2008 IIHF World Ranking

The IIHF World Ranking is a ranking of the national teams of member countries of the International Ice Hockey Federation.

Ranking system

The ranking is based on the standings of the last Winter Olympics and the last four IIHF World Championships. The world champion/Olympic gold medal winner is awarded 1200 points. In general there is a 20 point interval between two ranks, for example the team finishing on position 14 receives 860 points and the team on position 15 receives 840 points. There is a 40-point interval between position 1 and 2, 2 and 3, 4 and 5 and 8 and 9. [cite web |url=http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/championships/world-ranking.html|publisher=IIHF|accessdate=2008-05-08 |title=IIHF World Ranking]

The results of more recent tournaments have a higher weight in the ranking. The last World Championship has 100% value, the tournament before 75% and so on. The Olympic tournament has the same value as the World Championship the same year. If several teams are equal on points, the position of most recent World Championship will decide the ranking of those teams.

The ranking has been criticized because it puts too much emphasis on the World Championship rather than the Olympics, and completely ignores the NHL-run World Cup. This can be particularly misleading because in the World Championship, many of the world's elite players are tied up in the NHL playoffs, unlike the World Cup (although, this tournament has not been held in the current ranking period) and (as of 2006) the Olympics.

The ranking is used to determine the seeding of the teams for the next World Championship and to select the teams which can participate in Winter Olympics without playing in the qualifying round. For the 2010 Winter Olympics the first nine teams of the Men's World Ranking and the first six of the Women's World Ranking can participate without qualification. The first ranking was released in 2003, based on the results of 2002 Olympics and World Championships from 2000 to 2003.

Men's 2008 final ranking

The Men's 2008 IIHF World Ranking is based on the performance at World Championship of 2008, 2007, 2006 and the 2005 and at the 2006 Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament in Turin.

Bold letters denote current world champion.Stars (***) denote current Olympic champion.

Women's 2008 ranking

Bold letters denote current World Champion.Stars (***) denotes current Olympic champion.

ee also

* 2007 IIHF World Ranking
* 2006 IIHF World Ranking
* 2005 IIHF World Ranking
* 2004 IIHF World Ranking
* 2003 IIHF World Ranking

References

External links

* [http://www.iihf.com/en/home-of-hockey/championships/world-ranking/mens-world-ranking/2008-ranking.html 2008 Men's World Ranking]
* [http://www.iihf.com/en/home-of-hockey/championships/world-ranking/womens-world-ranking/2008-ranking.html 2008 Women's World Ranking]