26 May was a big date for both the Beatles and David Pastrnak, seen here scoring the gold medal-winning goal for Czechia on home ice in 2024.
photo: ©INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / MATT ZAMBONIN
It’s time to make history in Switzerland.
The 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Zurich and Fribourg is shaping up to be one of the best Olympic-year Worlds in recent memory.
Our tournament runs from 15 May to 31 May. And if you look at those dates through the lens of “on this day in history,” you quickly discover that some pretty big milestones – both in the international hockey world and the broader scope of human affairs – took place within that span.
Here’s just a quick taste.
On 15 May, the 2026 IIHF WM kicks off with four games, including a Zurich showdown between the defending champion Americans and the 2025 silver-medal winning Swiss.
In a neat bit of symmetry, that date will also mark the 118th anniversary of the IIHF this year. The governing body of international ice hockey was founded on 15 May, 1908 in Paris, France.
The 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Zurich and Fribourg is shaping up to be one of the best Olympic-year Worlds in recent memory.
Our tournament runs from 15 May to 31 May. And if you look at those dates through the lens of “on this day in history,” you quickly discover that some pretty big milestones – both in the international hockey world and the broader scope of human affairs – took place within that span.
Here’s just a quick taste.
On 15 May, the 2026 IIHF WM kicks off with four games, including a Zurich showdown between the defending champion Americans and the 2025 silver-medal winning Swiss.
In a neat bit of symmetry, that date will also mark the 118th anniversary of the IIHF this year. The governing body of international ice hockey was founded on 15 May, 1908 in Paris, France.
Nowadays, hockey players, team staff members, and fans alike take trans-Atlantic air travel for granted. But American aviator Charles Lindbergh made history when he became the first person to fly across the Atlantic – solo and non-stop – in his plane The Spirit of St. Louis, landing in Paris on 21 May, 1927.
Meanwhile, 2006 was a high-flying year for the Swedish men’s national team. Tre Kronor became the first side ever to win Olympic gold (in Turin) and World Championship gold (in Riga) in the same year. Under head coach Bengt-Ake Gustafsson, the Swedes completed that feat with a 4-0 final win over the Czechs – on 21 May.
The Beatles made music history when they released their landmark album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in the UK on 26 May, 1967. And on 26 May, 2024, NHL superstar David Pastrnak gave Czech fans a reason to sing when he scored the gold medal-winning goal in a 2-0 victory over Switzerland in Prague.
Meanwhile, 2006 was a high-flying year for the Swedish men’s national team. Tre Kronor became the first side ever to win Olympic gold (in Turin) and World Championship gold (in Riga) in the same year. Under head coach Bengt-Ake Gustafsson, the Swedes completed that feat with a 4-0 final win over the Czechs – on 21 May.
The Beatles made music history when they released their landmark album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in the UK on 26 May, 1967. And on 26 May, 2024, NHL superstar David Pastrnak gave Czech fans a reason to sing when he scored the gold medal-winning goal in a 2-0 victory over Switzerland in Prague.
Did you know that Louis Agassiz – the 19th-century Swiss scientist who originated the theory that Earth experienced an Ice Age – was born in Fribourg on 31 May, 1807?
If the host Swiss break their string of silver-medal heartbreaks and win their first gold ever in Zurich on (wait for it) 31 May, it will truly be the start of a new Ice Age in Switzerland.
If the host Swiss break their string of silver-medal heartbreaks and win their first gold ever in Zurich on (wait for it) 31 May, it will truly be the start of a new Ice Age in Switzerland.