slovenia

4: 5 (2: 1, 0: 3, 2: 1)

Great Britain

Hala Tivoli , Ljubljana

February 7, 1996

Switzerland

5: 3 (2: 3, 0: 0, 3: 0)

Slovenia

Hallenstadion , Chur

February 7, 1996

Denmark

2: 3 (1: 1, 0: 2, 1: 0)

Great Britain

Skøjte Arena, Rødovre

February 10, 1996

Denmark

2: 6 (0: 2, 1: 3, 1: 1)

Switzerland

Skøjte Arena, Rødovre

April 3, 1996

Slovenia

1: 4 (0: 2, 0: 2, 1: 0)

Switzerland

Dvorana Podmežakla , Jesenice

April 6, 1996

Switzerland

7: 1 (1: 0, 3: 0, 3: 1)

Netherlands

Ice rink Lido , Rapperswil-Jona

October 29, 1996

Slovenia

5: 1 (1: 0, 2: 1, 2: 0)

Denmark

Hala Tivoli, Ljubljana

November 2, 1996

Denmark

4: 0 (0: 0, 3: 0, 1: 0)

Netherlands

Skøjtehal , Odense

November 6, 1996

Slovenia

9: 0 (4: 0, 2: 0, 3: 0)

Netherlands

Ledena dvorana Golovec , Celje

November 12, 1996

Great Britain

5: 0 (3: 0, 2: 0, 0: 0)

Slovenia

Sheffield Arena , Sheffield

December 12, 1996

Netherlands

2: 8 (1: 3, 1: 4, 0: 1)

Great Britain

Thialf , Heerenveen

December 15, 1996

Netherlands

3: 8 (0: 4, 2: 3, 1: 1)

Denmark

Triavium , Nijmegen

December 18, 1996

Great Britain

3: 3 (2: 2, 1: 1, 0: 0)

Switzerland

Sheffield Arena, Sheffield Spectators: 5,278

December 21, 1996

Switzerland

8: 1 (4: 0, 2: 1, 2: 0)

Denmark

Schluefweg , Kloten

Pl.		Sp	S.	U	N	Gates	Points
1.	Switzerland	8th	6th	2	0	42:14	14: 02
2.	Great Britain	8th	5	3	0	31:16	13: 03
3.	Denmark	8th	3	1	4th	23:27	07: 09
4th	Slovenia	8th	3	0	5	32:24	06:10
5.	Netherlands	8th	0	0	8th	08:55	00:16

Abbreviations: Pl. = Place, Sp = games, S = wins, U = draws, N = defeats
Explanations: Participants in the qualifying round

Group B

Olympic qualification, group B
Number of nations	5
Qualifier	Ukraine
Venue (s)	Tychy , Poland
opening	November 17, 1996
Final day	November 22, 1996
Gates	118 (11.80 per game)

Group B (Eastern / Central Europe) was played as a tournament from November 17-22 , 1996 in Tychy , Poland .

venue

Tychy , Poland

Tychy Venue of the qualification

Venue

Stadion Zimowy Capacity: 2,753

Exterior view of the hall

November 17, 1996

Yugoslavia

2:13 (1: 4, 0: 5, 1: 4)

Poland

Zimowy Stadium, Tychy

November 17, 1996

Bulgaria

2: 7 (0: 0, 0: 3, 2: 4)

Romania

Zimowy Stadium, Tychy

November 18, 1996

Ukraine

21: 0 (10: 0, 6: 0, 5: 0)

Yugoslavia

Zimowy Stadium, Tychy

November 18, 1996

Poland

14: 0 (5: 0, 5: 0, 4: 0)

Bulgaria

Zimowy Stadium, Tychy

November 19, 1996

Ukraine

10: 0 (2: 0, 3: 0, 5: 0)

Romania

Zimowy Stadium, Tychy

November 20, 1996

Romania

3: 6 (1: 0, 1: 4, 1: 2)

Poland

Zimowy Stadium, Tychy

November 20, 1996

Yugoslavia

2: 5 (0: 1, 1: 2, 1: 2)

Bulgaria

Zimowy Stadium, Tychy

November 21, 1996

Bulgaria

0:17 (0: 6, 0: 7, 0: 4)

Ukraine

Zimowy Stadium, Tychy

November 22, 1996

Poland

3: 3 (0: 1, 2: 1, 1: 1)

Ukraine

Zimowy Stadium, Tychy

November 22, 1996

Romania

9: 4 (2: 1, 3: 2, 4: 1)

Yugoslavia

Zimowy Stadium, Tychy

Pl.		Sp	S.	U	N	Gates	Points
1.	Ukraine	4th	3	1	0	51: 03	7: 1
2.	Poland	4th	3	1	0	36: 09	7: 1
3.	Romania	4th	2	0	2	19:22	4: 4
4th	Bulgaria	4th	1	0	3	04:40	2: 6
5.	Yugoslavia	4th	0	0	4th	08:48	0: 8

Abbreviations: Pl. = Place, Sp = games, S = wins, U = draws, N = defeats
Explanations: Participants in the qualifying round

Group C

Olympic qualification, group C
Number of nations	5
Qualifier	Belarus
Venue (s)	Riga , Latvia
opening	August 27, 1996
Final day	September 1, 1996
Gates	142 (13.20 per game)

Group C (Eastern Europe) was played in tournament form in Riga , Latvia from August 27 to September 1, 1996.

venue

Riga , Latvia

Riga Venue of the qualification

Venue

Discount hall capacity: 6,500

Exterior view of the hall

August 27, 1996

Belarus

13: 1 (3: 1, 6: 0, 4: 0)

Hungary

Discount hall, Riga

August 27, 1996

Lithuania

0:27 (0:10, 0: 8, 0: 9)

Latvia

Discount hall, Riga

August 28, 1996

Hungary

9: 4 (3: 2, 2: 0, 4: 2)

Lithuania

Discount hall, Riga

August 28, 1996

Estonia

1:16 (0: 3, 1: 6, 0: 7)

Belarus

Discount hall, Riga

August 29, 1996

Latvia

15: 0 (3: 0, 7: 0, 5: 0)

Estonia

Discount hall, Riga

August 29, 1996

Belarus

21: 1 (7: 1, 5: 0, 9: 0)

Lithuania

Discount hall, Riga

August 30, 1996

Hungary

2:10 (1: 4, 1: 2, 0: 4)

Latvia

Discount hall, Riga

August 31, 1996

Lithuania

3: 9 (0: 2, 2: 1, 1: 6)

Estonia

Discount hall, Riga

September 1, 1996

Estonia

4: 7 (0: 3, 1: 2, 3: 2)

Hungary

Discount hall, Riga

September 1, 1996

Latvia

1: 4 (1: 3, 0: 1, 0: 0)

Belarus

Discount hall, Riga

Pl.		Sp	S.	U	N	Gates	Points
1.	Belarus	4th	4th	0	0	54: 04	8-0
2.	Latvia	4th	3	0	1	53: 06	6: 2
3.	Hungary	4th	2	0	2	13:31	4: 4
4th	Estonia	4th	1	0	3	14:41	2: 6
5.	Lithuania	4th	0	0	4th	08:66	0: 8

Abbreviations: Pl. = Place, Sp = games, S = wins, U = draws, N = defeats
Explanations: Participants in the qualifying round

Group D

Olympic qualification, group D.
Number of nations	3
Qualifier	Kazakhstan
Venue (s)	Harbin , People's Republic of China
opening	5th February 1996
Final day	February 8, 1996
Gates	38 (12.67 per game)

In Group D, which only included the Asian participants, the results of the 1996 Asian Winter Games , which took place from February 5 to 8, 1996 in the Chinese port city of Harbin , counted towards qualifying. The games took place in the 5,000-seat Baqu Arena .

At the tournament of the Asian Winter Games, Japan, who had already qualified as host for the Olympics, also took part in the tournament. The games of the teams in qualifying against the Japanese were not included in the qualifying table. In the end, the Kazakh team , which had narrowly missed the jump into the B group of the World Cup last year, with two wins and a goal difference of 29: 1 clearly prevailed against the two opponents from the People's Republic of China and South Korea and reached the final round of the Qualification.

venue

Harbin , People's Republic of China

Harbin Venue of the qualification

Venue

Baqu Arena Capacity: 5,000

5th February 1996

People's Republic of China

6: 2 (2: 2, 1: 0, 3: 0)

South Korea

Baqu Arena, Harbin

February 6, 1996

Kazakhstan

20: 0 (8: 0, 8: 0, 4: 0)

People's Republic of China

Baqu Arena, Harbin

February 8, 1996

South Korea

1: 9 (0: 3, 0: 3, 1: 3)

Kazakhstan

Baqu Arena, Harbin

Pl.		Sp	S.	U	N	Gates	Points
1.	Kazakhstan	2	2	0	0	29: 01	4-0
2.	People's Republic of China	2	1	0	1	06:22	2: 2
3.	South Korea	2	0	0	2	03:15	0: 4

Abbreviations: Pl. = Place, Sp = games, S = wins, U = draws, N = defeats
Explanations: Participants in the qualifying round

Qualifying round

Group A

Olympic qualification, group A.
Number of nations	4th
Qualifiers	Germany Slovakia
Venue (s)	Oberhausen , Germany
opening	February 6, 1997
Final day	February 9, 1997
Gates	32 (5.33 per game)

The group A tournament took place from February 6th to 9th in the König-Pilsener-Arena in Oberhausen , Germany .

venue

Oberhausen , Germany

Oberhausen Venue of the qualification

Venue

Arena Oberhausen Capacity: 12,650

Aerial view of the arena

February 6, 1997 3:00 p.m. (local time)

Slovakia

3: 3 (0: 0, 2: 1, 1: 2)

Switzerland

Arena Oberhausen, Oberhausen

February 6, 1997 7:50 pm

Germany

4: 4 (0: 0, 2: 2, 2: 2)

Ukraine

Arena Oberhausen, Oberhausen

February 7, 1997 3:50 pm

Slovakia

4: 1 (1: 0, 2: 1, 1: 0)

Ukraine

Arena Oberhausen, Oberhausen

February 7, 1997 7:00 p.m.

Switzerland

1: 4 (1: 2, 0: 1, 0: 1)

Germany

Arena Oberhausen, Oberhausen

February 9, 1997 1:10 p.m.

Ukraine

1: 2 (1: 0, 0: 0, 0: 2)

Switzerland

Arena Oberhausen, Oberhausen

February 9, 1997 5:10 pm

Germany

3: 2 (1: 0, 1: 1, 1: 1)

Slovakia

Arena Oberhausen, Oberhausen

Pl.		Sp	S.	U	N	Gates	Points
1.	Germany	3	2	1	0	11: 07	5: 1
2.	Slovakia	3	1	1	1	09: 07	3: 3
3.	Switzerland	3	1	1	1	06: 08	3: 3
4th	Ukraine	3	0	1	2	06:10	1: 5

Abbreviations: Pl. = Place, Sp = games, S = victories, U = draws, N = defeats
Explanations: qualifier for the Olympic Winter Games , qualifier for the play-off

Group B

Olympic qualification, group B
Number of nations	4th
Qualifiers	Belarus Kazakhstan
Venue (s)	Innsbruck , Austria
opening	February 6, 1997
Final day	February 9, 1997
Gates	36 (6.00 per game)

The group B tournament in Innsbruck , Austria was played from February 6th to 9th, 1997.

venue

Innsbruck , Austria

innsbruck Venue of the qualification

Venue

Olympiahalle Innsbruck Capacity: 7,212

Exterior view of the Olympic Hall

February 6, 1997 4:00 p.m. (local time)

Norway

3: 3 (1: 1, 1: 2, 1: 0)

Kazakhstan

Olympic Hall, Innsbruck

February 6, 1997 7:30 p.m.

Austria

2: 6 (0: 2, 1: 1, 1: 3)

Belarus

Olympic Hall, Innsbruck

February 8, 1997 4:00 p.m.

Belarus

2: 2 (1: 1, 0: 0, 1: 1)

Norway

Olympic Hall, Innsbruck

February 8, 1997 7:30 p.m.

Austria

1: 4 (0: 1, 1: 1, 0: 2)

Kazakhstan

Olympic Hall, Innsbruck

February 9, 1997 4:00 p.m.

Kazakhstan

4: 4 (1: 1, 2: 3, 1: 0)

Belarus

Olympic Hall, Innsbruck

February 9, 1997 7:30 p.m.

Norway

1: 4 (0: 2, 0: 1, 1: 1)

Austria

Olympic Hall, Innsbruck

Pl.		Sp	S.	U	N	Gates	Points
1.	Belarus	3	1	2	0	12: 08	4: 2
2.	Kazakhstan	3	1	2	0	11: 08	4: 2
3.	Austria	3	1	0	2	07:11	2: 4
4th	Norway	3	0	2	1	06: 09	2: 4

Abbreviations: Pl. = Place, Sp = games, S = victories, U = draws, N = defeats
Explanations: qualifier for the Olympic Winter Games , qualifier for the play-off

Playoff

Exterior view of the ice rink in Duisburg

Two days after the end of the two qualifying tournaments, the two third-placed teams in the two groups played a playoff for the fifth and final qualifying place in the Olympic ice hockey tournament in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia . In the duel between the two Alpine republics, the Austrian team prevailed 2-0 and thus secured the qualification.

February 11, 1997 7:00 p.m. (local time)

Switzerland

0: 2 (0: 0, 0: 1, 0: 1)

Austria

Ice rink , Duisburg

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://www.hockeynut.com/olympics/nagarules.html
2. ↑ https://www.hockeyarchives.info/QualifJO1998.htm
3. ↑ http://hokej.sfrp.cz/oh/oh1997.html
4. ↑ http://avlh.sweb.cz/ZOH-1998.pdf