Ice hockey at the 1994 Winter Olympics
Sweden won its first Olympic gold medal in men's ice hockey.
The 18th Olympic ice hockey championship took place at the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway. Sweden claimed their first Olympic gold medal in the sport. Matches were held from February 12 to 27 at Fjellhallen in Gjøvik and Håkons Hall in Lillehammer. This tournament marked the last Olympic ice hockey competition without a women’s event, which was introduced in 1998.
Twelve teams qualified for the tournament. The top eleven nations from the 1993 World Championships earned automatic berths. For the final spot, five nations competed: the top two from Group B (Great Britain and Poland), the top nation from Group C (Latvia), the best Asian nation (Japan), and Slovakia. This was Slovakia’s first IIHF event.
The gold medal game was a dramatic affair. Sweden forced overtime by tying the score with under two minutes remaining in regulation. After a scoreless extra period, the game went to a shootout. Through the first five rounds, two players from each side scored: Petr Nedvěd and Paul Kariya for Canada, and Peter Forsberg and Magnus Svensson for Sweden. In the sixth round, both Nedvěd and Svensson missed. Forsberg then scored on Canadian goaltender Corey Hirsch to start the seventh round. Kariya took Canada’s seventh shot but was stopped by Swedish goaltender Tommy Salo, giving Sweden the gold.
In 1995, the Swedish postal service issued a commemorative stamp honoring Forsberg’s winning shootout goal. Because goaltender Corey Hirsch did not grant permission for his likeness to be used, his image on the stamp was altered by changing the color of his sweater and his player number.
Team France was the oldest team in the tournament, averaging 28 years of age. Team USA was the youngest, averaging 22 years and 11 months. Gold medalist Sweden averaged 26 years and 6 months. The tournament-wide average age was 26 years and 3 months.
The Media All-Stars were goaltender Tommy Salo; defencemen Brad Werenka and Timo Jutila; and forwards Mats Näslund, Peter Šťastný, and Patrik Juhlin.
- Gold medalist
- Sweden
- Silver medalist
- Canada
- Bronze medalist
- Finland
- Tournament dates
- 12 February to 27 February 1994
- Venues
- Fjellhallen in Gjøvik and Håkons Hall in Lillehammer
- Average age of tournament
- 26 years and 3 months
- Oldest team
- France (average 28 years)
- Youngest team
- USA (average 22 years and 11 months)
Lore & Background
The tournament featured twelve nations, with the top eleven from the 1993 World Championships qualifying directly. The twelfth spot was filled through a qualification involving Great Britain, Poland, Latvia, Japan, and Slovakia—the latter making its first IIHF event appearance. The preliminary round was divided into Group A and Group B, followed by a consolation round and a playoff round leading to the medal games.
Reader's Guide
The 1994 men's ice hockey tournament is historically significant as the last Olympic competition before the women's tournament debuted in 1998. Sweden's gold medal victory was its first in Olympic men's ice hockey, achieved in a dramatic shootout against Canada. The gold medal game saw Sweden tie the score with less than two minutes remaining, force a scoreless overtime, and win in a shootout that went seven rounds. Peter Forsberg's game-winning shootout goal was later commemorated on a Swedish postal stamp in 1995, with Canadian goaltender Corey Hirsch's likeness altered due to his refusal to grant permission. The tournament also marked the first IIHF event for Slovakia. The Media All-Stars included goaltender Tommy Salo, defencemen Brad Werenka and Timo Jutila, and forwards Mats Näslund, Peter Šťastný, and Patrik Juhlin.
Did You Know?
- Sweden won its first Olympic gold medal in men's ice hockey at the 1994 Winter Olympics.
- The gold medal game was decided by a shootout after a scoreless overtime; Sweden won 3-2 in the shootout.
- Peter Forsberg's game-winning shootout goal was memorialized on a Swedish stamp in 1995, with Canadian goaltender Corey Hirsch's sweater color and number changed because he did not grant permission.
- This was the last Olympic ice hockey competition without a women's tournament, which debuted in 1998.
More in Ice hockey at the Winter Olympics 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record