Highlights
This was the last IIHF tournament where three titles (Olympic, World and European) were contested. East Germany qualified for the first and only time in these games and played its final game with rival West Germany. The West prevailed 4-2.
In their penultimate match of the tournament, the USSR team lost to the Czechoslovakian team, which gave a tie-breaking advantage to the latter as each team had a record of 5 wins, 1 loss (10 points) with one game remaining. Yet the USSR team was also tied with Canada and would play the Canadians for the final game of the tournament. For teams finishing with identical records, it is games between the tied teams that determines placings. In their final matches of the tournament, Sweden tied with Czechoslovakia, while the USSR won its game that day against Canada, and the triple championship.
To win the championship, Czechoslovakia needed to win its game against Sweden and for Canada to lose or tie its match with USSR. Had Canada won against USSR and Czechoslovakia won its game over Sweden, Canada would have tied Czechoslovakia with 12 points but prevailed in the tie breaker to win the championship.
Read more about this topic: Ice Hockey At The 1968 Winter Olympics