What happened at the 1990 World Championships (@ Switzerland)?

[The Panther]

This tournament was mentioned in another thread, and I happened to take a quick look at the results, which seem a bit odd.

Wiki summarizes it here: 1990 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships

Canada, Sweden, and the Soviets were all dominant in the first round. Canada was the only undefeated club. Sweden lost only to Canada in a pretty close game. The Soviet Union lost once to Sweden.

Norway and Germany got pounded on, as might be expected at this point in hockey history.

What is up with the USA here? Here are their first four games, all losses:
1 - 7 to Czechoslovakia
3 - 6 to Canada
1 - 10 (yikes!) to the Soviet Union
1 - 6 to Sweden
In the US's first four games, they were outscored 29 to 6!! I realize c.1990 isn't necessarily a high point in US hockey prime-era players, but we're in between the 1980 Miracle and the 1996 World Cup. Who was on this roster? Were they missing a lot of key players? After this horribad start, the US did win three straight games, but over the weaker teams only.

Canada's results are weird, too. Undefeated, as noted, in the first round. This includes a 3-3 tie with the Soviets, the only game Canada didn't win. Then, in the final round, Canada suddenly loses all three games, being outscored 16 to 7:
2 - 3 to the Czechs
1 - 7 to the Soviets
4 - 6 to Sweden
What happened here??

Also, after beating the USSR earlier, Sweden lost to them in the final round, and then managed only to tie the Czechs. After this downfall, the Swedes then beat reeling Canada to secure 2nd place.

By the way, the scoring leaders in the whole tournament were:
- Yzerman
- Khomutov
- K. Nilsson
- Reichel
- Loob

I don't see the boxscores or even the rosters of these clubs, so I don't know exactly who was on each team. Anyone have it?

Anyway, why was the USA so God-awful to begin, and why did Canada lay down like a farm-girl on prom night in the final round?

Click to read more...

 

[Theokritos]

Canada: Kirk McLean, Bob Essensa; Paul Coffey, Al MacInnis, Doug Lidster, Jamie Macoun, Curtis Leschyshyn, Rick Green, Michel Petit; Steve Yzerman, Rick Tocchet, Doug Gilmour, Theo Fleury, Ron Sutter, Murray Craven, Brian Bellows, John Cullen, Shawn Burr, Greg Adams, Keith Acton, Mark Recchi (missed half of the games, injured?), Joe Nieuwendyk (only one game, injured).

United States: John Casey, Bill Pye, John Blue; Jim Johnson, Greg Brown, Jeff Norton, Chris Dahlqvist, Dan Keczmer, Guy Gosselin; Kevin Stevens, Mike Modano, Joel Otto, Neil Broten, Mark Johnson, Paul Ranheim, Danton Cole, Kip Miller, John Fritsche, Bobby Reynolds, Joe Sacco, Tom O'Regan, Ed Galiani, Steve McSwain.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Nothing probably, Canada was likely pressing against the Soviets since they had lost to Czechoslovakia (maybe an upset? idk, they beat them 5-3 earlier and then lost 3-2) and needed a win to stay alive for Gold, and the game got out of hand with the Soviets likely taking advantage a lot on the counter-attack. Then when they were mathematically eliminated for Gold, they probably didn't have a lot of motivation in the game against Sweden.

There was nothing particularly notable about USA either. They seldom did well at the World Championships of that era (well even still to an extent) and weren't very good on big ice. Here are the World Championship results between 1980-1996.

• 1981 – 5th place
• 1982 – 8th place (relegated to Group B)
• 1983 – 9th place (1st in Group B, promoted to Group A)
• 1985 – 4th place
• 1986 – 6th place
• 1987 – 7th place
• 1989 – 6th place
• 1990 – 5th place
• 1991 – 4th place
• 1992 – 7th place
• 1993 – 6th place
• 1994 – 4th place
• 1995 – 6th place

5th place is normal. -14 is a bit worse of a goal differential than normal, but they had a -17 goal differential in 1987. The Soviets routinely put up huge margins on them (which wasn't particularly unique to the U.S., see the result against Canada in that 1990 final round). USA was better in Canada/World Cups generally because it was played on NHL ice under NHL rules.

Full game Canada vs. Soviets here



Announcer said Czechoslovakia "dominated play" against Canada in the previous game and that Canada struggled against the (then unknown) goaltender, Dominik Hasek. Also said that this was a year that did not have a clear gold medal favorite.

 

[sr edler]

You know what they say, what happens in Switzerland stays in Switzerland, it's Europe's own Nevada.

 

[MS]

United States: John Casey, Bill Pye, John Blue; Jim Johnson, Greg Brown, Jeff Norton, Chris Dahlqvist, Dan Keczmer, Guy Gosselin; Kevin Stevens, Mike Modano, Joel Otto, Neil Broten, Mark Johnson, Paul Ranheim, Danton Cole, Kip Miller, John Fritsche, Bobby Reynolds, Joe Sacco, Tom O'Regan, Ed Galiani, Steve McSwain.

That roster isn't theoretically that horrible (especially the top 2 lines) but the name that caught my eye was one I'd never heard of, and Ed Galiani must be the most random/obscure player to ever dress for a major nation in a major international tournament.

Ed Galiani - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Ed Galiani, 1960-06-16 Astoria, NY, USA USA. Most recently in the undefined with Lausanne. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

He barely even makes hockeydb:

Ed Galiani Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Ed Galiani, a hockey player from North Massapequa, NY who was active from 1981 to 1982.

www.hockeydb.com

 

[WarriorofTime]

That roster isn't theoretically that horrible (especially the top 2 lines) but the name that caught my eye was one I'd never heard of, and Ed Galiani must be the most random/obscure player to ever dress for a major nation in a major international tournament.

Considering only played in 3 games, perhaps an emergency injury replacement? He played in Switzerland that year so he may have been the easiest person to bring in on such short notice. Looks like Steve MacSwain also played in three games and he played the 1989-90 season in Italy.

 

[MS]

Considering only played in 3 games, perhaps an emergency injury replacement? He played in Switzerland that year so he may have been the easiest person to bring in on such short notice. Looks like Steve MacSwain also played in three games and he played the 1989-90 season in Italy.

That's probably a pretty reasonable guess.

 

[The Panther]

Canada: Kirk McLean, Bob Essensa....

Suddenly, their final round collapse makes a lot more sense...

 

[Yozhik v tumane]

That roster isn't theoretically that horrible (especially the top 2 lines) but the name that caught my eye was one I'd never heard of, and Ed Galiani must be the most random/obscure player to ever dress for a major nation in a major international tournament.

Ed Galiani - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Ed Galiani, 1960-06-16 Astoria, NY, USA USA. Most recently in the undefined with Lausanne. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

He barely even makes hockeydb:

Ed Galiani Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Ed Galiani, a hockey player from North Massapequa, NY who was active from 1981 to 1982.

www.hockeydb.com

Extremely weird and interesting. Ripping up minor leagues in Europe, getting a call to join Mike Modano and Kevin Stevens for the World Championship roster, then calling it a career?

Found an interview with him in Swedish, I don’t want to translate the whole thing but a few things I gathered from it:

• He says the larger European rink sizes fit his play better: “I played in Europe for seven years. The only hockey I thought was better [than the Swedish one] was that in Switzerland. But Sweden was top notch in terms of really good hockey, and I think it was fantastic playing over there. It was fast paced, some really good players, and they thought the game well. It was a type of hockey I enjoyed playing. The game flow was good, emphasis on skating and passing plays.”
• He regrets leaving Jönköping based HC Dalen and Sweden when he did. He was getting paid but only barely scraping by, and the club was supposed to find him a job but failed to do so. There was some interest from the other local team HV71, which had taken the step up into the SEL, but nothing came to fruition. He broke his contract with Dalen in the middle of his second season due to a better paying gig with an American team (which isn’t listed at Eliteprospects?).
• After destroying the Norwegian league for a couple of years, he applied to become a police officer in the United States — a position which had a waiting list — and quit hockey for a while. Due to his Swedish wife being pregnant with their second child and pressure to earn a wage, he started playing again, this time for Lausanne in the Swiss second tier league.
• Lausanne had an American coach named Bill Flynn, who also was named Team USA coach for the 1989 Spengler Cup. Having made a solid impression there, Galiani was eventually invited to play in the 1990 World Championships.
• He says of greats at the time like Kevin Stevens, Mike Modano and Joel Otto, that they were only teammates for ten days, but if they see each other now they’ll stop and chat for a while.
• “It’s an incredible memory to have had the opportunity to represent my country in one of the best tournaments in the world. It was a lot of fun and I got to play with and against terrific players. The entire year in Switzerland was amazing”.
• Galiani had to get another job in order to support his family, and quit his hockey career there, save for a short comeback for the national team where he ultimately failed to make the final roster for the 1992 Winter Olympics.
• He worked as a policeman for four years before becoming a firefighter instead. Working on Long Island, he spent about three months participating in the efforts following 9/11, a harrowing experience which has also left him with asthmatic problems requiring yearly checkups and cancer screenings.
• Despite the asthma, he counts his blessings and appreciates being able to go for daily walks with his wife, camping and skiing. The interview was conducted during the pandemic when he resided in Delaware, and he expressed a wish to return to coaching in Europe once it’s over (Note: Since the 2022-23 season, he’s coaching Ulricehamn in the Swedish fourth tier league).

Galiani with Paul Coffey during the 1990 WHCs.

 

[BB79]

USA hockey has come a loooooooong way since 1990

 

[MS]

Extremely weird and interesting. Ripping up minor leagues in Europe, getting a call to join Mike Modano and Kevin Stevens for the World Championshi roster, then calling it a career?

Found an interview with him in Swedish, I don’t want to translate the whole thing but a few things I gathered from it:

• He says the larger European rink sizes fit his play better: “I played in Europe for seven years. The only hockey I thought was better [than the Swedish one] was that in Switzerland. But Sweden was top notch in terms of really good hockey, and I think it was fantastic playing over there. Jag spelade i Europa i sju år. It was fast paced, some really good players, and they thought the game well. It was a type of hockey I enjoyed playing. The game flow was good, emphasis on skating and passing plays.”
• He regrets leaving Jönköping based HC Dalen and Sweden when he did. He was getting paid but only barely scraping by, and the team was supposed to find him a job but failed to do so. There was some interest from the other local team HV71, which had taken the step up into the SEL, but nothing came to fruition. He broke his contract with Dalen in the middle of his second season due to a better paying gig with an American team (which isn’t listed at Eliteprospects?).
• After destroying the Norwegian league for a couple of years, he applied to become a police officer in the United States — a position which had a waiting list — and quit hockey for a while. Due to his Swedish wife being pregnant with their second child and pressure to earn a wage, he started playing again, this time for Lausanne in the Swiss second tier league.
• Lausanne had an American coach named Bill Flynn, who also was named Team USA coach for the 1989 Spengler Cup. Having made a solid impression there, he was eventually invited to play in the 1990 World Championships.
• He says of greats at the time like Kevin Stevens, Mike Modano and Joel Otto, that they were only teammates for ten days, but if they see each other now they’ll stop and chat for a while.
• “It’s an incredible memory to have had the opportunity to represent my country in one of the best tournaments in the worls. It was a lot of fun and I got to play with and against terrific players. The entire year in Switzerland was amazing”.
• Galiani had to get another job in order to support his family, and quit his hockey career there, save for a short comeback for the national team where he ultimately failed to make the final roster for the 1992 Winter Olympics.
• He worked as a policeman for four years before becoming a firefighter instead. Working on Long Island, he spent about three months participating in the efforts following 9/11, a harrowing experience which has also left him with asthmatic problems requiring yearly checkups and cancer screenings.
• Despite the asthma, he counts his blessings and appreciates being able to go for daily walks with his wife, camping and skiing. The interview was conducted during the pandemic when he resided in Delaware, and he expressed a wish to return to coaching in Europe once it’s over (Note: Since the 2022-23 season, he’s coaching Ulricehamn in the Swedish fourth tier league).

View attachment 818535
Galiani with Paul Coffey during the 1990 WHCs.

Wow, amazing follow-up on that. Thanks!

I've said before here that I find the stories and detail on minor players so much more interesting than the endless Gretzky/Lemieux discussion and this is a great example.

 

[sr edler]

Suddenly, their final round collapse makes a lot more sense...

Watch the game, it's in this thread. My favourite part is probably @ 30:30 when Fedorov picks the puck off of Coffey for a breakaway and short-handed goal. Also Irbe priorly with some characteristic poke-checks, on Yzerman.

 

[Hobnobs]

USA had a pretty bad reputation for being more interested in partying than winning games in europe. Whether its a fair reputation, I dont know but that is what was said about over here.

 

[reckoning]

Suddenly, their final round collapse makes a lot more sense...

Kirk McLean and Ken Wregget were the best available goalies of the non-playoff teams, so they started with them, then planned to take a goalie from a team that lost in the first round to take over as the starter. But Vernon, Puppa and Burke all said no. Essensa was the best they could get.

 

[The Panther]

Kirk McLean and Ken Wregget were the best available goalies of the non-playoff teams, so they started with them, then planned to take a goalie from a team that lost in the first round to take over as the starter. But Vernon, Puppa and Burke all said no. Essensa was the best they could get.

Interesting.

Just looking at the non-playoff NHL clubs, it would seem the following players were theoretically available to Canada:
- Bob Probert
- Gerard Gallant
- Paul Reinhart
- Dan Quinn
- Barry Pederson
- Trevor Linden
- Michel Goulet
- Joe Sakic
- Mario Lemieux
- Rob Brown
- Brian Propp

I wonder how many were invited / refused? I could see Mario wanting to rest, as he had back surgery coming up in mid-July. Maybe Quinn and Brown were considered too dangerous, as "party boys" being let loose abroad. Maybe guys like Pederson and Propp were thought to be getting old and slow.

 

[Anton13]

I read this thread a couple of days ago and it was interesting because this is one of the first world championships I remember. Today I had a flashback: I remember that a Finnish hockey magazine mentioned that in Canadian media the arrival of wives and girlfriends mid-tournament was blamed for Canada’s downward spiral. Funny what kind of small things you can remember from childhood.

I also remember that Steve Yzerman got injured but was it this tournament or the year before? I couldn’t find anything about it online. I remember him being stretchered off the ice. Or do I mix him with someone else?

 

[reckoning]

Interesting.

Just looking at the non-playoff NHL clubs, it would seem the following players were theoretically available to Canada:
- Bob Probert
- Gerard Gallant
- Paul Reinhart
- Dan Quinn
- Barry Pederson
- Trevor Linden
- Michel Goulet
- Joe Sakic
- Mario Lemieux
- Rob Brown
- Brian Propp

I wonder how many were invited / refused? I could see Mario wanting to rest, as he had back surgery coming up in mid-July. Maybe Quinn and Brown were considered too dangerous, as "party boys" being let loose abroad. Maybe guys like Pederson and Propp were thought to be getting old and slow.

It can be a hard sell to convince players who just played a grueling 80 game schedule to jump on a plane and go to Europe and play in a tournament many North American fans don't care about. Especially veteran players who have accumulated more wear-and-tear on their bodies. It's surprising the younger guys like Sakic and Linden weren't there, but they both went the next year.

5 Calgary players on Canada on 2 more on the U.S.. Maybe they all decided together to try and end the year on a positive note after the disappointing first round loss to L.A.

 

[Staniowski]

Team USA was pretty weak at this tournament. They still didn't have much depth at that point, so they were in trouble if they didn't have their best talent. The Americans, in general, were improving, though, and good times (and lots more talent, and better depth) were coming soon.

 

[Staniowski]

Lots of great young players at this tournament...the new guard was coming: Modano, Fedorov, Bure, Jagr, Reichel, Sundin, etc.

 

[Staniowski]

The Soviets were pretty strong and had a nice mixture of ages. I don't remember all the lines, but I assume the excellent Khomutov - Bykov - Kamensky line were together, plus Makarov from the old KLM, Nemchinov, Semak, youngsters Fedorov and Bure.

Tatarinov was playing in that tournament.

 

[reckoning]

The tournament was also noteworthy for Uwe Krupp getting an 18 month suspension from international play after a diet pill he had regularly been taking caused him to fail a drug test.

 

[Albatros]

The tournament was also noteworthy for Uwe Krupp getting an 18 month suspension from international play after a diet pill he had regularly been taking caused him to fail a drug test.

Sudafed, which is a decongestant containing pseudoephedrine.