The IIHF World Championships are under way in Riga, Latvia and it’s an opportunity for fans of the New York Rangers to see some Blueshirts in action. The best players from the world, currently not occupied by the Stanley Cup Playoffs, are there for the tournament that determines who can claim the title of best hockey team in the world.
There are eight current or future New York Rangers participating in the tournament and some are expected to play key roles for their teams.
- Team USA: Kevin Rooney C, Colin Blackwell F, Zac Jones D
- Team Czech Republic: Filip Chytil C, Libor Hajek D
- Team Sweden: Nils Lundkvist D
- Team Canada: Braden Schneider, D
- Team Slovakia: Adam Huska, G
The tournament started on Friday with a shocking upset when the hometown heroes from Latvia beat powerhouse Canada 2-0. The Czech Republic lost to Russia 4-3. The only Ranger making the scoresheet on day one was Libor Hajek who had an assist for the Czech team.
On Saturday, Finland edged Team USA 2-1. Sweden lost to Denmark 4-3 with Nils Lundkvist registering one assist. Nicklas Jensen had a hat trick for Denmark and diehard Ranger fans will remember that he had a cup of coffee with the Rangers in the 2016-17 season after being acquired from Vancouver for Emerson Etem. The Rangers didn’t re-sign him and he has been in the KHL ever since.
In the one other game on Saturday with Rangers playing, Switzerland beat the Czech Republic 5-2. Filip Chytil opened the scoring with a power play goal and played an active game that was highlighted by special teams play. For what it’s worth, Chytil won three of four faceoffs. Libor Hajek played heavy minutes on defense as well.
The NHL Network is televising the tournament in the United States. Here are the games they are televising that feature current or future Rangers. All times are EST.
Sunday, May 23
Canada vs. USA 1:15 pm
Monday, May 24
Germany vs. Canada 1:15 pm
Tuesday, May 25
USA vs. Kazakhstan 9:15am
Switzerland vs. Sweden 1:15pm
Wednesday, May 26
Canada vs. Norway 1:15 pm
Thursday, May 27
USA vs. Latvia 9:15am
Sweden vs. Czech Republic 1:15pm
Friday, May 28
Kazakhstan vs. Canada 9:15am
Saturday, May 29
Czech Republic vs. Great Britain 5:15am
Norway vs. USA 9:15am
Sunday, May 30
Italy vs. Canada 9:15am
Monday, May 31
Finland vs. Canada 5am
USA vs. Germany 9:15am
Russia vs. Sweden 1:15pm
Tuesday, June 1
Italy vs. USA 9:15am
There are two groups contending in this tournament. The medal round begins on Thursday June 3 with the top four teams from each group. Here are the two groupings:
Group A
- Belarus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Great Britain
- Russia
- Slovakia
- Sweden
- Switzerland
Group B
- Canada
- Finland
- Germany
- Italy
- Kazakhstan
- Latvia
- Norway
- United States
Thursday, June 3
Quarterfinals 9am & 1pm
Saturday, June 5
Semifinals 7am & 11am
Sunday, June 6
Consolation Final 8am
Tournament Final 1pm