Road to Pyeongchang: Explaining the unorthodox ice hockey tournament formats that will be used in the 2018 Olympics
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the first in a seven-part series of blog posts, titled "Road to Pyeongchang", previewing the XXIII Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang County, South Korea.
Like most of the team sport events in the Olympic Games, the ice hockey tournaments at the 2018 Winter Olympics follow a two-stage format consisting of a preliminary round, in which teams are assigned to pools, and each team plays every other team in their pool once in a round-robin format, followed by an elimination round, in which a single-elimination tournament is used to decide which teams earn medals, with the winner of the final winning the gold medal, the loser of the final winning the silver medal, and the two semi-final losers playing each other in a third-place game, with the winner of that game winning the bronze medal.
The format of the 12-team men's ice hockey tournament in Pyeongchang is unusual by Olympic standards in that all twelve teams have already qualified for the elimination round before the puck drops for the opening match of the preliminary round. However, the preliminary round of the men's ice hockey tournament in Pyeongchang is significant for seeding purposes and determining which four teams get a first-round bye in the elimination round after the preliminary round. In the preliminary round, there are three pools of four teams, with each team playing the other three teams in their pool once each. Three pool points are awarded for winning a game decided in regulation, two points are awarded for winning a game decided in overtime or a shootout (officially called "game winning shots" by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), which sets the Olympic ice hockey rules), one point is awarded for losing a game decided in overtime or a shootout, and no points are awarded for losing a game decided in regulation. The team in each pool that scores the most pool points gets a bye from the first round, which is called the qualification playoffs, of the playoff round of the tournament. Additionally, one of the teams that finishes second in their pool gets a first-round bye in the playoff round as well. To determine which second-place team gets the first-round bye, the second-place team with the highest number of pool points gets the first-round bye, with ties broken by better goal difference, then, if needed, by more total goals scored, then, if needed, by higher ranking in the IIHF World Ranking for international men's ice hockey. The elimination round is a standard 12-team single-elimination tournament, with the final deciding which teams win the gold and silver medals and the third-place game between the semi-final losers deciding which team wins the bronze medal. In the elimination stage, a win in regulation, overtime, or a shootout is a win, and a loss in regulation, overtime, or a shootout is a loss.
The format of the eight-team women's ice hockey tournament in Pyeongchang is even more unorthodox than that of the men's tournament. In the preliminary stage, there are two pools of four teams, which each team playing the other three teams in their pool once, with the same pool points system that is used for the preliminary stage of the men's tournament being used for the women's tournament as well. However, it is a significant advantage for an Olympic women's ice hockey team to play in Pool A than in Pool B, for a couple of reasons. First, the four teams in Pool A are guaranteed a spot in the elimination round. Second, the two highest-ranked teams in Pool A after all Pool A games have been played get an automatic semifinal berth in the six-team elimination round, and, therefore, are guaranteed a spot in either the gold medal game or the bronze medal game. Third, even if a Pool A team finishes third or fourth in their pool, they would still get a spot in the elimination round, although they would have to play a quarterfinal game. For Pool B teams, the top two teams in the pool after pool play get the remaining quarterfinal sports in the elimination round, whereas the bottom two teams in the pool will be eliminated from medal contention and be relegated to the fifth-place bracket. The IIHF World Ranking for international women's ice hockey is used to determine which teams are assigned to Pool A and which teams are assigned to Pool B; the four higher-ranked teams of the eight competing will play in Pool A.
Like most of the team sport events in the Olympic Games, the ice hockey tournaments at the 2018 Winter Olympics follow a two-stage format consisting of a preliminary round, in which teams are assigned to pools, and each team plays every other team in their pool once in a round-robin format, followed by an elimination round, in which a single-elimination tournament is used to decide which teams earn medals, with the winner of the final winning the gold medal, the loser of the final winning the silver medal, and the two semi-final losers playing each other in a third-place game, with the winner of that game winning the bronze medal.
The format of the 12-team men's ice hockey tournament in Pyeongchang is unusual by Olympic standards in that all twelve teams have already qualified for the elimination round before the puck drops for the opening match of the preliminary round. However, the preliminary round of the men's ice hockey tournament in Pyeongchang is significant for seeding purposes and determining which four teams get a first-round bye in the elimination round after the preliminary round. In the preliminary round, there are three pools of four teams, with each team playing the other three teams in their pool once each. Three pool points are awarded for winning a game decided in regulation, two points are awarded for winning a game decided in overtime or a shootout (officially called "game winning shots" by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), which sets the Olympic ice hockey rules), one point is awarded for losing a game decided in overtime or a shootout, and no points are awarded for losing a game decided in regulation. The team in each pool that scores the most pool points gets a bye from the first round, which is called the qualification playoffs, of the playoff round of the tournament. Additionally, one of the teams that finishes second in their pool gets a first-round bye in the playoff round as well. To determine which second-place team gets the first-round bye, the second-place team with the highest number of pool points gets the first-round bye, with ties broken by better goal difference, then, if needed, by more total goals scored, then, if needed, by higher ranking in the IIHF World Ranking for international men's ice hockey. The elimination round is a standard 12-team single-elimination tournament, with the final deciding which teams win the gold and silver medals and the third-place game between the semi-final losers deciding which team wins the bronze medal. In the elimination stage, a win in regulation, overtime, or a shootout is a win, and a loss in regulation, overtime, or a shootout is a loss.
The format of the eight-team women's ice hockey tournament in Pyeongchang is even more unorthodox than that of the men's tournament. In the preliminary stage, there are two pools of four teams, which each team playing the other three teams in their pool once, with the same pool points system that is used for the preliminary stage of the men's tournament being used for the women's tournament as well. However, it is a significant advantage for an Olympic women's ice hockey team to play in Pool A than in Pool B, for a couple of reasons. First, the four teams in Pool A are guaranteed a spot in the elimination round. Second, the two highest-ranked teams in Pool A after all Pool A games have been played get an automatic semifinal berth in the six-team elimination round, and, therefore, are guaranteed a spot in either the gold medal game or the bronze medal game. Third, even if a Pool A team finishes third or fourth in their pool, they would still get a spot in the elimination round, although they would have to play a quarterfinal game. For Pool B teams, the top two teams in the pool after pool play get the remaining quarterfinal sports in the elimination round, whereas the bottom two teams in the pool will be eliminated from medal contention and be relegated to the fifth-place bracket. The IIHF World Ranking for international women's ice hockey is used to determine which teams are assigned to Pool A and which teams are assigned to Pool B; the four higher-ranked teams of the eight competing will play in Pool A.
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