Beware of the IIHF World Championship!

If you think you know hockey, you will be in for an exciting surprise.
Prepare, hockey fans! Get your popcorn ready, grab the remote, and find your beer—oh wait, you are not legally old enough yet; don’t worry, your parents will allow you one this time.
The tournament is not for the greedy. This year’s tournament has 31 competitors from all over the world. The countries will have 10 teams in each group, and 11 will play for 13th place; this format means no team will give up until they are out. We will see 103 games in 17 exciting days, and every one of them has the potential to be the most memorable of the year.
A brand new tier. The new format, which puts the 31 teams into different groups, is intriguing. The top division has been cut from 16 to 12 teams. So this year, only the top 12 countries will have their sights set on the gold medal. The remaining 18 nations will be in divisions 1A, 1B and the new 2A and 2B divisions.
The top 12 countries. The top 12 nations will be in Group A and Group B, with the teams in each pool playing each other once. The top four finishers in each group will advance to the quarterfinals. The bottom four teams will compete to avoid relegation to Division 1A.
Can Canada do it again? Canada has won the last two World Championships and will be looking to make it three in a row this year. However, they will have a lot of competition from Russia, Sweden, Finland and the United States.
Russia - a team with a purpose. The Russians are always a threat to win the World Championship, and this year they will be even more motivated after failing to win a medal at the Olympics. They have a lot of talent on their team, including Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk.
The young guns from Sweden. Sweden is a rising star in the hockey world, and they will be looking to make a statement at this year’s World Championship. They have a lot of young talent on their team, including Victor Hedman, Gabriel Landeskog and Filip Forsberg.
Finland - the dark horse. Finland is always a tough team to play against, and they will be looking to make a deep run in this year’s tournament. They have a lot of experienced players on their team, including Mikko Koivu, Saku Koivu and Tuukka Rask.
USA - the old and the new. The United States is always a contender for the World Championship, and this year they will be looking to win their first gold medal since 1960. They have a good mix of young and old players on their team, including Patrick Kane, Auston Matthews and Jonathan Quick.
In the end, any of these teams could win the World Championship. It will be an exciting tournament, and it is sure to be full of surprises.