Groups for 2004 announced!
The Czechs are excited to host in 2004
On May 9 at 15.00 at the Hartwall Arena, the IIHF conducted the official random drawing to determine the groups for the 2004 World Championships in the Czech Republic.
The Czechs were guaranteed a spot in Prague, while the Slovaks were granted one in Ostrava, close to the Czech-Slovak border.
The random draws were then done starting with the 13th through 16th-ranked teams of the USA, France, Kazakhstan and the Far East Qualifier. Next came the 9th through 12th-ranked teams of Latvia, Austria, Denmark, and Ukraine. Then it was 5th through 8th with Finland, Germany, Russia and Switzerland, and finally the remaining Top Four teams of Canada and Sweden.
2004 serves as the qualifier for the 2006 Olympics.
Here are the results, sorted by groups and host cities.
Prague
Group A
Czech Republic
Germany
Latvia
Kazakhstan
Group D
Canada
Switzerland
Austria
France
Ostrava
Group B
Slovakia
Finland
Ukraine
USA
Group C
Sweden
Russia
Denmark
Far East Qualifier